Thought for the Day
I have been the Buddhist contributor to Thought for the Day on Radio 4 since 2006, and since 2010 I’ve done similar talks on BBC Radio Wales in the Weekend Word slot
Isolation and Connection in the COVID-19 Crisis
If we want to meet the challenge with an expansive response, I think we must start with our feelings in this moment and the people around us right now
Buddhist Reflections on brexit day
Brexit Day is an important milestone, but it’s part of the process that has lasted for three years and divided the country. Setting aside our preferences about Brexit, how can we engage with what's happening in line with Buddhist values Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales...
Liminality
The Liminal Space of Election Day The enforced pause in broadcasting about the election on polling day has an oddly ritualistic effect, creating a rare space in our noisy public discourse. Using a term from anthropology, I’d call it a liminal space, meaning a...
Beyond Competition
Thought for the Day 6.12.19 When the four artists nominated for this year’s Turner Prize fell into conversation, they quickly decided that they didn’t want to compete against each other. They asked to be judged as a single collective and this week the Prize was shared...
Interconnectedness and the Systems We Depend On
When the lights go out, we glimpse our dependence on conditions and lack of control. It's also a window onto our interconnected place in the fabric of life. Since the nationwide power cut a couple of weeks ago, people have been asking how it happened and who’s to...
The Wisdom of Trees
Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales, 02/08/2019 Some years ago, I moved into a suburban house with a large, nondescript garden and started to imagine how it might look. Before long I’d caught the gardening bug and I’ve gradually created a beautiful space filled with flowers...
Mental Health, the Buddha and Kisagotami
It's fitting that Vesak, the festival Buddhists celebrate on Sunday to mark the Buddha and his understanding of the human condition, falls this year in Mental Health Awareness week. The story of the Buddha's meeting with Kisagotami makes the connection.One day a woman...
Climate Change & The Good Life
To live sustainably we need to change our lifestyles and that means changing our image of 'the good life' Where can we find values to support that?Listen Here At the start of the mindfulness courses I teach I lead the group through a simple exercise. Each person is...
Peering into a Black Hole
The first ever images of a black hole show us something strange and immense. But is that overwhelming or inspiring? What’s the biggest thing in the news this week? The biggest story is clearly Brexit; but the biggest thing is the black hole whose image we saw for the...
Mary Oliver: Wild and Precious Verse
Mary Oliver was the Poet Laureate of mindfulness, and many Buddhists felt an affinity with her themes of nature, appreciation and the importance of present moment awarenessMany British people, even those who read poetry, might not have heard of the American poet Mary...
Staying Ethical in the Brexit Debate
Amid the conflict over Brexit, perhaps the best contribution a Buddhist can make is not about the substance, but about how we conduct the debate itselfTalk on BBC Wales, Weekend Word, 14.12.2018 Whatever you think about Brexit, most people...
The Edible is Ethical
Eating meat increases global warming and causes animals to suffer. That's why Buddhism sides with vegetarians and vegans in seeing food as a moral issue. It’s a little awkward for a vegetarian to talk about food at breakfast-time. But this week...
Climate Change and The Four Reminders
We know that climate change is happening, but our politics focuses elsewhere and our lifestyles remain the same. Real change means engaging our deepest values, and the Buddhist reflections on mortality, the world's imperfection karma and the precious...
The Ethics of Communication
As a society we constantly confront questions around how we should speak to each other about difficult issues. The Buddhist speech precepts offer a framework for ethical reflection on how we communicate Last week it was antisemitism in the...
The Call of the Forest
Creating a vast new forest inn Central England will help offset climate change, but it also appeals to the imagination. And that’s what we need we are to turn our environmental aspirations into reality
Healing Trauma With Gratitude
The Thai boys who were lost in a cave are spending time as novice Buddhist monks. Does gratitude offer an alternative way to recover from trauma?
Guilt and Remorse After Grenfell Tower
If you are caught up in a disaster and blamed for the consequences, even if you aren’t responsible, how can you cope with the feelings of guilt that are likely to arise?
Climate Change and the Burning House
As climate change talks falter, the Parable of the Burning House from The Lotus Sutra has a new relevance. The need to change is clear enough, but what will inspire us to act on it? The 2015 Paris Climate Change agreement was an inspiring...
After 1968: Inner or Outer Revolution?
1968 saw riots in Paris and the start of western Buddhist movements. But who was right: the political or the spiritual revolutionaries? Thought for the Day 01/05/18 For anyone like me who didn't live through it, the images of workers and...
Mindfulness and Depression
Behind Dale Winton's breezy persona lay years of secret depression. Can mindfulness help people in his situation? Weekend Word, BBC Radio Wales 20.04.18 The news that Dale Winton died on Wednesday, aged 62, has shone a light on the troubled...
The Skill of Ethics
Education focuses more and more on learning skills. The Buddhist idea of ethics as skilfulness makes a link between ordinary skills and he rely of ethics and spiritual life. On yesterday's programme we heard from apprentices at Sheffield...
Burmese Atrocities: The Problem With A Buddhist State
In Burma Buddhists are committing atrocities against Muslim Rohingyas. We must speak out, not just against the violence, but the very idea of a Buddhist nation that underpins it. Thought for the Day 12.09.2017 When I hear about the horrific...
Helping the Caring Professions
Police officers, and others in the public sector, often care deeply about what they do. But pressure is growing and stress is rising. Buddhist-inspired emotional intelligence can speak to these difficulties.
If Technology Served Buddhist Goals
What ground rules does Buddhism propose for how data is used and intelligent machines operate?
Mindful Eating
We're eating more and putting on weight. Why is it so hard to change our habits, and how can simplicity and paying mindful attention help? I am sure I'm not the only one finds himself delving into the fridge for a snack and then asking, "What on earth am I doing?"...
The Buddha’s Vision
Buddhists are celebrating Buddha Day or Wesak this week. But 2,600 years on, is Buddhism still relevant?
Syria: Responding With Compassion
Compassion is what happens when a loving heart meets suffering. Following the chemical attack in Syria and American strikes, what is a compassionate response?
Recalling the Buddha’s Death
Today is Parinirvana Day when Buddhists mark the death of the Buddha. The body’s impermanence calls us to be mindful and alert
The Dark Side of Buddhist History
Martin Scorsese’s film, Silence, shows Buddhists persecuting Christians in Japan, opening a window on the dark side of Buddhist history? How should modern Buddhists respond?
Children’s Mental Health: the Big Perspective
The childhood mental health crisis demands we think differently about our society. Buddhism and mindfulness show how we can take greater account of our minds and what they need
Roald Dahl and the Karma Factory
The celebrations of Roald Dahl Day show that his wonderful and highly moral books are as fresh as ever. What does child’s-eye morality mean for adults?
Burning with Impermanence
Setting alight a replica of London in 1666 to commemorate the Great Fire of London was a stirring evocation of impermanence
Entering the Anthropocene: How Our Minds Shape the Planet
Geologists are proposing that we declare a new era: the anthropocene, in which human beings are decisively shaping the planet. Buddhism points to the underlying issue: our minds.
Taking Football’s Ups and Downs
Here in Wales, we’re simultaneously mourning the Football team’s exit from Euro 2016 and celebrating their achievements. How the Buddha’s teachings help?
The Historical Buddha and the Eternal Buddha
On Buddha Day Buddhists ask what the Buddha means today, so long after his death. Is he an historical figure or an eternal principle? Thought for the Day 21.6. 2016 hen Gautama, the man history knows as The Buddha, died two-and-a-half thousand years ago his followers...
Testing, Educating and Training
As British seven year-olds take national tests, what does Buddhism have to say about the ethical core of education?
Buddhist Shakespeare
Everyone has their own take on Shakespeare, but what happens if you read it as a Buddhist?
Caring for the World & Caring for Yourself
South Wales is poor and steelworkers job losses will make it poorer still. What does Buddhism, with its stress on self development have to offer? And how does caring for yourself connect with caring for others? It's been a bad week here South Wales, with news that 750...
Bowie’s Dharma
The response to David Bowie’s death shows his impact. What does his work mean for a Buddhist?
Zuckerberg’s Giveaway and the Spirit of Generosity
As Mark Zuckerberg announces that he plans to give away 99% of his vast fortune, what is the value of generosity and can it really make us happy?