Date: December 14, 2025
Time: 9:00-10:30PM Hong Kong Time | 8:00–9:30 AM EST | 1:00–2:30 PM GMT | 2:00–3:30 PM CET
Venue: Virtual on Zoom
THEMES
Mental Wellbeing and Spiritual Growth in Today’s World
– What Ancient Traditions Teach Us About Finding Meaning In Modern Life
In ancient times, human society was guided by spiritual and religious traditions. Today, it is largely driven by business and technology. Yet despite these advancements, we are witnessing rising conflict, materialism, polarised opinions, and unprecedented challenges to mental health.
As more people move away from traditional religious institutions, a deeper yearning for meaning, purpose, and spiritual guidance continues to grow. At the same time, accessing genuine wisdom can be difficult in a world where spirituality is often commercialised or oversimplified.
This roundtable brings together leaders from diverse wisdom traditions, alongside voices from technology and business, to explore what it means to live a meaningful life in the contemporary world. Together, we will clarify common misconceptions about spiritual growth, reveal the authentic teachings of various traditions, and discuss how these insights can help us navigate modern challenges and cultivate inner peace.
We will also explore what transformation looks like in the age of AI, digital overload, and constant distraction—and how ancient wisdom can guide us toward a more grounded, conscious, and fulfilling way of being.
GUESTS
Fr Reginald Mary Chua
Dr Buathon Thienarrom, Wellness Practitioner
John Ballantrae, Tarot Reader and Educator
Prof David Palmer, Scholar of Daoism and Religious Transformations
Sairee Chahal, Tech Entrepreneur and Investor
MODERATOR
Guoying Stacy Zhang, Founder of Buddhaland
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
John Ballantrae
John Ballantrae, M.A., author of Hamlet Revealed; The Tarot: Our Life on the Open Road; The Tarot Reader Volumes 1 and 2; Astrology In Action. A hamlet is a village without a church, so Hamlet, the play, is about finding peace, broadly speaking. Old Hamlet’s solution was to become a killer, and he was murdered. Young Hamlet’s path is different. The illustration on a randomly chosen Tarot card will show us how to develop a fuller version of ourselves at any moment. The horoscope lets us look beyond the earth in order to handle change in a post-adjectival world.
Sairee Chahal
Sairee Chahal is a serial entrepreneur, investor and board member. She conceptualised and founded #WomensInternet in India. She founded Fleximoms, SHEROES and Mahila Money – all internet platforms for women, connecting them to the economic mainstream via employment, entrepreneurship and capital impacting over 10 million women directly and indirectly.
She currently serves on the board of Unicommerce eSolutions Pvt. Ltd, Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) and TRRAIN,The Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India founded by B S Nagesh. Earlier, she has served as a director on the board of Paytm Payments Bank Limited .
She is a recipient of the Devi Award for Women in Leadership, Femina Achiever’s Award for her contribution to women’s internet and technology, Cartier Award for entrepreneurship, Editor’s Choice for L’Oreal Femina Women’s Award for Women in Workforce, and Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in Indian Business Award for Women in Business.
Fr Reginald Mary Chua
Fr Reginald Mary Chua is a Chinese-Australian Catholic priest from the Dominican Order. Reginald’s work sits at the meeting point of philosophy, contemplative practice, and the search for meaning. In recent years he has accompanied student communities as a university chaplain, supporting young adults as they navigate questions of purpose and wellbeing. Now based at Blackfriars in Oxford, he is completing doctoral research on the nature of being and identity in a rapidly changing world. He has interests in Buddhist-Christian dialogue and interfaith conversations, reading novels, and listening to 90s music.
Professor David Palmer
Dr. David A. Palmer is a Professor of anthropology at the University of Hong Kong. He is the author of several award-winning books on Daoism and on religious transformations in modern China, and teaches courses on spirituality, religion, and wealth. As convenor of the Asian Religious Connections research cluster of the University of Hong Kong, over the past years he has engaged in exchanges and research on religions throughout Asia. As elected member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Hong Kong, he is active in inter-faith dialogues and in exploring the empowerment of communities through the application of spiritual principles.
Dr Buathon Thienarrom
Dr. Buathon Thienarrom is a holistic practitioner from Thailand with extensive knowledge in alternative medicine, Taoist practices, Tibetan medicine, and mind training.
Her journey is to find a way to integrate the body, mind, and soul. With her background in nursing, psychology, and health sociology, she gradually created ZenNaTai, a unique approach to holistic healing that allows the body to release tension, generate chi flow, and encourage a peaceful mind. She also integrates breathwork and healing sound to deepen the stillness of the mind for inner healing.
Dr. Buathon has shared her passion through her healing practice with various celebrities. “Life is a journey, and each breath brings greater awareness to the body, mind, and soul.”
Guoying Stacy Zhang
Trained as an art historian, Stacy began her career at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Soon she found her true passion to foster cross-cultural understanding and inspire the contemporary world with ancient cultural heritage. Over the past decade, she has focused on writing, curatorial work, art and cultural advisory, and forging international and interdisciplinary collaborations, while working with prominent museums, private collections, and cultural and religious institutions.
Among her contributions, Stacy has published extensively on Buddhist art and wisdom. She curated the “Exhibition on Shanxi Buddhist Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage” at the sacred site Mount Wutai, introduced classical Chinese dance at the Qatar National Day, served as an associate curator at Tsz Shan Monastery, directed the documentary interview series “Feminine and Spiritual: Buddhist Women in Hong Kong”, and co-curated the Bitcoin Asia Art Gallery.
ABOUT BUDDHALAND
Buddhaland is a digital sanctuary nurturing spiritual growth, creativity, and meaning connection. We probes new possibilities for mental and spiritual well-being. Our holistic ecosystem attracts a spectrum of diverse, impact-driven people: digital innovators, thought leaders, artists, collectors and beyond. Together, we’re inspiring a global wave of mindfulness and creativity, connecting people through digi-spiritualism and art to build a more conscious world. As our community grows, we enrich modern cyberspace with pathways toward a beautiful, thriving future.