In his recent monograph, Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism (Oxford University Press, 2017), Justin R. Ritzinger examines the cult of Maitreya as developed during the Republican period by the Chinese monk Taixu (1890-1947) and his circle. Drawing on previously unexamined sources,...
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Sep 11
Gavin Healy, "A Guide to Mao’s China: Showing the Nation to Foreign Guests" (Cornell UP, 2026)
A Guide to Mao’s China: Showing the Nation to Foreign Guests (Cornell UP, 2026) by Gavin Healy explores how tourism was reshaped during the Mao era. It follows the transformation of once-private travel agencies after 1949, the efforts of China's state tourism bureaucracy to recon ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 8
Voices from North Korea: Refugees Tell Their Stories
n this podcast, North Korean refugees who visited the University of Bradford share their harrowing experiences of life in North Korea, escape, and the challenges of building new lives in freedom. They are supported by Freedom Speakers International (FSI), a Seoul-based non-profit ... Show More
42m 17s
Sep 6
Emily Matson, "China’s Date Debate: How Manchurian Scholars Rewrote World War II" (U Michigan Press, 2026)
China’s Date Debate: How Manchurian Scholars Rewrote World War II (U Michigan Press, 2026) by Dr. Emily Matson is an in-depth investigation of the Chinese Communist Party’s remapping of China’s World War II timeline from eight years (1937–1945) to fourteen years (1931–1945). Inst ... Show More
33m 28s
May 2024
Wei Wu, "Esoteric Buddhism in China: Engaging Japanese and Tibetan Traditions, 1912–1949" (Columbia UP, 2023)
During the Republican period (1912–1949) and after, many Chinese Buddhists sought inspiration from non-Chinese Buddhist traditions, showing a particular interest in esoteric teachings. What made these Buddhists dissatisfied with Chinese Buddhism, and what did they think other Bud ... Show More
1h 8m
Jul 2025
Required Readings: Buddhism - A Journey Through History
In this episode of "Decoding Academia: Required Readings", Chris and Matt take a joint stroll through the history of Buddhism through Donald S. Lopez Jr.'s latest book, 'Buddhism: A Journey Through History.' We discuss the unexpected historical and cultural facets of Buddhism, ho ... Show More
28m 53s
Feb 2021
Buddhist Enlightenment: Impermanence, No Self, and the Dark Night of the Soul
<p>Breht is joined by Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, author of "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha", to discuss what Enlightenment is in the Buddhist tradition, what it feels like from the inside, what it can and cannot offer the individual and society, spirituality and mysticism ... Show More
1h 37m
May 2021
Journey to the West: The Tang Monk Pt. 1
In China during the Tang dynasty, a humble monk named Xuanzang had a great destiny. His life and travels would be mythologized in the hugely popular novel Xiyouji, known in English as Journey to the West. In today’s story, Xuanzang learns where he came from, and risks death to re ... Show More
49m 25s
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<p><em>This unlocked patreon episode was originally released Feb. 27th 2024<br /> <br /></em></p> <p><em>To get access to more bonus episodes like this every month, and support the show, join our patreon at <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/revleftradio">patreon.com/revleftradio< ... Show More
