Soul Search

This week, two perspectives on the rise of Buddhism in the West. We meet Bhante Sujato, a former rock musician who became an ordained monk, teacher and reformer in the Thai Forest tradition of Buddhism. We also hear from Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and teacher Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, who spent six years in a solitary retreat.

We hear about the life, work and legacy of the late Billy Graham from a man who met him - Professor Gary Bouma. And we meet Fr Warren Kinne, who spent 20 years working as a missionary priest in China.

We meet feminist and writer Rebecca Walker, author of Black, White and Jewish, whose struggle with her mixed-race identity led her on a spiritual path towards Buddhism. We also hear from South Australia's first Aboriginal woman in Christian ministry, Rev'd Denise Champion, on the way she's dealt with race, gender and faith.

One of the oldest religions in India, Jainism extols the virtue of non-violence (ahimsa), a concept popularised in the 20th century by Gandhi as a non-violent tool for mass action. We’ll meet a Jain couple, hear from historian William Dalrymple, and explore the crossover between Jainism and other faiths.

The modest fashion market is reportedly worth tens of billions globally, but what exactly is ‘modest fashion’ and what role does religion play?

We explore the deep connection between music, spirituality and identity with Australian sacred composer and singer Brooke Shelley, and the late soul musician Amy Winehouse, the focus of an exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne.

We meet aspiring marriage celebrant Alex Pittaway, a young Christian minister in training, and hear about Australia’s first Jewish religious same-sex marriage.

The loveless Registry Office was a gloomy beginning for a couple on their happiest day, until the Civil Celebrant movement was initiated by the Attorney General, Lionel Murphy, and the former Catholic priest, turned celebrant, Dally Messenger.

Canon Sidney Chambers is a young, committed priest, who is also a detective. But his love life is in turmoil. James Runcie's Grantchester Mysteries, now a popular TV series, addresses moral and social issues for a post-church society.

Descendants of the Chinese who came to Australia in the 1850s, retrace their route from Robe, SA to the Victorian gold fields, and tell stories of hardship, survival and generosity.