It Takes All Of Us | IMP #374
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This conversation with Dr. Zaw Moe Aung, Country Leader for The Leprosy Mission Myanmar, shows how holistic, rights‑based care can restore hope to people living with leprosy and landmine injuries amid Myanmar’s conflict. It highlights both the growing scale of disability and the practical, locally led solutions that are helping survivors rebuild their lives and claim their place in society.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Explore how The Leprosy Mission grew from its 19th‑century Indian origins into The Leprosy Mission Myanmar, a locally led organization serving people with leprosy and other disabilities.
• Understand what leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) is, how it continues to affect an estimated hundreds of thousands in Myanmar, and why stigma and discrimination remain so entrenched.
• Trace TLMM’s expansion into landmine and explosive remnant of war victim assistance, including partnerships, prosthetics provision, and the training of Myanmar physiotherapists and technicians.
• Examine the shift from charity and purely medical models to a social, human‑rights‑based approach that centers peer support, disabled champions, and the principle of “nothing about us, without all of us.”
• Hear how landmine survivors and their families cope with profound psychological trauma, economic hardship, and lifelong prosthetic needs, especially for growing children in rural communities.
• Learn how the coup, ongoing conflict, and recent earthquake have increased landmine casualties, restricted humanitarian access, and at the same time opened new, fragile opportunities to expand rehabilitation and…
Chapters
00:00:00 Landmine tragedy and series overview
00:06:40 Meet Dr. Zaw Moe Aung and TLMM
00:08:37 150 years of The Leprosy Mission
00:13:03 What leprosy is and who it affects
00:20:46 Stigma and discrimination in Myanmar
00:27:42 Expanding to disability and landmine survivors
00:34:34 Karma, charity and rights-based models
00:49:08 Building Myanmar’s prosthetics services
01:04:07 Trauma healing and peer support
01:09:39 Disability champions and leadership
01:27:03 Rising casualties and access after the coup
01:41:39 Children, poverty and lifelong care
01:48:39 Earthquake impacts and future inclusion
10.03.2026 10:41
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Towards a More Just Society | IMP #70
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode with “Marlar” offers a rare, research-based look at how Buddhist concepts like pon, entrenched patriarchy, and weak legal protections shape Burmese women’s lives. It traces the links between domestic and sexual violence, intergenerational trauma, and the post‑coup crackdown, grounding big political shifts in women’s everyday experiences.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Examine how Marlar connects the Burmese Buddhist belief in pon to everyday patriarchy and family power structures.
• Explore competing historical narratives about Burmese women’s freedom, from colonial writers to Ma Thanegi, Mi Mi Khaing, and MiMi Aye.
• Learn how social media, the #MeToo movement, and rapid digitization have changed – and sometimes worsened – gender dynamics in Myanmar.
• Hear Marlar’s research on intergenerational domestic violence and why children who witness abuse are more likely to repeat it.
• Understand the failure of Myanmar’s violence against women law, the impact of the Race and Religion Protection Laws, and Marlar’s critique of Aung San Suu Kyi’s leadership on gender issues.
• Examine why rape is so deeply underreported, how shame and male honor operate, and how the military uses sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and Bleeding Sky poem
00:06:53 Meeting Marlar and framing gender issues
00:08:01 Patriarchal family structure in Myanmar
00:16:30 Historical narratives about Burmese women
00:23:08 Why single stories about women are harmful
00:29:00 MeToo, social media and changing norms
00:48:32 Intergenerational violence and family solutions
00:54:42 Legal gaps, VAW bill and Race & Religion laws
01:08:51 Rape, shame, and barriers to justice
01:20:42 Pon, pagoda bans and Buddhist institutions
01:26:24 Military patriarchy and rape as a weapon
01:38:29 Women under the coup and future possibilities
10.03.2026 07:50
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Echoes in the Absence | IMP #373
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
Journalist Lorcan Lovett shares rare, authenticated insights into Aung San Suu Kyi’s life in prison and what they reveal about her health, awareness, and stance on Myanmar’s revolution. His reporting also illuminates the fractured resistance, the junta’s violent election plans, and the human toll on civilians and young fighters, helping listeners grasp what is truly at stake for Myanmar’s future.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Explore how Lorcan Lovett and Tin Htet Paing verified Aung San Suu Kyi’s prison daily logs through People’s Embrace sources, an independent insider, and her son Kim Aris.
• Hear physician Dr. Aung Kyaw’s assessment of Suu Kyi’s untreated health problems, meager prison diet, and the risks she faces as an 80-year-old detainee.
• Examine Aung San Suu Kyi’s contested legacy around the Rohingya genocide, including her defense of the military at The Hague and the shock it caused among international supporters and ethnic minorities.
• Assess why the National Unity Government and National Unity Consultative Council have struggled to unify Myanmar’s resistance, even as the junta prepares for a potentially bloody 2025 election.
• Learn what Lovett has witnessed in liberated areas like Chin State and Karenni, from landmines and displacement to inter-factional fighting after victories such as the capture of Falam.
• Follow the evolving strategy of the Karen National Union around Myawaddy and along the Thai border, and how it could reshape trade, territorial control, and relations with Thailand.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and landmine series update
00:02:00 Host welcome and Lorcan Lovett’s return
00:04:45 Inside Suu Kyi’s prison daily logs
00:11:36 Health concerns and sparse prison routine
00:15:56 Verification, awareness and silent defiance
00:33:20 Suu Kyi’s Rohingya legacy and The Hague
00:49:24 Resistance leadership vacuum and NUG woes
01:44:41 Elections, great-power politics and Trump
01:59:20 Youth exodus and exploitation in Thailand
02:13:23 Closing reflections and how to follow Lorcan
66:11:00 Life and infighting in liberated zones
92:40:00 KNU, Myawaddy and the border strategy
09.03.2026 10:38
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Fight the Power | IMP #67
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
Burmese hip hop artist 882021 shares how he transforms the trauma of Myanmar’s military coup into powerful rap and striking visual art that bolster the people’s morale. His story weaves together political resistance, a background in Buddhist meditation, and a bold commitment to free expression in a deeply conservative society.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Hear 882021 trace his musical journey from bootleg Eminem CDs in Yangon to politically charged hip hop that speaks truth to power.
• Learn how early Burmese rappers like Sai Sai and J-Me navigated censorship, mixing American covers with subtle critiques of the military.
• Explore 882021’s views on Buddhism, karma, and meditation, and why he insists that even religion must be open to artistic criticism.
• Discover the layered meaning of the name 882021, from historic uprisings to the hexadecimal color of dried blood seen on Myanmar’s streets.
• Follow the creation of his protest tracks and videos, including “Lee Coup” and “Lee 199,” and his work with the Rap Against Junta collective.
• Reflect on the vital role artists play in sustaining morale during the revolution and building solidarity through the Milk Tea Alliance track “Dictators Must Die.”
Chapters
00:00 Intro & how to support Myanmar
02:15 Poem: "The Burden of Being Bamar"
04:56 Meeting 882021 & his hip hop roots
07:50 Early Burmese hip hop & censorship
12:19 Art, Buddhism & freedom of expression
19:34 Karma, meditation & time as a young monk
22:09 Art after the coup, Rap Against Junta & 882021
27:11 Images of violence, trauma & social media
34:13 Protest songs, videos & minimalist style
47:16 Risks and responsibilities of artists
51:06 Milk Tea Alliance & closing track
58:29 Donation appeal & podcast credits
09.03.2026 02:50
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The Power of Mettā in Action | IMP #36
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
Burmese Buddhist nun Sayalay Chandadhika reflects on Myanmar’s current crisis and explains why mettā, or loving-kindness, is the most powerful response to cycles of violence. Drawing on a vivid “dysfunctional family” metaphor and real protest stories from the streets, she shows how inner practice can guide collective nonviolent action and reconciliation.
See more about this episode here: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2021/2/18/episode-36-the-power-of-mett-in-action
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Hear Sayalay Chandadhika share her journey from Shan State to becoming a Buddhist nun and teacher in Germany.
• Explore how Sayalay Chandadhika and her Burmese students are emotionally processing the military coup and turning to mettā for support.
• Understand Myanmar’s political turmoil through Sayalay Chandadhika’s powerful metaphor of a dysfunctional family with two very different sons.
• Witness how acts like offering cool water to police during protests embody mettā and echo nonviolent movements from Gandhi and the U.S. Civil Rights era.
• Contrast Myanmar’s culture of dāna (generosity) with Western giving, and see how service and support are emerging in the current protest movement.
• Receive practical guidance from Sayalay Chandadhika on what foreign meditators and Burmese monastics alike can wisely do—through body, speech, and mind—to help Myanmar now.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and guest welcome
00:02:07 From Shan State to nunhood
00:12:10 Teaching and practice life in Germany
00:16:13 Facing Myanmar’s coup with mettā
00:28:46 Metta in action at the street protests
00:44:06 Dāna, service, and protest solidarity
01:07:57 Role of monks, nuns, and the ‘younger son’
01:27:25 Including the enemy in mettā
01:27:48 Outro and support message
08.03.2026 02:02
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The Resistance Will Not Be Dammed | | IMP #372
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This conversation with researcher Kyungmee Kim traces how dams, fossil fuels, and rare earth mining tie Myanmar’s conflict and climate vulnerability to the global push for green energy. It also highlights grassroots environmental resistance and international solidarity, offering a nuanced vision of climate justice within Myanmar’s broader struggle for democracy.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Trace Kyungmee Kim’s PhD research on community resistance to hydropower dams in Karen, Chin, and northern Shan State.
• Recount how the Myitsone Dam controversy sparked the nationwide “Save the Irrawaddy” movement that blended environmental protection with Myanmar’s national identity.
• Examine how oil, gas, and rare earth mineral extraction in Myanmar finance the military junta while feeding global demands for energy and green technology.
• Explore local climate and conservation initiatives, including indigenous-led areas like Salween Peace Park and a volunteer-run micro-hydropower group in Shan State.
• Compare South Korea’s history of dictatorship, rapid industrialization, and hyper-capitalism with the paths Myanmar might take after its revolution.
• Reflect on climate justice, degrowth, and what genuine peace and transitional justice could look like for Myanmar’s future generations.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and framing Myanmar’s crisis
00:03:03 Kyungmee’s background and dam research
00:07:31 Myitsone Dam and Save the Irrawaddy
00:18:49 Climate justice and Myanmar’s vulnerabilities
00:31:07 Rare earth mining and green energy dilemmas
00:36:39 Climate action within the resistance movement
00:45:44 Pre-coup energy progress and what was lost
00:59:41 Korean solidarity and corporate complicity
01:23:55 Lessons from South Korea’s development path
01:37:41 Degrowth, energy choices and rare earths
01:53:36 Peace, justice and Myanmar’s future
02:05:18 Closing reflections and podcast outro
07.03.2026 10:50
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Episode #463: The Weight of Freedom — Insight Myanmar
Do Not Go Gentle Into the Night
After Myanmar’s 2021 coup, former creative director Moe Thae Say left her business and joined the People’s Defense Force. She endured combat training, airstrikes, and loss driven by purpose, not fear and now calls on leaders to listen to those risking everything.
insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...
07.03.2026 09:56
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COVID-19 in Myanmar: Thabarwa Edition | IMP #18
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode gathers four voices connected to Thabarwa Monastery to show how their Dhamma practice met the upheaval of COVID-19. Through before-and-after conversations across Myanmar and Italy, it traces how meditators adapted outwardly and inwardly as the pandemic and their lives evolved.
See more about this episode here: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2020/8/28/episode-18-covid-19-in-myanmar-thabarwa-edition
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Hear host Joah explain the aims of the “COVID-19 in Myanmar” series and why this Thabarwa-focused edition marks a turning point.
• Listen to Thabarwa Sayadaw share how continuous good deeds and understanding the mind can overcome accusations, fear, and misunderstanding during the pandemic.
• Follow musician and lay supporter Awbur Nyan as she recounts discovering Thabarwa Monastery, serving foreign meditators, and navigating Yangon's shifting COVID-19 reality.
• Learn why Bhikkhu Varrapanyo chose to remain at Thabarwa Monastery throughout the pandemic and how he applies his teacher’s meditation instructions to the ‘virus of the mind.’
• Hear nun Khema Cari describe life at the Thabarwa center in Italy, the lockdown’s impact on local communities and global centers, and how Dhamma practice supports people through fear and uncertainty.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro & COVID series overview
00:06:35 Thabarwa Sayadaw on good deeds and fear
00:29:32 Awbur Nyan: finding Thabarwa & volunteering
00:58:17 Awbur Nyan on Yangon’s new normal
01:03:52 Bhikkhu Varrapanyo on staying at Thabarwa
01:24:58 Varrapanyo’s post-lockdown reflections
01:33:26 Khema Cari in Italy’s lockdown
01:51:12 Khema Cari’s later reflections & center life
02:00:14 Series wrap-up & podcast outro
07.03.2026 02:08
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The Resistance Will Not Be Dammed | IMP #371
“I focus on research that's mostly relevant for climate resilience, and I really look at Myanmar as the most interesting and important case.” Kyungmee Kim, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, explores the intersection of climate justice, extractive industries, and conflict in Myanmar. Her early work focused on community resistance to hydropower dams in ethnic minority regions like Karen and Chin States—areas rich in resources but historically subject to marginalization and violence. She uses the Myitsone Dam as a case study: secretly negotiated by the junta and China Power Investment, it was exposed by accident, sparking a grassroots campaign that grew into a national movement. Kim draws connections between this environmental resistance and the current pro-democracy revolution, arguing that climate justice and political liberation are deeply intertwined. Despite Myanmar’s low carbon footprint, it suffers disproportionately from climate change, while its military junta profits from oil and gas exports. Rare earth mining, too, harms communities through toxic runoff and unregulated exploitation, benefiting armed groups and perpetuating a conflict economy. Yet Kim highlights resilient grassroots actors who maintain renewable energy projects and conservation initiatives. She calls for international support—bypassing the junta—and stresses the need to scale up decentralized aid. Reflecting on Myanmar’s halted progress since the 2021 coup, she contrasts bottom-up environmental care with top-down corruption and extraction. Drawing from South Korea’s past, she calls for a development path that prioritizes justice, sustainability, and solidarity. As she concludes, “Unless we also consider the climate and the environment...we also cannot expect better future for Myanmar and also the future population, the future generations.”
06.03.2026 10:56
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Myanmar Dhamma Diaries: An Assault on Faith | IMP #17
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode shares a Black American meditator’s deeply painful encounter with violence in a Burmese monastery, and how it shook both his faith and his hosts’ assumptions about the Golden Land. By slowly unpacking race, culture, and spiritual practice together, Joah and Yonie model how Dhamma can support honest conversations about prejudice without turning away from suffering.
See more about this episode here: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2020/8/14/episode-17-dhamma-diaries-an-assault-on-faith
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Trace Yonie Le Xavier’s journey from Ethiopia and Northern California to finding Goenka vipassana after a chance meeting in a Buenos Aires bar and watching The Dhamma Brothers documentary.
• Hear how Joah and his wife created simple guest rooms inside a Yangon monastery to offer foreign meditators a Dhamma-based alternative to commercial hotels.
• Recount the shocking assault Yonie experienced from a Burmese monk in the monastery dining hall, his efforts to respond with meditation and mettā, and his decision to leave with grace.
• Examine Joah’s reflections on white privilege, Burmese cultural norms of silence, and how dictatorship-era trauma helps explain why no one intervened or apologized.
• Explore how this incident led Yonie to abandon plans to ordain in Burma, including the personal meaning of cutting his dreadlocks and his hope to see Black monastics as visible inspiration.
• Reflect on how ongoing Dhamma practice shapes Yonie’s responses to racism—from police stops in the U.S. to the Black Lives Matter protests—and his wish for more Black meditators and teachers in the Goenka tradition.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and podcast vision
00:01:39 Why tell this difficult Burma story
00:21:07 Yonie’s journey to Goenka vipassana
00:24:24 Calling Burma the Land of Dhamma
00:25:04 Creating refuge rooms in Yangon monastery
00:32:02 From warm welcome to shocking assault
00:41:21 Joah’s response and Burmese cultural context
00:56:47 Lost ordination and Black representation
62:57:00 Hard conversations, race, and BLM
73:27:00 Being Black in mostly white sanghas
79:38:00 Practicing Dhamma through protest and pain
85:13:00 Closing reflections and hopes for Black meditators
06.03.2026 02:20
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Decolonize This | IMP #370
"Why are [Asian women] not allowed to dream that we can open our own thing and lead our own work?" This question by human rights lawyer Emilie Palamy Pradichit slices through the silence, exposing the systemic barriers that have historically muted and marginalized Asian women in leadership. Pradichit’s journey as a young Lao refugee navigating discrimination in a low-income Parisian suburb crowded with migrants cemented this perspective. In Paris, she witnessed firsthand the insidious nature of inequality. These early encounters ignited a vision within her to dismantle entrenched norms - by centering the voices of underrepresented communities. Her passion to challenge injustice took her through studying human rights law at Sorbonne University and roles at the United Nations and UPR-Asia. However, her experience revealed the limitations of top-down approaches in achieving genuine grassroots change. “I was learning a lot, but I was surrounded by people with privilege. I was sitting at headquarters, and I didn’t know what it was like on the ground!” This realization sparked the creation of Manushya Foundation, envisioned as a distinctly feminist, intersectional, and decolonial human rights organization dedicated to amplifying the agency of marginalized communities in Asia. Pradichit’s work challenges what she terms “white feminism” and the imposition of external agendas. Her approach in the Myanmar context prioritizes the voices of ethnic minority women. As she puts it, “How can you be a human rights activist and exclude Rohingya people?” Pradichit’s sentiments reflect the important role of a decolonial lens in her work. “In the global majority work, it’s very important for the people from lived experience to be the ones leading the human rights work.” She believes this isn't just a strategy; it's reclaiming the power of lived truth leading the way towards real justice.
05.03.2026 10:11
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Intersection of Dhamma & Race: Episode #1 | IMP #16
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode launches Insight Myanmar’s “Intersection of Dhamma & Race” series, bringing Black meditators’ lifelong experiences of racism into honest dialogue with Buddhist practice. Through the stories of Victoria Robertson, Joshua Bee Alafia, and Wayne Smith, it explores how meditation can both illuminate systemic injustice and support compassionate, grounded responses.
See more about this episode here: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2020/7/27/episode-16-intersections-of-dhamma-amp-race-episode-1
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Meet Victoria Robertson, the first Black American Senior Assistant Teacher in S.N. Goenka’s tradition, as she describes her early retreats, service, and experiences of racism within largely white vipassana centers.
• Hear Victoria Robertson recount developing the African Heritage course at Dhamma Giri, confronting tokenism, and ultimately stepping away from the Goenka organization while deepening her personal practice.
• Follow Joshua Bee Alafia’s journey through multiple spiritual traditions into teaching at New York Insight, the Lineage Project, and Southside Insight, with a focus on people of color and traumatized youth.
• Examine with Joshua Bee Alafia how racism, white privilege, and spiritual bypass show up in Western mindfulness communities, and why he calls this moment a potential “Great Awakening.”
• Learn how Wayne Smith’s upbringing, addiction, and encounters with everyday racism led him to Goenka-style vipassana at Dhamma Dhārā, offering refuge from what he calls the “constant torture” of racism.
• Consider Wayne Smith’s reflections on Black Lives Matter protests, performative allyship, and why he believes deep inner work and organic spread of Dhamma are more vital than quick, surface-level fixes.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro, resources & COVID-19 montage
00:03:26 Launching the Dhamma & race series
00:12:19 Victoria’s first retreat, service & racism
00:25:59 India service, Goenka & African Heritage course
00:43:31 Goenka on racism, leaving org & COVID practice
00:53:37 Joshua’s path into meditation & teaching
00:58:33 Teaching incarcerated youth & healing trauma
01:05:40 Racism in sanghas, spiritual bypass & action
01:31:58 Wayne’s upbringing, racism & faith journey
01:38:21 Addiction, Goenka vipassana & refuge
01:50:43 Dhamma, privilege, protests & organic spread
02:18:53 Closing reflections & support message
05.03.2026 02:28
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Oslo's Lost Accord | IMP #369
“I promised Aung San Suu Kyi and committed myself to work for democracy and human rights in the country as long as necessary. And still it is necessary!” So says Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway and a longtime supporter of Myanmar’s democratic struggle. In this conversation, he reflects on his decades of advocacy for Myanmar, from a surreptitious 1997 visit to Yangon where he first met Suu Kyi, to his post-retirement work at the Oslo Center, which he co-founded to support democratic institutions globally. Bondevik describes Norway’s strategy toward Myanmar as one of principled engagement: opposing the junta while supporting civil society and political parties. Though optimistic during Myanmar’s tentative liberalization in the 2010s, he now concedes that Norway and others may have placed too much faith in the reform of Myanmar’s transition period. The military’s lurking presence was underestimated, ultimately culminating in the 2021 coup. Acknowledging the diplomatic dilemma around formally recognizing the National Unity Government, Bondevik calls for coordinated global action, combining pressure on the military with support for the democracy movement. He critiques ASEAN’s passivity and highlights China’s dual role—economically empowering the junta and holding sway over ethnic armed groups—as a major obstacle to international leverage. Yet he remains hopeful, urging Norway and others to sustain diplomatic efforts and keep Myanmar on the global agenda. “It’s very easy to be pessimistic and to give up… but we know from history that it’s possible to change the situation.”
04.03.2026 11:17
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Episode #462: A House Divided — Insight Myanmar
Between the Mountain and the Sea
Dulyapak Preecharush, associate professor of Southeast Asian studies, says Myanmar’s crisis reflects a designed hybrid system, not a failed transition. Elections exist, but the 2008 Constitution entrenches military veto power.
insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...
04.03.2026 06:55
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Simon Billenness, director of the Campaign for a New Myanmar, calls the termination of TPS for Burmese nationals a humanitarian crisis and a policy rupture—pushing students, professionals, and minorities toward dangerous return to Myanmar.
insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho...
04.03.2026 03:00
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COVID-19 in Myanmar: Sheltering At Home | IMP #15
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode shares the stories of four foreign residents who chose to stay in Myanmar as COVID-19 emerged, each guided by commitments to family, community, work, and meditation. Their perspectives highlight both the fragility and resilience of life in Myanmar during an uncertain global crisis.
See more about this episode here: https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-shows/2020/7/17/episode-15-sheltering-in-place
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Explore how four long-term foreign residents in Myanmar decided to shelter in place rather than return to their home countries as COVID-19 spread.
• Hear Swedish yogi Hampus Haraldsson describe continuing his meditation practice near Pyin Oo Lwin after monasteries and meditation centers closed to foreign practitioners.
• Learn how Sa Ba Street Food Tours founder Marc Shortt organized food purchases from Yangon vendors to feed underserved communities downtown and in Hledan.
• Follow Austrian meditator and Uncharted Horizons founder Jochen Meissner as he faces a collapsed tourism season while expanding charitable support in Dalla and Chin State.
• Listen as American meditator Matthew Schojan, founder of Wandering Meditators, explains balancing family life in Yangon with his mental health work during the pandemic.
• Reflect on the fears surrounding Myanmar’s weak health infrastructure and the cautious hope as early COVID-19 case numbers remained low.
Chapters
00:00:00 Listener-supported intro & COVID montage
00:03:30 Series overview & four expats’ choices
00:05:49 Hampus Haraldsson: retreat life in Upper Myanmar
00:23:42 Marc Shortt: Sa Ba Street Food & community relief
00:44:42 Supporting the COVID special episode series
00:46:42 Jochen Meissner: tourism shutdown & local aid
00:57:48 Jochen’s Sayagyi U Ba Khin practice & Dalla charity
01:04:03 Matthew Schojan: family, mental health & staying put
01:29:19 Closing reflections, caveats & credits
04.03.2026 02:40
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More Than Words
The Adhikara podcast is an important, new voice in Burmese media, aiming to build not just a movement but a resilient community against oppression. Created by Maw Nwei and Morgen after the 2021 military coup, Adhikara provides a platform for expression and education, especially around human rights. The podcast allows the creators to connect with the Burmese people without the barriers of traditional in-person training, offering flexible and accessible content to circumvent the economic and social restrictions of the military regime. The podcast focuses on fostering an intellectual revolution, encouraging listeners to rethink issues like patriarchy, cultural norms, and religion's role in society. Maw Nwei challenges traditional values and questions whether they align with modern, human rights standards. With content in Burmese and plans to include ethnic minority languages, the Adhikara team aims to address linguistic diversity and ensure broad inclusivity. Adhikara also addresses the tension between Buddhist teachings and the military's actions, calling out the concept of 'military Buddhism' and promoting the idea that true Buddhist values should align with human rights. By questioning and exploring the linguistic dimensions of human rights, Maw Nwei emphasizes the importance of understanding these concepts deeply within Myanmar's cultural context. More than just a podcast, Adhikara represents a transformative effort to democratize knowledge and foster a resilient community in Myanmar. As Maw Nwei says, "This is the best time for the Burmese people to talk about human rights... People are very eager and hungry to listen."
03.03.2026 09:35
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COVID-19 in Myanmar: Exiled Expats Edition | IMP #14
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode shares the firsthand stories of four foreign meditators who were forced to leave Myanmar just as COVID-19 closed borders and monasteries, throwing their lives and practice plans into disarray. Their reflections on instability, loss of support, and renewed resolve illuminate how crisis can deepen urgency for Dhamma practice and reveal what truly sustains us.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Follow Jose Molina from an apparently untouched Yangon through a frantic 72-hour departure, a tearful goodbye to Chan Myay Yeiktha Monastery, and the struggle to maintain practice back in the US.
• Hear how Emily Rothenberg’s Fulbright work with Mandalay’s MCDC, her rescue of street dog Lucy, and her hopes for retreats at Chan Myay Myaing gave way to an unexpected return to Chicago and a self-led retreat at home.
• Learn how meditation teacher David Sudar, shaped by years as a monk under Sayadaw U Tejaniya at Shwe Oo Min, adapts his “awareness plus wisdom” approach to support more than 100 yogis online during lockdown.
• Trace Gary Leung’s eight-month Dhamma pilgrimage through Kyasawa Monastery, Hpo Win Daung Caves, Chan Myay Myay and Thabarwa Monastery to sudden quarantine in his childhood bedroom in Sydney.
• Explore how each practitioner confronts the loss of monastic structure and visible Saṅgha, and what it means to “fight for Dhamma” within more materialistic home cultures.
• Contemplate the shared theme of impermanence and urgency as these four exiled expats re-evaluate jobs, plans and priorities in light of the pandemic.
Chapters
00:00:00 COVID in Myanmar series introduction
00:03:34 Four exiled expats and Dhamma themes
00:08:39 Jose Molina leaves Yangon and practice hub
00:33:48 Introducing Emily and Mandalay during COVID
01:00:33 Support for the Insight Myanmar podcast
01:02:29 David Sudar on practice in daily life
01:26:19 Gary Leung’s retreats, ordination and return
01:48:17 Production notes, thanks and closing
03.03.2026 02:50
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Myanmar Dhamma Diaries: Empathy for the Executioners | IMP #13
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
Former forest monk Zach Hessler (Bhikkhu Obhasa) recounts a near-death encounter in a remote tribal area of Myanmar that forced him to face his own mortality with mindfulness and compassion. His story brings the Buddha’s forest traditions, monastic code, and teachings on conditionality vividly into the present day.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Trace Zach Hessler’s journey from ordaining under Sayadaw U Tejaniya to living alone in a bamboo hut in the forests of Upper Myanmar.
• Discover how time at Wat Pah Nanachat and guidance from a Thai forest elder monk taught Zach practical skills like robe-stitching, broom-making, and bowl-cover weaving.
• Hear how a spontaneous walk toward a jagged peak led Zach to a mountaintop Pa Auk monastery where two monks were teaching vipassana to a community of sayalays (ten-precept nuns).
• Follow Zach and an experienced dhutaṅga forest monk as they wander through remote valleys in search of a revered 90‑year‑old monk, entering a tightly controlled tribal area by mistake.
• Witness the tense standoff as about forty armed tribal villagers, suspecting the two monks of being government spies, interrogate them while Zach practices calm mindfulness emptying his alms bowl item by item.
• Reflect on the Dhamma insights Zach draws from this ordeal—about death, conditionality, the Vinaya’s brilliance, the uncertainty of alms food, and how stepping beyond comfort zones can deepen both monastic and lay…
Chapters
00:00:00 Podcast intro and listener welcome
00:01:32 Zach introduces his near-death story
00:07:42 Setting the scene and travel companion context
00:08:26 Life in a remote forest hut in Myanmar
00:13:22 Training at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand
00:20:32 Learning forest monk crafts and skills
00:25:03 Dhutaṅga practice and village suspicions
00:37:29 Tribal confrontation, death, and conditionality
01:29:52 Lessons on Dhamma and shaking complacency
01:32:34 Credits and podcast closing
02.03.2026 02:05
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COVID-19 in Myanmar: Monastic Edition | IMP #12
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode offers a rare window into how five foreign monks in Myanmar are living through the coronavirus pandemic, balancing disrupted plans with deepened Buddhist practice. Their stories illuminate how monastic communities, village families, and dhamma practitioners are meeting fear, instability, and material hardship with wisdom, compassion, and practical support.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Explore how U Viveka at Dhamma Vibhajja in Yangon used news-fueled anxiety and fear of death as a doorway to deeper insight and steadier meditation practice.
• Follow Ashin Sarana’s journey from teaching Burmese doctors in California and Fresno to navigating quarantine, xenophobia, and strict COVID-19 rules on his return to Myanmar.
• Hear Pabhassaro Bhikkhu recount leaving Mahasi monastery, losing an ideal forest retreat in Thailand due to visa and lockdown issues, and treating these upheavals themselves as his core Vipassana practice.
• Learn how Ashin Dhammasadho moved from ITBMU exams to a rural monastery refuge, weighing the risks of Myanmar’s hospital conditions against the dangers of COVID-19 while seeking a safe place to practice.
• Discover how Bhante Mokkhita and the Muditā Foundation support monastic schools and eco-farms in Sagaing Hills and Inle Lake, including emergency food distributions to village families living hand-to-mouth.
• Reflect on the common Dhamma themes these five bhikkhus share about instability, acceptance of death, and using pandemic disruptions as a unique opportunity for personal and communal practice.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro, mettā blessing & COVID montage
00:03:40 Framing the Monastic Edition & common themes
00:08:12 U Viveka: lockdown at Dhamma Vibhajja
00:26:57 Ashin Sarana: US retreats & quarantine in Myanmar
00:57:35 Pabhassaro Bhikkhu: visa loss & practice in upheaval
01:23:40 Mid-episode message on supporting the podcast
01:25:46 Ashin Dhammasadho: ITBMU exams & seeking refuge
01:38:03 Bhante Mokkhita: Muditā Foundation & village relief
02:00:50 Closing caveats, reflections & donation appeal
01.03.2026 02:07
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COVID-19 in Myanmar: Women's Edition | IMP #11
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode brings together four women whose lives are intertwined with Myanmar’s monasteries to share how COVID-19 is reshaping Buddhist practice and community support there. Their stories show both the vulnerability and resilience of Burmese monastic life, and how meditators around the world are responding with generosity, reflection, and renewed commitment to the Dhamma.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Explore how COVID-19 is affecting monasteries and meditation centers across Myanmar, and why their situation is hard to see from abroad.
• Hear British meditator Katie L’Estrange describe leaving Mandalay for her family home in Wales while continuing her Holding Umbrellas relief work for Mandalay’s poorest families.
• Listen as Lithuanian nun Sayalay Piyadassii recounts life under lockdown at Shan State Buddhist University in Taunggyi and the deep sense of mutual support she witnesses in Myanmar.
• Follow Polish backpacker-turned-meditator Dominica Bastrzyc as she moves from volunteering at Thabarwa Monastery to choosing to remain at a remote monastery north of Yangon during the pandemic.
• Learn how Lithuanian meditator Inga Bergman, now in Chicago, was inspired by a Goenka-lineage pilgrimage to Myanmar and later organized a $1,500 fundraising drive with her guide Myo Myo to send food and supplies to…
• Reflect on how mettā practice, contemplation of death, and nightly self-review help these four women meet uncertainty with clarity, purpose, and compassion.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and website resources
00:01:04 Global COVID-19 soundscape
00:03:22 COVID-19 in Myanmar & women’s edition
00:06:23 Katie L’Estrange: Mandalay, Wales & relief work
00:29:39 Sayalay Piyadassii at Shan State Buddhist University
00:55:18 Support for this coronavirus podcast series
00:56:56 Dominica Bastrzyc: staying in a Myanmar monastery
01:15:39 Inga Bergman’s Goenka roots and Myanmar visit
01:28:31 Outro, credits and contact information
28.02.2026 08:05
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Myanmar Dhamma Diaries: Sobering Up in Ingyinbin | IMP #9
Help support people affected by Myanmar’s crisis—donate to Better Burma Foundation (501(c)(3)) → https://www.betterburma.org/donation
This episode shares a rare, candid account of how Burmese monastics and lay practitioners rallied around a European businessman in the depths of alcoholism, guiding him from a chaotic night in Yangon to refuge and practice at Webu Sayadaw monastery in Ingyinbin. Through this story, Joah and Zach highlight how Dhamma in Myanmar can meet people exactly where they are, challenging rigid ideas about who is “qualified” for serious practice.
For the latest episodes, subscribe in your podcast app: http://insightmyanmar.org/listen
In this episode:
• Follow Joah as he recounts hosting a European businessman in his Yangon Airbnb under five-precept house rules.
• Witness how a drunken crisis on a Yangon street leads to a heartfelt conversation with Dutch monk Wagga and a clear cry for help with addiction.
• Hear Zach describe his day-long visit as a forest monk, confronting the guest’s denial and introducing Dhamma through honesty and sila.
• Trace the guest’s journey to Webu Sayadaw monastery in Ingyinbin and the remarkably open-hearted response of Ashin Mandala (U Mandala).
• Explore how simple routines at the monastery—waking at 4 a.m., sweeping, and gently watching the breath—offered a tangible path out of alcoholism.
• Reflect with Joah and Zach on Western “gatekeepers,” Myanmar’s Dhamma “buffet,” and what it means to make spiritual practice accessible to everyone, including those in deep struggle.
Chapters
00:00:00 Intro and podcast welcome
00:01:30 Launching the Myanmar Dhamma Diaries
00:03:14 Yangon Airbnb, five precepts, and a new guest
00:07:28 A drunken arrival and a night of chaos
00:10:37 A Dutch monk hears a last cry for help
00:18:29 Zach the monk confronts denial with Dhamma
00:22:19 Choosing Ingyinbin and Webu Sayadaw monastery
00:32:49 Journey north and life at U Mandala’s monastery
00:41:18 A way out of suffering and a lasting friendship
00:49:25 Dhamma for everyone and Myanmar’s ‘buffet’
01:00:16 Gatekeepers, agency, and closing reflections
27.02.2026 02:05
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EP #367 Degrees of Resistance
In this episode, we hear from two compelling voices grappling with the human and political costs of authoritarianism in Southeast Asia. Raoul Manuel, the youngest elected member of the Philippine Congress, describes how his work on education reform and youth rights intersects with a broader transnational resistance against repressive leadership. He draws on his experience in grassroots organizing and progressive legislation to explain how state violence, economic injustice, and environmental crises are linked across borders. For Manuel, democratic engagement must be paired with community action, especially as governments increasingly retreat from human rights responsibilities. Looking ahead to the Philippines’ upcoming ASEAN chairmanship, he remains skeptical of official rhetoric and stresses that real accountability will come only through persistent pressure from civil society. Han Htoo Khant Paing, a former student activist turned educator, provides a sobering reflection on Myanmar’s ongoing crisis. Since fleeing the country after the 2021 coup, Han Htoo has helped displaced youth continue their education. But his outlook is grim: he sees no viable resolution in the near future and believes ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus has been irrelevant from the start. He calls instead for pragmatic, human-centered approaches—reducing suffering, cutting arms flows, and documenting atrocities. Han Htoo also challenges the resistance to evolve, urging a move from radical means to sustainable strategies. In revisiting an earlier statement in which he welcomed the coup for exposing democratic illusions, he now expresses deep regret, acknowledging the overwhelming loss and trauma that has followed. “To give up is unthinkable,” he insists, even as sorrow and exhaustion weigh heavily on his words.
26.02.2026 10:53
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