How did I miss this? The only reason I found it, almost exactly a year later, is that someone clicked on the link this morning and I saw it in my stats.

Last November 21, the “Something Understood” Show of Religion and Ethics on Radio 4 BBC used my collected quotations of the Compassionate Buddha on their “For What We Give Thanks” show, hosted by Fergal Keane.

This is one page from the Virtual Church of Benevolent Deities Inc subsite of VirusHead – a semi-satirical project, still in progress.

Here are the details:

BBC Radio 4
PROGRAMME DETAILS
21 November 2004
“For What We Give Thanks”

Writer and broadcaster Fergal Keane presents this week’s programme.

Reading 1: A letter written by Edward Winslow, December 1621 – an extract from Chapter 1 “Partakers of Our Plenty”. From the book ‘The Times of Their Lives – Life, Love and Death in Plymouth Colony’ by James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz. Published by WM Freeman & Co, 2000. ISBN: 0716738309.

Music 1: Thanksgiving and Forefathers’ Day composed by Charles Ives. From the CD ‘Ives: Three Places/New England Holidays’. Performed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony Chorus, conducted by David Zinman. Published by The Decca Record Company Ltd, London and released on Argo: 444 860-2.

Reading 2: Words of the Buddah. From the Compassionate Prophet Buddha page on the Virtual Church of Benevolent Deities, Inc.

Music 2: Offering Chant composed by Jean-Philippe Rykiel. From the CD ‘Rain of Blessings.’ Performed by Lama Gyurme and Jean-Philippe Rykiel. Published by and released on Real World Records Ltd.: CDRW 85.

Reading 3: Excerpt from the memoir ‘Running in the Family’ by Michael Ondaatje. Published by Picador, 1993. ISBN: 0330699040.

Music 3: Shepherd’s Song: Happy and Thankful Feelings after the Storm – Fifth movement of Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 ‘Pastoral'” composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. From the CD ‘Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 & No. 6 ‘Pastoral’, performed by The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Published by Polydor International GmbH and released on Deutsche Grammophon: 423 203-2.

Reading 4: Gift by Czeslaw Milosz. From the poetry anthology ‘Being Alive: The Sequel to ‘Staying Alive”, edited by Neil Astley. Published by Bloodaxe Books. ISBN: 1852246758.

Reading 5: The Gift by Raymond Carver. From his poetry anthology ‘All of Us: The Collected Poems’. Published by Vintage Books USA. ISBN: 0375703802.

Reading 6: Extract from “An Old Woman’s Reflections” by Peig Sayers. From the book ‘The Virago Book of Spirituality: Of Women and Angels’ edited by Sarah Anderson. Published by Virago Press. ISBN: 1860490409.

Music 4: Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn (We Bring the Summer With Us), (Traditional) arranged by Horslips. From the LP ‘Horslips: Dancehall Sweethearts’. Performed by Horslips. Published by Sunbury Music Ltd and released on RCA Records: APLI 0709.

Reading 7: The Joy of Thanks by Robert A. Emmons. From ‘Sprituality & Health: The Soul/Body Connection Issue: Winter 2002‘.

Music 5: What a Wonderful World written by George Wiess and Bob Thiele. From the CD ‘More Stars of Las Vegas’. Performed by Louis Armstrong. Published by Carlin Music Corp. Released by Connoisseur Collection: VSOP CD 201.

Reading 8: Great Hymn of Thanksgiving by Bertolt Brecht. From his poetry collection ‘Poems 1913 – 1956’ edited by Ralph Manheim and John Willett. Published by Methuen Publishing Ltd. ISBN: 0413152103.

Music 6: “Violin Concerto – I. Allegro” composed by Samuel Barber. From the CD ‘Barber / Walton: Violin Concertos’. Performed by Joshua Bell, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and conducted by David Zinman. Published by and released on The Decca Record Company Ltd, London: 452 851-2.

Reading 9: Extract from The Book of Twos: Katannu Sutta – Gratitude. From the Buddhist collection of discourses ‘Anguttara Nikaya’.

Reading 10: A Thanksgiving Prayer From the Iroquois (Seneca) People (Traditional), translated by Chuck Larsen.

Music 7: Sisters of Mercy composed by Leonard Cohen. From the CD ‘The Essential Leonard Cohen’. Performed by Leonard Cohen. Published by Sony Music Entertainment Inc. Released on Columbia: 497995 2.

I think it’s a little bit funny that I was used as a source on the Buddha. A long-ago ex-love (an American/British Buddhist who turned out to be a little too attached to nonattachment – to me anyway) would be appalled. There are so many other, much more authoritative, sources.

Still, it’s a very fun thing. Thank you!! It would be great to have a copy of the show – I wonder if they would let me have one?

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