Episode 24, Media Corner: The Power of Ethical Spiritual Intelligence
Alan Clements’ Burma: Voices of Freedom is a monumental achievement, a work more than three decades in the making. Alan interviewed hundreds of people for the book in order to examine the intersecting lines of Burmese Buddhist practice and the (more worldly) turbulent, political history of the country. He decided to sit for just one full-length interview on his recent publication--and we were delighted that it is here, on the Insight Myanmar Podcast! Alan had joined us for an interview with us several months ago, and so were honored to welcome him back to the show to discuss this recent work in depth. (If you’d like to hear more on his own fascinating background in the country, take a listen here.) The book is co-authored with his long-time colleague and assistant, Fergus Harlow.
In Alan’s own words, the pages of Burma: Voices of Freedom “cover the historic national election of the National League of Democracy (NLD) to Parliament, the Rohingya crisis, the nature of totalitarianism and the efficacy of nonviolence, the radicalization of militant Buddhist monks and the role of Islamic terrorism, interspersed within the jagged landscape of a nation's ongoing struggle for freedom, rule of law, and national reconciliation.” His book explores not only what has taken place in the country, but where things stand now as well as his hopes for where things might go.
Although Alan is one of the more knowledgeable foreigners to live in and write about Burma, for this project he chose to step into the background, and turn the mic over to wide range of voices within Burmese society: young and old, top leaders and everyday people, and spanning a diverse background of people from various religious faiths, ethnicities, and regions. Alan’s approach is not a dry, scholastic work, but rather one that is animated by his own depth of meditative insight and Buddhist knowledge.
In our interview, we explore Alan’s process in writing the book, along with some challenges and surprises that came into the process along the way. We discuss the overlapping lines of spiritual and worldly affairs and how they interact in the context of modern Myanmar. We go on to examine the profound role that the liberating teachings of the Buddha has played and can continue to play in the country’s transformation, balanced with the sensitive need to ensure a separation between Church and State and to welcome the role of non-Buddhist communities in a pluralistic society.
On a technical note, there was a small glitch with the sound on Joah’s side of this interview, so apologies in advance that it is not as clear and crisp as you are normally accustomed to on our podcast episodes. Fortunately, Alan’s side has no issues! This issue has since been resolved and will not impact upcoming episodes.