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Soul Search

ABC Australia

Soul Search explores contemporary religion and spirituality from the inside out — what we believe, how we express it, and the difference it makes in our lives

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26 episodes
weekly
Avg 54 min
English

Episodes 26

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September 24 · 54 min
The science and spirituality of compassion
In a world that prizes self-interest, is compassion a weakness? In 1992 the Dalai Lama asked a psychologist, instead of focusing only on negative emotions, why don't we study happiness and compassion? Now, the psychology of compassion has become an established field, and a place for rich conversation between science and religion.
September 17 · 54 min
The untold stories of Buddhism in Australia
When you imagine an Australian Buddhist, who do you think of? Buddhism in this country has a multicultural history which reaches back before federation and the White Australia Policy.
September 10 · 54 min
Christian Wiman and Miroslav Volf on friendship, walking and the sacred spark in language
Yale professors Christian Wiman and Miroslav Volf have been friends for years, through serious ups and downs. Together they discuss poetry, suffering and the divine — helping one another express the big things we encounter throughout our lives. Guests Miroslav Volf is a theologian and the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School. He has written or edited over twenty books, including his most recent co
September 3 · 54 min
Australian poetry and the 'deep speech' of place
The Australian landscape comes up again and again in Australian poetry — it's part of what makes poetry from this place so distinctive. So, how does the contemporary Australian poetry scene engage with the land, and how has it shaped the art and spirituality of Australian poets? Guests Laurie May is a poet, a spoken word performer and a poetry educator based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, and the Executive Director of Red Dirt Poetry. Laurie May’s poetry recommendations are: I am the Desert, by Ma
August 27 · 54 min
The Zen masters of haiku
Haiku poetry is both simple and evocative, largely due to Zen Buddhism. The now familiar 5-7-5 haiku verse developed in ancient Japan, and now, across language and culture, haiku remains a popular way for people to engaging with nature, the seasons, and the fleeting moments of life.
August 20 · 54 min
Poetry that soars — from Rumi to Australia
Poetry is one of the world's most enduring artforms. It predates writing, and we’re still compelled to express our deepest thoughts through verse. What does poetry have to do with spirituality and the sacred — whether its big, mystical experiences, or the small moments that nonetheless ring with truth? Dr Toby Davidson is a poet and Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities at Macquarie University. He is the author of Christian Mysticism and Australian Poetry, and editor of the Collected Poem
August 13 · 54 min
Zeus' Law — Hospitality in Homer's Odyssey
Underneath all the sex and violence of Homer's Odyssey, hospitality shines as a key theme. So, what does "Zeus' Law", outlining the responsibilities of hosts towards guests and strangers, have to teach us today, as our own society debates difference? Guests Dr Susan Lupack is an archaeologist and Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities at the Macquarie University. She is co-editor the new Cambridge Guide to Homer. Dr Ben Brown is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences a
August 6 · 54 min
Katherine May on winter's transformative power
Some people love crisp winter mornings and bracing ocean swims — one of those people is author Katherine May, who says there are winter periods in life too. In her book Wintering, Katherine writes about her own cold and fallow seasons, and says we shouldn't run from our winters because they contain seeds of transformation. Guest Katherine May is an internationally renowned writer and podcaster based in Kent, in the south east of England. Her work covers nature, spirituality, slow living and ne
July 30 · 54 min
How gardening is a conversation
Gardeners have cultivated — or dominated — the natural world for thousands of years. But as any green thumb will tell you, in the garden nature has an opinion about how things will go and you won't always get your way. So, what does your garden say about you? And what does your garden say to you? Guests Georgina Reid is a landscape designer, gardener, writer and former editor of Wonderground — a print and online journal exploring questions of nature, culture and care. Megumi Bennett has been
July 23 · 54 min
Philosopher Simone Weil's guide to paying attention
With so much going on in the news and in the world right now, it's easy to feel overwhelmed, and even powerless. But how can the philosophy of a brilliant young Frenchwoman help us navigate through tragedy and troubles? Simone Weil wrestled with the question of how to live a moral life, and she gives us a remarkable vision of how to pay attention.
July 16 · 54 min
Recovering the art of listening
Would you say you're a good listener? Listening well to others, and being properly listened to yourself, is the baseline for genuine encounter with each other. There's a vulnerability and intimacy to listening when it's done properly, so how do we do it in a noisy, divided world?
July 9 · 54 min
The neuroscience of spirituality with Iain McGilchrist
How are our internal, spiritual lives shaped by the physical structure of our brains? Dr Iain McGilchrist is the author of two big books that have thrown into question our assumptions about knowledge and meaning and even our capacity to perceive the sacred.
July 2 · 54 min
‘Dunk ‘em in the ocean’ — The Aboriginal Catholic sharing whale stories with Rome (NAIDOC special)
‘The humpback whale is Theresa Ardler’s totem, and she went all the way to Rome to share Indigenous knowledge of the ocean with the Pope.
June 25 · 54 min
Visualising the Hindu gods and goddesses
The word 'god' can bring many images to mind — perhaps a man with blue complexion and four arms, an old bearded man in the sky, or a woman seated on a lotus throne. Gods and goddesses have been visualised in all kinds of ways, through different times and societies. And when it comes to Hinduism, the deities can take on countless forms.
June 18 · 54 min
Can ritual help restore broken politics and bruised spirits?
Rituals mark moments throughout our lives, big and small. They are also used to draw attention to political injustice and social inequality, to express lament and to reorient the participants in the ritual toward wholeness. What role might rituals play in our lives, and how can rituals be part of the reparative work in our society and politics?
June 11 · 54 min
The joy and anguish of the Psalms
How do you express your deepest emotions? Over the centuries many have turned to poetry, including the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible. From anguish to ecstasy and anger to joy, how can one collection of poetry cover such a range of emotions and experiences?
June 4 · 54 min
Being human in the age of AI
Pope Leo XIV has just published his first encyclical, and it's on artificial intelligence. But for 75 years, people from diverse religious traditions have been thinking about AI and the ethics of AI, including from Buddhist and Protestant perspectives.
May 28 · 54 min
Who was Vivekananda, the young revolutionary swami?
Swami Vivekananda made giant contributions to interfaith dialogue and interpreting Hinduism to the west. So who was Vivekananda, the young swami who impressed America at the end of the 19th century? And why does his legacy matter to young Hindus today?
May 21 · 54 min
War and peace — St Augustine and the Pope he inspired
Pope Leo is the first Augustinian pontiff and has quickly made headlines speaking out about war an peace — which makes sense, because St Augustine was a major influence on Western understandings of war and when it is morally justified.
May 14 · 54 min
"We will always choose Earth" — Spiritual ecology in an age of crisis
NASA's Earthrise photo sparked an environmental movement, but decades later the environmental crisis has gotten worse, not better. What's missing from how we relate to our common home?

Showing 1–20 of 26 episodes