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
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?
Remembering the Drowned Village
Fifty years after the village of Capel Celyn in North Wales was flooded to make a reservoir, the wounds have not healed. What do we lose when we submerge the past and what can it teach us?
The Buddha’s Leadership Lessons
Everyone in a responsible position is asked to display leadership qualities. What kind of leader was the Buddha, and what lessons can modern leaders draw from his example?
Slavery: Reparations or Moving on?
The pain of slavery is resurfacing as demands for reparations. How can we resolve deep-rooted grievances and move on from the past?
The Dharma of Children’s Wellbeing
When English children are asked how they feel, they’re less happy than children in Ethiopia and Algeria. How can Buddhist ideas of mindfulness and skilful action help young people?
Life After Shopping
As London prepares for 24-hour tube services and the way opens for 7-day shopping, how much commerce do we really need and what’s it doing to us?
The Refugee Crisis
There have never been more refugees. How can we respond to the crisis?
Mindfulness and Mental Health
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on mindfulness. What’s the connection between an ancient Buddhist practice and modern mental health needs?
Responding With Compassion
We often turn away from the suffering around us or in the news. But, following the Nepalese earthquake, what happens when we open up?
Service is Worth More than Money
Public fury at politicians are on the make shows that we want them to serve, not profit. Thats an inkling of the Buddhist practice of dedicating one’s whole life to serving all beings
Restoring Criminal Justice
Our Criminal Justice System is under pressure and failing to stop reoffending. As Vishvapani is learning through working in this field, mindfulness and Buddhist principles offer the basis of an alternative approach
The Pakistan Massacre and the Spiral of Violence
What are the ultimate causes of the Pakistan school massacre, and how can we how can we stop violence proliferating – in our minds and in the world?
The Obesity Crisis: What are the Roots of Good Health?
The UK faces an obesity crisis. But what are the underlying causes of poor health and what conduces to flourishing?
Execution Videos: the Medium and the Message
Following the execution of journalist James Foley by ISIS the video was posted online. Foley is the victim, but not the target. We are. The horror and revulsion most of us naturally feel at these images has been calculated and prompted. How can we engage responsibly with the world of images?
When We Suffer We Need Calm, Perspective and Kind Words
In the wake of Robin Williams’ suicide, we’re talking more about mental illness and distress. Here’s how mindfulness can help in working with difficult mental states.
Playing is a Serious Business
Play is important for children and adults too. What would it be like if everything you did felt like play?
Sexual Abuse is Society’s Shadow
Stories of sexual abuse are everywhere in British life. We need to do more than condemn this behaviour. We must acknowledge it as the shadow side our society
The Healthcare Crisis is a Spiritual Challenge
More of us are living longer with longterm health conditions. The healthcare crisis is a challenge for our society and discussion needs to move beyond politics. We need a vision of life that looks beyond our personal interests and struggles and values community
Suffering and Compassion
The world is full of suffering. The times are troubled. How can we respond with wisdom and compassion to our struggles, other people’s and the world’s?
Free Speech Means Listening, Too
When controversy is met by criticism what happens to free speech? As novelist Hilary Mantel speaks out at her treatment in the media, what do Buddhist teachings have to say about the ethics of communication?
Mindfulness is more Relevant Than Ever
The mindfulness movement show that, in our speedy, stressed out society ancient wisdom traditions are more relevant than ever. Thought for the Day.
You Can’t Change the Weather
Britain is being battered and much of Europe is being battered by storms. However much we dislike it, the truth is we can’t change the weather. Facing the raw power of the natural world shows us our vulnerability and challenges our inner resources. Weekend Word, BBC...
The Mental Battle is What Draws Us To Sport
As the Winter Olympics start in Sochi, Russia, what is the fascination of sport? Could it be the mental battle that echoes the challenges of our own lives? Thought for the Day
Children in Need & Compassion
It’s Children in Need Day and the 75th anniversary of Krystallnacht, when my father watched the synagogue burning. The significance of how we respond isn’t just the money. It also says something about who we are and our relationships with others
Remembrance Day Meditation
Remembrance Sunday is an invitation to find a space in our harried lives for a silent opening to all that war has meant for the country: a national meditation on what Wilfred Owen called ‘the truth untold / the pity of war, the pity war distilled.’
What is Education For?
As my son has his first day at school, here is a reflection on what I hope for from his education. There’s more to learning than knowledge. What does it mean to learn, not just about the world, but how to live well within it
Intervening in Syria: How Can We Decide Wisely?
What happens when our country faces questions of peace and war – as the UK has this week? What influences our thinking and how can Buddhist teachings help us to make wiser decisions?
The Deeper Significance of Democracy
As the Middle East blazes, what is really worth fighting for? Democracy is the best defence against the tyranny of what Buddhism calls ‘views’. It requires and fosters humility: the uncomfortable knowledge that people are different and that none of us possesses the whole truth
The Lessons of Edward Snowden’s Surveillance Revelations
The real story about Edward Snowden is not the legal drama or even the should-he-shouldn’t-he whistleblower debate. It’s what we’ve learned from his devastating revelations of state computer surveillance. The ethical framework for secret services should be decided by society as a whole
Buddhist Terror
Buddhist mobs have been killing Moslems in Burma. How did we come to this pass and how must Buddhism reform itself? Thought for the Day 22/6/2013
The Buddha’s continuing Relevance
As Buddhists celebrated Wesak, Vishvapani reflected on the continuing relevance of the Buddha. ‘Standing apart from political struggles he offered a distinctive outlook on their causes …’
Surviving Cancer and Facing Death
More of us are living longer, contracting cancer and often surviving it. As the shape of our lives changes, how can we adjust, applying the Buddhist teaching of the value of facing squarely old age, disease and death
Choose Your Input, Don’t Just Go With the Flow
What do you do when the news is full of stories of murder and kidnap that you don’t want to hear but keep listening to? It shows what a strong habit the news can be. So how can we manage the pull of the news and the itch for stimulation?
The Measles Epidemic and Making Wise Choices
The measles cases in South Wales stems from parents’ fear and confusion. Here’s the Buddha’s advice on making wiser decisions and confronting our fears, rather than being driven by them.
Bradley Manning & the Ethics of Communication
Imagine you are Bradley Manning in 2009: a low-ranking US intelligence officer stationed in Iraq with access to vast amounts of diplomatic and military data. You discover much that you consider unethical. So do you keep quiet, or do you leak the information, risking the prospect of decades in military prison?
Richard III and the Buddha
The discovery of the skeleton of Richard III in a Leicester car park has sparked worldwide interest. What does it tell us about our relationship with the figures that shape our sense of history or with the Buddha
Mindful Weight Loss: Fasting and Eating Habits
Why is it so hard to maintain weight-loss diets? Fasting is a time-honoured practice that brings more awareness to eating and helps us shift long-standing habits
Marketing wants your attention: choose wisely where you pay it
Advertising, marketing and retail promotions all want something from us: time, attention and money. How can Buddhism help us notice and withstand their effect?
We’re Vulnerable, So We Should Care for the World
We’re Vulnerable, as bad weather shows. Buddhism teaches that we suffer if we don’t acknowledge that. And as the UK debates it’s future energy supplies, that means we should consider deeply how our actions will affect the planet. Thought for the Day 24/12/2012
Hillsborough: Cover-up and Group Think
23 Years after the Hillsborough disaster, when 96 people were crushed to death in a UK soccer match, a government-commissioned independent report has concluded that police failures contributed to the tragedy; more lives could have been saved; and the police mounted a cover up. How does group pressure lead ordinary people to do wrong?