Thai Buddhism - Monks, Mercs and Women

The Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe is one of the natural wonders of the world. It's also one of Africa's great tourist attractions. As both countries seek to grow the tourism economy, there’s been a push to develop land around the Falls. But as Isa Jacobson r ...  Show more

How amid the tents and the rubble Gaza is developing once again as an unlikely tech hub. Even before the October 7th 2023 attack and the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas, NGOs, with the backing of Google, had sought to develop tech start-ups in the Gaza strip. The digital ...  Show more

📿📿📿 Paul and Stephen are honored to welcome the esteemed Dr. Khy Sovanratana, dear friend of Dr. Stephen Asma, and former monk in the Theravada tradition in Cambodia. After 34 years as a monk, Dr. Sovanratana removed his robe and left the monastery to become the Minister of Fo ...  Show more

A fast‑escalating scandal in 2025 centers on a woman known publicly as “Sika Golf” (aged 35), who is accused of entangling herself with high-ranking Buddhist monks in a vast temple fund and corruption scheme. 

In light of the Easter Sunday attacks on Churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, Ernie Rea explores the religious landscape of Sri Lanka with Jonathan Spencer, Regius Professor of South Asian Language, Culture and Society at the University of Edinburgh; Dr Farah Mihlar, Lecturer in Con ...  Show more

Scholars of religion have mostly abandoned the concept of "syncretism" in which certain apparent deviations from "standard" practice are believed to be the result of a mixture of religions. This is particularly relevant to Thailand, in which ordinary religious practice was seen b ...  Show more