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  • EP10 Reimagining Myanmar with Burmese Buddhism (with Joah McGee)
    2025/04/03

    IIn this episode of Light Forest we explore the nation of Myanmar through Burmese Buddhism and learn about how Buddhist values are bringing light into the resistance movement against the Junta.

    Taking us on this journey we have Joah McGee:

    a trainer, podcaster, and humanitarian advocate with a deep connection to Myanmar as a longtime practitioner and researcher of Burmese Buddhism.

    You may recognise his voice as host of the Insight Myanmar podcast where he shines a light on the intersections of Buddhism with social change and activism. He is founder of Better Burma, a humanitarian organisation providing aid and support to the people of Myanmar since the armed and open conflict between resistance groups and the Junta.


    Joah shares deep insights into the historical and contemporary role of Buddhism in Burmese society, its relationship with governance, and how the people of Myanmar are navigating political turmoil, exile, and re-imagining their future.
    We get into some of the deep contradictions that run through Buddhism in Burma & policy making: How a country that sought to center around Vipassana and meditation became one of the most violent places?
    We learn the ways Buddhist practices such as Vipassanā and mettā, and other principles are helping leaders in resistance groups, forming a “non-violent” movement as a path to peace and reconciliation.
    Joah has spoken to hundreds of people through his podcast, including influential monks, activists, and more, and we get to hear some stories that he's picked up from his guests.


    You may have heard that an earthquake has ripped through Myanmar on March 27. Joah’s organization Better Burma is coordinating crucial relief efforts to those affected. I encourage you to support his campaign if you have the means and share with your networks.

    Donate here


    Topics Covered:

    • The Historical Role of Buddhism in Myanmar (00:6:21)

    • Joah's path into Myanmar and Buddhism (00:11:35)

    • How present day Burmese Buddhism deviated from its path (15:10)

    • Voices of Exile & Non-Violent Resistance: The role of Buddhist philosophy in sustaining hope and resilience. (00:20:15)

    • Reimagining the Future of Myanmar with Buddhist principles (00:31:00)

    • Joah's personal practises to keep balance and bring compassion into his work (00:43:12)


      Connect & Support:

      • Joah’s Podcast: https://insightmyanmar.org/podcasts

      • Joah’s Organization: https://www.betterburma.org/
      • episode with Ashin Kovida https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2023/10/26/episode-204-ashin-kovida

    • Follow Light Forest

      • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18

      • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi

      🎶 The music for this episode was produced by me using Bandlab and original recordings


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    56 分
  • Ep9. Finding wisdom through the 'Manthan' of Life (with Rajni Bakshi)
    2025/03/06

    We live in polarised times. Institutions are breaking and paradigms are being challenged. Life can feel like one big ‘Manthan’ (churn). How do we find our balance and come through this churn of ideas and values?


    In this episode, we journey with Rajni Bakshi, a Mumbai-based author, journalist, and activist who has spent three decades chronicling the struggles for more humane and ecologically sound ways of life.
    She is the author of:
    Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom
    Trusteeship: Business and Economics for Well-Being
    The Dispute Over Swami Vivekananda's Legacy
    Rajni shares insight from Gandhi’s values and concept of Trusteeship, and Vivekananda’s vision, to offer pathways to see the higher nature in ourselves and others as well as evolve our planetary systems away from violence & dominion.
    A middle path that transcends the trap of polarized discourse. A process that is fundamentally rooted in each one of us finding that feeling of inner contentment and joy.
    Rajni is also the founder and curator of Ahimsa Conversations, a platform for reflections on the possibility of nonviolence and the nature of violence.


    In this conversation we talk about

    • Gandhi’s vision of Trusteeship (6:45)

    • Gandhi’s view on the human condition (14:40)

    • Wealth as a commons (25:10)

    • Swami Vivekananda & India's Lost Confidence(41:30)

    • Reimagining Nonviolence & Power – Can we shift our understanding of power beyond domination? (50:40)

    • Activism without anger (61:31)


    📚 References & Mentions in the Conversation Books & Thinkers:
    David KortenWhen Corporations Rule the World
    Carl PolanyiThe Great Transformation
    Frederick HayekThe Road to Serfdom
    Tim Berners-LeeThe original vision of the World Wide Web
    Eric S. RaymondThe Cathedral and the Bazaar
    🔗 Connect with Rajni Bakshi:
    Ahimsa Conversations: YouTube Channel
    Books: Trusteeship: Business and Economics for Well-Being
    🎧 Connect with Light Forest:
    Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18 • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi 🎶
    The music for this episode was produced by me using Bandlab and original recordings with my handpan

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    1 時間 21 分
  • EP8 - Translocal Care Chains for Planetary Health (with Geordan Shannon)
    2025/02/16

    The declining health of our planet is a decline in your own health. I cannot be healthy unless you are healthy. This is Planetary health.

    Dr. Geordan Shannon is a medical doctor, founder, and global health specialist.

    She brings a critical approach to understanding and acting on global challenges including social inequity, globalization, health systems, and environmental crises.

    Her current work sits at the intersection of Web3, planetary health, and public goods for health.

    She is the co-founder and director at United Health Futures, co-founder of Unexia & Planet.health.

    Geordan is a rare human being with feet grounded in the soil, working in remote rural areas of Indigenous Australia, post-Tsunami Sri Lanka, the Peruvian Amazon, and rural Kenya. She also walks the hallways of UN partners, national governments, and other key international bodies.

    Her expertise and lived experience are so diverse and deep at the same time—this might be one of our more concept-rich conversations yet.
    In this conversation we explore:

      • Planetary Health as a concept: How health is not just about individuals but about relationships—with communities, ecosystems, and the planet itself. (00:07:55)
      • Geordan's journey into Planetary Health (14:00)
      • Translocalism: A New Model for Global Action: Why decentralized, place-based action is more effective than top-down global solutions. (00:20:47)
      • The Role of Care & Care Chains in Planetary Health: How care extends beyond human labor to include our relationships with each other, our bodies, and the environment. (00:31:30)
      • Two Loops Model of System Change: How old systems collapse while new systems emerge—and the different roles we play in this transition. (00:47:23)
      • Web3 & Decentralized Technologies for Health & Regeneration: How Web3 offers new governance and funding models for planetary health. (00:56:00)
      • The Hunger for Change: Why institutions are ripe for transformation and how grassroots movements are leading the way. (01:044:20)

      • Projects Referenced

        • United Health Futures – A policy consulting and research organization focused on global health and equity.
        • Unexia – A Web3 financing platform exploring decentralized funding for health and public goods.
        • Planet Health Network – A global translocal network bringing together planetary health practitioners and Indigenous knowledge holders.
        • Stemmer – A project Geordan co-founded that creates decision-support tools for health systems.
        • Global Health Disrupted – A previous initiative using arts and creativity to inspire new health narratives.
        • Network Nations – A movement exploring decentralized governance models, aligned with translocalism and bioregionalism.
        • Casa Río – A watershed-based social and arts organization in South America focused on river conservation.
        • OASS (Eco-Village Network) – Exploring how to integrate Web3 tools with eco-village models.

          • Connect with Geordan Shannon

          • Website: https://www.geordanshannon.com/
          • Medium:

          Connect with Light Forest:

          • Website: www.lightforest.world
          • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18
          • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi

          🎶 The music for this episode was produced by me using Bandlab and original recording titled 'Equanimity with my handpan.


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        1 時間 11 分
      • #7 Ecovillage Living (with Gregory Pettys)
        2025/01/31

        This is the 2nd part of my conversation with Gregory Pettys. You can check back to episode 6 to tune in to Part 1 on Seed and Living in Right Relation.

        In this part of the conversation with Gregory Pettys, we yarn on: • Eco Villages as Spaces of Initiation: The role of ecovillages in helping people reconnect with land, community, and ancestral wisdom. (00:05:47) • The Necessity of Soil Interaction: Why direct, daily interaction with soil is fundamental to right relation and human well-being. (00:08:56) • Mutual Indebtedness & the Gift Economy: The concept of mutual indebtedness and how gift economies sustain resilient communities. (00:18:39) • Cross-Pollination & Global Networks: How eco villages around the world are learning from each other, creating a web of shared wisdom. (00:21:15) • Rethinking Currency & Financial Sustainability: How alternative economic models within eco villages challenge mainstream financial anxieties. (00:32:35) • The Story Behind Naming His Substack Hiraeth: Post Activism in the Anthropocene: Gregory shares the meaning behind the name Hiraeth and its connection to longing, grief, and ancestral roots and the concept of 'Post-Activism' from Bayo Akomolafe’s ideas on moving beyond traditional activism and embracing new ways of being. (00:47:06) • Parenting, Ancestral Continuity & the Role of Future Generations: How Gregory’s perspective on having children shifted through his journey with land and seeds. (00:42:18) Recommendations: • Authors and Teachers: ◦ Bayo Akomolafe: Philosopher and thinker on post-activism and decoloniality. ◦ Martín Prechtel: Teacher and writer on indigenous wisdom, grief, and storytelling. ◦ Masanobu Fukuoka: Pioneer of natural farming (One Straw Revolution). • Notable Communities & Projects: ◦ Tamara (Portugal): An eco village exploring radical love and intimacy. ◦ Plum Village: A mindfulness practice center founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh. ◦ Auroville (India): A long-standing experimental township focused on sustainable living Connect with Gregory Pettys: • Substack: https://gregorypettys.substack.com/ • Pun Pun Center for Self-Reliance: www.punpunthailand.org/index8caa.html?page_id=1593 Connect with Light Forest: • Website: www.lightforest.world • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18 • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi🎶 The music for this episode was produced by me using Bandlab and original recordings of a Hapi drum

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        57 分
      • #6 Seed & Living in Right Relation (with Gregory Pettys)
        2025/01/25

        Our planet is sick.

        Where do the roots of this sickness lie?

        We have to start with Seed. The source of life starts with a seed.

        Seeds hold within them nutrition, genetic history, ancient memory. Today we live in a world where 95% of our seed diversity has been systemically killed off by industrial farming over the past few decades.

        Do we know what this means for our bodies and minds?

        Most of us, city creatures of modernity, live lives severed from the land. We are disconnected, dismembered selves grasping for meaning & belonging. We’ve forgotten what it means to be in right relationship with our planet.

        When was the last time your feet touched the earth? When was the last time you asked for permission before you plucked a flower? According to Gregory Pettys, who we journey with today, all our ailments in one way or another are related to our severed relationship with food and the soil that grows our food. It goes far, far deeper than just nutrition and bodily health. It goes right into the seed of the human story and our understanding of ourselves.


        In this conversation with Gregory Pettys, we explore:

        • Morning Rituals and Mythical Alignment: Gregory shares his daily practice of greeting the sun and how it shapes his purpose and mindset. (00:08:34) • The Sacredness of Seeds: Gregory discusses the critical loss of 95% of seed varieties, the importance of heirloom seeds, and their role in preserving memory, nutrition, and culture. (00:11:39) • Modernity and Forgetfulness: Reflections on how modernity disrupted relationships with land, culture, and ancestors, and why grief is a necessary step toward regeneration. (00:17:39) • Living in Right Relation: A deep dive into the meaning of reciprocity with Earth and understanding what it means to “love what your lover loves” as a metaphor for ecological and social harmony. (00:38:33) • Indigenous Wisdom and Mythology: How intact cultures maintain ecological balance through storytelling, rituals, and practices of reverence. (00:44:55) • Technology, Reciprocity, and Grief: The implications of technology’s extractive nature and the need to honor what has been taken. (00:53:33) • Initiation and Sacred Grief: The role of initiation in building a culture of reciprocity and intergenerational wisdom, and how grief can act as a catalyst for maturity. (00:58:11) Recommendations from Gregory: • Authors and Teachers: ◦ Martine Prechtel: teachings on myth, grief, and the sacred. ◦ Joanna Macy: deep ecology and transformative work. ◦ Gary Snyder: Poet and essayist focusing on nature and culture. ◦ Wade Davis: Anthropologist and author exploring indigenous cultures and ecological sustainability. • Books & Stories: ◦ The Lorax by Dr. Seuss: A tale about environmental destruction and corporate greed. Connect with Gregory Pettys: • Substack: https://gregorypettys.substack.com/ • Pun Pun Center for Self-Reliance: www.punpunthailand.org/index8caa.html?page_id=1593 Connect with Light Forest: • Website: www.lightforest.world • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18 • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi🎶 The music for this episode was produced by me using Bandlab and original recordings of a Hapi drum.

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        1 時間 3 分
      • #5 Wisdom Trails in Thailand (with Cat Lau)
        2025/01/19

        Light Forest Podcast: Episode with Cat Lau

        It’s been a longer interlude than expected, but I’m excited to hop back on the podcast bike!

        In this episode of the Light Forest Podcast, we journey with Cat Lau, a healer and heritage journalist from Bangkok, Thailand.

        I first met Cat in Chiang Mai during a Light Forest workshop I hosted as part of one of the Pop-Up Cities. Cat participated in the SEA Punk Playshop, where she shared a trailer for her new documentary project, Wisdom Trails—a journey to unveil the spiritual wisdom of Thailand.

        Chances are, if you’ve been to Thailand, you’ve visited a temple or enjoyed a massage. Yet, beneath these experiences lies a deeper wisdom that many of us miss.

        In this conversation we touch on the following themes:

        Cat’s journey of growing up in Bangkok with a shaman grandfather and her path to connecting with her energetic gifts. (6:08) The five components of Thai traditional healing. (20:12) Bridging the modern medicine world with traditional healing perspective and methods (32:03) Stories from Cat’s adventures across Thailand, meeting elders and custodians of ancient wisdom (27:48) Energetic shifts taking place and the importance of cultivating intuition in a changing world. (39:32) Reflections on her experience at Devcon in Bangkok and and the integration of sacred wisdom with modern science (46:29) The power of living with authenticity and trusting intuition in the face of challenges. (55:45)


        Connect with Cat Lau

        • Website: www.catlauhealing.com/aboutme
        • YouTube: Cat Lau Healing
        • Wisdom Trails (Trailer): Watch Here


        Connect with Light Forest

        • Website: www.lightforest.world
        • Twitter: @LightForest & @devlewis18
        • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi

        🎶 The music for this podcast was created by me using a combination of BandLab and an original recording of a Hapi drum (a type of tongue drum) played by yours truly.


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        1 時間 5 分
      • #4 Cosmolocalism, Crypto, and being Twice-Born (with Michel Bauwens)
        2024/09/01

        In part 2 of this conversation with Michel Bauwens, founder and director of the P2P Foundation, we cover:

        • Historical perspective on how belief systems and worldviews interplay with civilisation-level system transitions.
        • Crypto as a social elite in the creation of new open infrastructure and institutions.
        • a Cosmolocal view on how crypto can play a role in the pulsation of the commons.
        • [43:00] Michel's personal journey: a difficult childhood growing up in Belgium, becoming a revolutionary Marxist in early adulthood, living in Osho's Rajneeshpuram, inspired to create as an entrepreneur & documentary film maker, going through major life crises and being twice-born, setting up P2P Foundation and interest in civilisation history.


        Connect with Michel Bauwens:

        • Substack: 4th Generation Civilization
        • X (formerly Twitter): @mbauwens
        • P2P Foundation: P2P Foundation Wiki

        Connect with Light Forest:

        • Website: www.lightforest.world
        • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18
        • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi

        🥁The music for the podcast is produced by me using a combination of Bandlab and original recording of a Hapi drum (a type of tongue drum) played be me.

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        1 時間 4 分
      • #3 Cosmolocalism & Civilisation History (with Michel Bauwens)
        2024/08/04

        Rage, despair, anger, sadness, disbelief…these emotions define our moment. In times of war, violence, and environmental disasters, how else can we feel? Is this what it means to be civilised"


        It's clear that our institutions are fundamentally misaligned with addressing these problems. Michel Bauwens writes: “Corporations and states are competitive entities, geared towards extraction to serve the relative strength of their owners and citizens. These institutions are problematic by themselves, in an age facing a planetary meta-crisis.” Could it be that the design of the institutions themselves is why we have these crises in the first place? In an interconnected living system, where is the ‘external’ to outsource to? What are the alternatives to States and Markets?

        In part 1 of a two-part conversation, I speak to Michel Bauwens, founder and director of the P2P Foundation, a person who has spent decades studying these questions.

        Themes Covered: • Michel’s civilization history perspective of our world today and why we might be living through a moment of transition and the birth of new commons-centric institutions. • A cosmo-local view of the world with institutions that are neither market- nor state-centric, but commons-centric. • How Open Source Software and Technology are creating the conditions for the return of the commons and the creation of new institutions outside of the market and state. Upcoming in Part 2: In part 2, we will explore the role of Web3 and Crypto in the rise of the commons and delve into Michel’s journey that led him to founding the P2P Foundation and studying civilization history. Connect with Michel Bauwens: • Substack: 4th Generation Civilization • X (formerly Twitter): @mbauwens • P2P Foundation: P2P Foundation WikiConnect with Light Forest: • Website: www.lightforest.world • Twitter: Light Forest & @devlewis18 • Instagram: @lightforestworld & @daiyisi🥁

        The music for the podcast is produced by me using a combination of Bandlab and original recording of a Hapi drum (a type of tongue drum) played be me.

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        55 分