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Buddhist Studies
East Asian Studies May 22, 2023

The Precious Summary

A History of the Mongols from Chinggis Khan to the Qing Dynasty

Sagang Sechen. Translated by Johan Elverskog.

Hosted by Sarah Bramao-Ramos
Buddhist cosmological history of the universe, history of Chinggis Khan, history of China, and history of the Mongols — The Precious Summary, written in 1662 by Sagang Sechen, is many …

Buddhist Studies

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Interviews with scholars of Buddhism about their new books.

The Imperfect Buddha Podcast May 18, 2023

Simon Cox on the Subtle Body

Simon Cox

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
What links Vajrayana Buddhism and Vajrayogini to Alistair Crowley and the neo-Platonists? A topic of speculation, desire and imagination, the Subtle Body, also known as the energy body, is an …
Interpretive Political and Social Science May 18, 2023

Freedom Inside?

Yoga and Meditation in the Carceral State

Farah Godrej

Hosted by Nick Cheesman
Are meditation and yoga offered to prisoners merely to have them acquiesce to being incarcerated and degraded? Or can they help prisoners interrogate the political and social structures that incarcerate …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast April 28, 2023

Ken McLeod on the Magic of Vajrayana

Ken McLeod

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
“A moving description of a life in practice which goes far beyond text-based ideas of prayer, devotion, guru-connection, or meditation, and most especially of tantric practice." Anne Klein, former Chair …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast April 17, 2023

The Ancient Greek Version of Buddhism

A Discussion with Douglas C. Bates

Douglas C. Bates

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
“It is not events that disturb us, but what we believe about them.” Is this true? Well, apparently Pyrrho, a rather obscure Greek philosopher claimed it to be the case …
Buddhist Studies April 14, 2023

Healing Buddhist Studies

A Discussion with Paula Arai

Paula Arai

Hosted by Pierce Salguero
Dr Pierce Salguero sits down with Paula Arai, a scholar of Japanese Zen, gender, and healing ritual. Paula is an inspiration in the way she blends critical analysis and compassion …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast April 1, 2023

Incognito

The Astounding Life of Alexandra David-Neel

Dianne Harke

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
I grew up with Alexandra David-Neel’s books on my mum’s bookshelf. She was part of the myth making process that led to my own fascination with Tibet, as something real …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast March 28, 2023

A Review of "A Critique of Western Buddhism"

Matthew O'Connell

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
Regular guest to the podcast Glenn Wallis wrote  A Critique of Western Buddhism: Ruins of the Buddhist Real (Bloomsbury) back in 2018. Time has flown since and in honour of the non-Buddhism …
Buddhist Studies March 25, 2023

Toward a New Image of Paramartha

Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited

Ching Keng

Hosted by Jessica Zu
Today I talked to Ching Keng about his book Toward a New Image of Paramartha: Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited (Bloomsbury, 2022). Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha are often regarded as antagonistic Indian Buddhist …
Buddhist Studies March 22, 2023

Until Nirvana's Time

Buddhist Songs from Cambodia

Trent Walker

Hosted by Jessica Zu
A unique Buddhist tradition, accessible in English for the first time—translations of forty-five Cambodian Dharma songs, with contextualizing essays and a link to audio of stunning vocal performances.  Trent Walker's …
Southeast Asian Studies March 6, 2023

Constitutional Bricolage

Thailand's Sacred Monarchy vs. The Rule of Law

Eugénie Mérieau

Hosted by Duncan McCargo
Why has Thailand had 20 constitutions since 1932? What accounts for the remarkable veneration Thais often feel towards these short-lived documents? How is that military coups can be viewed as …
Indian Religions March 2, 2023

The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy and Gender

Veena R. Howard

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
'How do gender constructions transform religious experiences?' 'What is the role of bodily materiality in ethics and epistemology?' 'How does rethinking gender and sexuality force us to reconceptualise settled …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast February 28, 2023

Contemplative, Existential Psychotherapy and Dzogchen

A Discussion with Ken Bradford

Ken Bradford

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
Ken Bradford, Ph.D., has been a practitioner in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions since 1975, and engaged in introducing meditative sensibilities and nondual wisdom streams into the experience-near practice …
Indian Religions February 23, 2023

Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Meditation

Rick Repetti

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Rick Repetti's Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Meditation (Routledge, 2022) provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the state of the field of the philosophy of meditation and …
Philosophy February 20, 2023

Selfless Minds

A Contemporary Perspective on Vasubandhu's Metaphysics

Monima Chadha

Hosted by Malcolm Keating
Buddhists are famous for their thesis that selves do not exist. But if they are right, what would that thesis mean for our apparent sense of self and for ordinary …
Indian Religions February 16, 2023

Ravana's Kingdom

The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below

Justin W. Henry

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Ravana, the demon-king antagonist from the Ramayana, the ancient Hindu epic poem, has become an unlikely cultural hero among Sinhala Buddhists over the past decade.  In Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and …
Indian Religions February 11, 2023

The Creative South

Buddhist and Hindu Art in Mediaeval Maritime Asia (2 Volumes)

Andrea Acri and Peter Sharrock

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Andrea Acri and Peter Sharrock's The Creative South: Buddhist and Hindu Art in Mediaeval Maritime Asia (2 volumes; Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, 2022) examines the creative contribution of Maritime Asia towards shaping …
Buddhist Studies February 4, 2023

Buddhist Responses to COVID

A Discussion with Venerable Soorākkulame Pemaratana

Venerable Soorākkulame Pemaratana

Hosted by Pierce Salguero
Dr Pierce Salguero sits down with Venerable Soorākkulame Pemaratana, chief abbot at the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center and a scholar of modern Buddhism in Sri Lanka. We talk about his role …
Indian Religions February 2, 2023

Laughter, Creativity, and Perseverance

Female Agency in Buddhism and Hinduism

Ute Hüsken

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
In most mainstream traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, women have for centuries largely been excluded from positions of religious and ritual leadership. However, as this volume shows, in an increasing …
The Imperfect Buddha Podcast February 1, 2023

Nietzsche, Wokeism, Non-Buddhist Mysticism

A Discussion with Glenn Wallis

Glenn Wallis

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
What does it mean to be a hundred? Perhaps Fredric Nietzsche would know. He’s in part the star of the show. Along with regular guest Glenn Wallis. We look at …