Soul Search

What kind of education makes for a better world? Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel grappled with this question all his life, as we find out from his former student, Rabbi Ariel Burger. And, we hear from Dr Paul Burgis, a principal of a faith-based school in Sydney, on what he thinks religion can add to education.

Former fast-bowler Henry Olonga was forced to leave behind his career and country after he protested against former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe. So what gave shape to his convictions and values? And we hear how Kenyan-Australian academic Kathomi Gatwiri reclaimed her African identity after leaving religion.

In this special episode of Soul Search, historian Simon Schama speaks about his new book Belonging: The Story of the Jews. He was in conversation with scholar Paul Holdengraber at the Sydney Writers' Festival earlier this year.

Rumi's poetry is beloved around the world, but has his specifically Sufi Muslim insights been translated away? And we'll also head to the NSW mining town of Broken Hill, where historian Samia Khatun found a mysterious 150-year-old book of Bengali Sufi poetry at the old mosque. So how did it get there, and how did reading it change her?

How do you imagine the face of contemporary Christianity? A hundred years ago, about two-thirds of the world's Christians lived in Europe. Now, only about a quarter do — but in the Asia Pacific, that number has tripled. Meredith Lake explores stories of Christian faith from the Asian diaspora.

What happens when stories of your homeland or cultural roots are shrouded in secrecy and pain? Author Aatish Taseer is the son of an Indian Sikh and a Pakistani Muslim, whose search for his roots led him to Varanasi, the ‘spiritual capital of India’. And the mother and son duo behind Counting and Cracking reveal how the play helped them understand Sri Lanka's past.

Maybe you’ve heard the old saying, ‘whoever sings, prays twice’. That's certainly true for the stars of sacred music we meet on Soul Search this week — iconic composer John Rutter, leading choir-master Barry Rose, and talented French organist, Thomas Ospital.

Imagine this — long flowing hair, beards and sandals. Huge outdoor crowds talk about revolution, along with love and a new way of being. What are some other similarities between hippies and Jesus? Meredith Lake explores the soul of the counterculture —from alternative spiritualities to the Jesus People.

Even if you find religion hard to stomach, you'll love cooking with Jeong Kwan, a Korean Buddhist nun who once starred in the Netflix series, Chef's Table.

On a cold day in the Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, hundreds of women from across the globe gathered together for the International Sakyadhita conference on Women in Buddhism.