Doug Swift's new podcast

Swift categorizes the nine-part story as an experiment in “living compassionately in a hostile world.” 

The stories all center on the concept of compassion as developed by Tibetan Buddhism. These practices have been studied by western neurologists, and widely adopted by modern psychology. Most of the subjects in these stories attend the KTC Tibetan Buddhist center in Columbus, Ohio. 

Swift will introduce the project by playing clips from the episodes, and explaining the scope of the project. 

Lama Kathy Wesley is the resident teacher at the KTC Center, and one subject of the podcast. Regarding the compassion practices of this tradition, she says, “There’s a lot of freefloating anger in society right now. That’s why I think it’s important for us to make a different decision.” 

Another subject is a good friend of Lama Kathy’s, Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, a neuroscientist at the University of West Virginia. She cites double blind studies that show that toddlers get more joy from giving than receiving, and that specific compassion practices can be an antidote to depression. 

Rohit Sing, a religion professor at Denison University, who specializes in Tibetan Buddhism, provides a cultural context for these practices. Sing does his field work in Nepal and Northern India, and he shares background on that region. 

Most of the podcast is formed by the narratives of folks from the KTC Center who use these practices to navigate the biggest challenges in their lives. These include a high school student and his dad who endure a bullying episode, a financial planner who endures a work crisis, an activist who wades into political turmoil, and more. 

Original music for the episodes was composed by Eric Augis, a studio instructor at Denison. Additional music was provided from the catalog of the ETHEL String Quartet, artists in residence at Denison. 

The project uses narrative to weave together issues of brain science, psychology, politics, religion, history, ecology, family, and the modern history of the Tibetan nation. The launch event is free and open to the public. Tea and snacks will be served.