Lotus Radio Magazines
Lotus Asian Voices – No.10: ENGAGED BUDDHISM
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
This issue of “Lotus Asian Voices” bringing to you news, view and interviews from Buddhist communities across Asia is now on line. In this program we focus on the concept of Engaged Buddhism and discuss application of Buddhist compassion and charity. We will talk to a Singaporean monk now living in Taiwan and a Japanese social and peace activist. With this program, we have come to the end of our 10 part series of monthly programs looking at Buddhism and its modern practices across Asia. I hope you enjoyed the programs and found them interesting and educational.(First broadcast in October 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.9: HUMAN SECURITY AND PEACE
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
In this month’s program, we continue our exploration of human security and peace, with Burmese scholar Maung Zarni and focus on the 5 dimensions of human security and peace. We also talk to 3 writers from Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar about the literary scene in these Buddhist countries. (First broadcast in September 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.8: DEVELOPING BETTER LINKS AMONG BUDDHIST COUNTRIES
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
In the 8th issue of “Lotus Asian Voices” we discuss with Dr Hema Goonatileka, the publisher of the Buddhist Times in Sri Lanka about why Buddhist countries need to develop better links between themselves, and we also bring you an interview with the Chief Justice of Bhutan, Lyonpo Tobgye on Buddhist Jurisprudence. Plus we bring you the first of a two-part feature on human security and peace, as seen by a Burmese scholar Maung Zarni, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. (First broadcast in August 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.7: ROLE OF CHANTING, MUSIC AND SINGING IN ASIAN BUDDHIST CULTURES
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
This program focus on the role of music and singing in Buddhist culture and devotion. We profile Nepali Buddhist nun of Tibetian descent Ani Choying Drolma who has become an international star singing Tibetian and Nepali Buddhist chants to the accompaniment of the guitar and percussion. The program includes excerpts of an interview given to Lotus Asian Voices just before she performed to a sell-out audience at Singapore’s leading performance arts venue, The Esplanade in April this year. We also explore the role of singing and chanting in the Sri Lankan Buddhist culture and speak to Venerable Budugala Jinawansa Thera, a young Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and a media studies graduate. (First broadcast in July 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.6: Buddhist Path To Solve Thailand's Political Conflict?
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
Following the military coup in Thailand on 22 May, this month’s program examine the political conflict in Thailand and explore whether there is a Buddhist solution to solving the conflict – using the “Middle Way”. We bring you a part of an interview the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra – who is the focus of the political conflict – gave to Korea’s English language regional TV channel Arirang, explaining his rural empowerment policies that were introduced during his term of office. We also hear from two critics of Thaksin and his regimes, Thai political scientist Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap and former Senator and TV host Dr Somkiat Omniwon.(First broadcast in June 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.5: Engaged Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Cambodia
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
This month’s program explore the meaning of Engaged Buddhism and hear from two monks – from Sri Lanka and Cambodia – on how they are applying these Buddhist concepts to their everyday work as monks. Venerable Omalphe Sobitha Mahathera of the Sri Bodhiraja Foundation in Embilipitiya, Sri Lanka talks about the need for the temple to address the socio-economic problems of the community from a Buddhist perspective and he also explain an unique cattle saving program that has an economic imperative. Venerable Somnieng Hoeurn, deputy abbot of Wat Damnak in Siem Reap near Angkor Wat in Cambodia, who has a masters degree in public administration from Harvard University argues why a temple has to be administered as a public institution and why the temple has to help the poor Buddhist communities to be empowered economically and socially. We also hear from Thai social critic and Buddhist activist Sulak Sivaraksa, who founded the International Network of Engaged Buddhists. (First broadcast in May 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.4: Asian New Year
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
This month’s program explore the celebration of the New Year in Asian Buddhist countries in April and we look at the relationship between Buddhist culture and astrology. We talk to Sri Lankan Buddhist scholars Prof Galmangoda D Sumanapala and Prof Chandima Wijeybandara. We also have a special feature on the traditions behind the celebrations of the Sinhalese New Year from Saru Community Radio in Sri Lanka and Tharuka Prematileka a communications researcher living in Singapore talks about her childhood memories of the New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka. We also hear from Witraporn Pimpla and Kanya Phattrawart from the Knowing Buddha organization about how the Thais celebrate the New Year known as Songram and from Cambodians Sen Sith, a young Buddhist and Buddhist monk Venerable Sok Rem of Wat Damnak in Siem Reap about the celebration of Chaul Chnam Thmey or Maha Songram in Cambodia.(First broadcast in April 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.3: Traditional Education
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
This 3rd issue of “Lotus Asian Voices” explore the importance of Pali language to Buddhist studies with an interview with a professor of Pali Studies. We have a special feature on the Indian traditional medicine system of Ayurveda and speak to professors at the Ayurveda faculty of the Benares Hindu University in India. We also look at Tibetan traditional medicine and how they train Tibetan medical practitioners at the Central University of Tibetan Studies in Saranath, India.(First broadcast in March 2014).
Lotus Asian Voices – No.2: Buddhism In India and Thailand
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
The second issue of “Lotus Asian Voices” explore how Saranath’s Central University of Tibetan Studies is carrying on the Nalanda Buddhist education tradition, and we bring you an interview with its vice chancellor Prof Geshe Ngawang Samten. We also look at the state of Buddhism in India and we talk to Bhikku Bodhipala, secretary of the Bengali Buddhist Association in Kolkatta to find out more about the situation with the Buddhists of India. In the past few years, two neighbouring Buddhist countries, - Thailand and Cambodia – have been at loggerheads over a piece of land on their border that is the site to an ancient Buddhist temple – Preah Vihar. Following the recent World Court verdict on the issue, we canvass the views of both countries with Prof Sorn Samnang, President of the Cambodian Historians Association and Associate Professor Puangthong Pawakapan, of the Department of International Relations of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.(First broadcast in February 2014)
Lotus Asian Voices – No.1: Vipassana, Nalanda and Buddhist Music
Duration: 28 minutes
Produced and presented by Kalinga Seneviratne
In our inaugural Lotus Asian Voices program we pay tribute to Vippassana Meditation master S.N Goenka, who died in September. We also talk to a Thai Vippassana Meditation master Acharavadee Wongsakon. In an educational feature we profile Nava Nalanda Mahavihara university in Bihar, India, and in our social feature we look at gender equality and efforts to motivate Buddhist nuns to become social educators in Cambodia. In our cultural segments we feature an orchestral piece from China that is used to invoke the deities, and from Sri Lanka we introduce ceremonial drumming.(First broadcast in January 2014)
