This month the “Voice of Faith,” a multi-faith radio show, is celebrating its third anniversary. The first radio show of its type in Australia, the hour-long program was formally recognized by both federal and state governments and initiated by the Casey Multifaith Network and 3SER Casey Radio, one of the country’s top community radio stations, located in the southeast suburbs of Melbourne. The Casey Multifaith Network is a collaborative representation of various religions and faiths committed to working together toward the promotion of peace, harmony, and understanding within the community and beyond.
Andrew Williams singing Dharma songs with children from Sri Lankan Buddhist community at multi-faith annual gathering. From Andrew Williams
The religions involved in the show are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam. The Buddhist show runs on the first Sunday of each month, and is hosted by myself and the show’s founder and former Multifaith president, Gamini Fonseka.
In each Buddhist program, we give teachings and commentaries on various subjects as taught by the Buddha, offer meditation instruction, present appropriate musical performances, make announcements of important Buddhist events, and invite guest speakers to discuss various topics of interest.
Show presenters receiving certificate of recognition and gratitude from mayor at local council.
From Andrew Williams
During the past three years, we have given commentary on: 1) The Four Immeasurables—the four sublime mind-states to be developed by all Buddhists, namely Universal Love, Universal Compassion, Appreciative Joy, and Equanimity (non-biased mind); 2) The Four Noble Truths, emphasizing in detail the Noble Eight-fold Path of right understanding, thoughts, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration; 3) The Five Skandhas or Aggregates of form, feeling, thoughts, impulses, and consciousness, and the Three Marks of Existence, namely impermanence, suffering, and selflessness. We have also discussed other relevant topics based on current local and world events, sharing practical ways to apply the Buddha's teachings in everyday life, both individually and collectively.
Numerous guest speakers have appeared on the show as well, including Dharma teachers from the various Buddhist traditions and representatives from the Buddhist youth and other Buddhist organizations.
The music presented is a mixture of traditional Buddhist music and contemporary Western-style music with appropriate Buddhist lyrics. Included are devotional songs, songs with various explanations and interpretations of the Buddha's teachings, and stories of the Buddha’s life.
In a letter read at the Victorian State Parliament on 28 August 2012, the member for Hansard, Minister Judith Graley, stated, '’I would like to congratulate the Casey Multifaith Network on the first anniversary of its radio programme 'Voice of Faith,' which has been a resounding success. The programme gives listeners a chance to learn about the different religions within our community, educating the wider community and creating a platform for discussion on the various faiths that make up our wonderful multicultural society. I hope the ‘Voice of Faith’ will remain on the air for many years to come.”
The show has a diverse audience, including both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, young and old, experienced practitioners and beginners. As one of the program’s regular teenage listeners says, “The Voice of Faith Buddhist show is cool! It's helped me apply the Buddha’s teaching in my very busy life.” One of the regular older listeners also appreciates the show: “As a person who discovered Buddhism later in life, I would like to say how much I have gained from listening to the ‘Voice of Faith’ radio program,” she says. “I have gained so much more understanding by listening to the commentaries on the Buddha’s teachings, and the meditation instructions have been of immense and positive assistance to me in my efforts to perfect my practice.”
The “Voice of Faith” presenters look forward to offering interesting, informative, educational, and entertaining programs into the near and distant future.