Episode 6: Buddhism, Ritual and the Search for Meaning | Professor Thompson, Christopher Newport University

Send us Fan MailHi! Welcome back! In this episode I spoke with Professor John M. Thompson, a scholar of Buddhism, Asian religious thought, and comparative religion at Christopher Newport University. Together, we explored how Buddhist ideas challenge Western assumptions, why myth and ritual remain central to human meaning-making, and how religious traditions respond to suffering and violence.The conversation touched on compassion, emptiness, interdependence, ritual practice, religious pluralism, and what younger generations can learn from the world’s great spiritual traditions.Whether you’re curious about Buddhism, fascinated by comparative religion, or simply searching for deeper meaning, I hope this episode can offer wisdom, clarity, and new ways of seeing the world.Furthermore, this is the YouTube channel Professor Thompson mentions, ‪@MingyurRinpoche‬ (    / @mingyurrinpoche  )