It was an extraordinary journey, and a life that reads like a fairy tale. Xuanzang was born at the start of the seventh century in China. He studied as a monk and travelled for 16 years - first westwards, and then in a crescent back and down over the Himalayas to India . He returned a famous man, laden with Buddhists texts and artefacts. Historian Michael Wo ... Show More
Jun 30
Sir Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana
Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Bechuanaland when it was still a British Protectorate. In 1966 he became Botswana's first president. In between he married a white Londoner, Ruth Williamson, was exiled by the British, and made to renounce his interest in succeeding as head of th ... Show More
27m 43s
May 2021
Journey to the West: The Tang Monk Pt. 1
In China during the Tang dynasty, a humble monk named Xuanzang had a great destiny. His life and travels would be mythologized in the hugely popular novel Xiyouji, known in English as Journey to the West. In today’s story, Xuanzang learns where he came from, and risks death to re ... Show More
51m 25s
Nov 2023
China – its poetry and economy
In the winter of 770 the Chinese poet Du Fu wrote his final words, ‘Excitement gone, now nothing troubles me…/ Rushing madly at last where do I go?’ Looking back at his life and work, the historian Michael Wood retraces Du Fu’s journeys across China. He lived through war and fami ... Show More
41m 33s
Nov 2022
🧙♂️ Alan Watts | Simple Solution To The Confusion In Your Mind | Full Lecture
Alan Wilson Watts (6 January 1915 – 16 November 1973) was a British philosopher, writer, and speaker known for interpreting and popularising Eastern philosophies of Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism for a Western audience. Born in Chislehurst, England, he moved to the United States ... Show More
1h 17m
Sep 2023
Dean Mahomed, Restaurateur and Shampooing Surgeon
After Dean Mahomed sailed to Cork in January of 1784, he continued to work for Godfrey Evan Baker. But after Baker's death, Mahomed became an entrepreneur.
Research:
Bartlett, James. “Dean Mahomet: travel writer, curry entrepreneur and shampooer to the king.” History Ireland. Iss ... Show More
39m 54s
Apr 2024
Alexander Statman, "A Global Enlightenment: Western Progress and Chinese Science" (U Chicago Press, 2023)
Alexander Statman's book A Global Enlightenment: Western Progress and Chinese Science (U Chicago Press, 2023) is a revisionist history of the idea of progress reveals an unknown story about European engagement with Chinese science.The Enlightenment gave rise not only to new ideas ... Show More
50m 2s
Apr 2018
Jack Kornfield: Buddhism 101
What is Buddhism? How could it help your daily life? Is it a religion? And what does the statue we always see really represent? Jack Kornfield, one of the leading Buddhist teachers in America, introduces the basic principles behind Buddhism, discusses the steps involved in mindfu ... Show More
34m 55s