The Monk Behind the Myth
- play show:
Date: 10 February 2010
An Intimate Portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a complex figure- at once a simple Buddhist monk, the leader of the Tibetan community in exile and an A-list celebrity. He is also a man whose human side few people know. This week we revisit our conversation with Pico Iyer, a friend of the Dalai Lama for over thirty years, who tells the story of a man who rises at 3:30am, meditates 8 hours a day, and often answers questions with ‘I don’t know.’
Pico Iyer, author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Looking For Mary
Begins at 22 min 30 sec
Writer Beverly Donforio has long been fascinated by -- and skeptical of -- people who claim they have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary. It’s a phenomenon with a long history in the Catholic Church, occasionally recognized by the Vatican as a genuine message from God. In February, 1997, Donofrio set off on journey across America to visit the sacred spaces where Mary has been reportedly sighted.
Pictured: A modern image of the Lourdes Apparition, a Marion sighting said to have appeared on at least 18 occasions in Lourdes, France. The Catholic Church declared the apparitions authentic in 1862.
Written and narrated by Beverly Donofrio; Produced by David Isay, founder of StoryCorps
The Power of the Hug
Begins at 48 min 30 sec
People line up for hours for a moment with Amma, a Hindu humanitarian who spreads peace and compassion through hugs. Her followers say that over the past 30 years she’s hugged 27 million people from all over the world. To them she is a living saint, a mother, and an embodiment of selfless love. Two summers ago, Laura Kwerel visited one of Amma’s retreats in Northern Virginia, where hundreds of people had gathered for a free hug at a Hilton hotel. She asked them to put the experience into words. Our story first aired in May 2009.
Produced by Laura Kwerel
