Virtual Roundtable on December 14, 2025 - 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
In ancient times, human life was guided by spiritual and religious wisdom. Today, business, technology, and constant digital stimulation shape the way we live. Yet despite progress, we face rising conflict, materialism, polarisation, and unprecedented mental-health challenges.
Even as many move away from traditional religious institutions, the human desire for meaning, purpose, and spiritual guidance remains. But in a world where spirituality is often commercialised or simplified, finding authentic wisdom can feel difficult.
This roundtable brings together leaders from diverse wisdom traditions, alongside voices from technology and business, to explore what it truly means to live a meaningful life today.
Join us to:
- Clarify misconceptions about spiritual growth
- Discover authentic teachings from various traditions
- Learn practical insights to navigate modern challenges
- Explore how to cultivate inner peace, resilience, and transformation in the age of AI and digital overload
Step into a conversation that bridges ancient wisdom with the realities of modern life—and find guidance for a more grounded, conscious, and fulfilling way of being.
GUESTS
Fr Reginald Mary Chua, Catholic Priest
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
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKERS
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 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 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.
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 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.”
Trained as an art historian, Guoying Stacy Zhang 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.