Vanessa R. Sasson's book The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women (Equinox, 2023) is a retelling of the story of the first Buddhist women's request for ordination. Inspired by the Therigatha and building on years of research and experience in the field, Sasson follows Vimala, Patachara, Bhadda Kundalakesa, and many others as they walk through the f ... Show More
Jan 26
Natasha Heller, "Literature for Little Bodhisattvas: Making Buddhist Families in Modern Taiwan" (U Hawai'i Press, 2025)
In Literature for Little Bodhisattvas: Making Buddhist Families in Modern Taiwan (U Hawai'i Press, 2025), Natasha Heller makes two key interventions: first, she argues that picturebooks are a new genre of Buddhist writing, and second, she calls attention to an emergent family Bu ... Show More
1h 7m
Jan 15
Sara Ann Swenson, "Near Light We Shine: Buddhist Charity in Urban Vietnam" (Oxford UP, 2025)
Sara Swenson is Assistant Professor of Religion and Affiliated Faculty in Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages at Dartmouth College. Her areas of expertise include Religions of Southeast Asia, Buddhism in Vietnam, Gender and Sexuality, Affect Theory, and Ethnography. She rece ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 13
Mercedes Valmisa, "All Things Act" (Oxford UP, 2025)
All Things Act explores the collective character of action to expand the ways we think about agency. First, it resists viewing agency as a capacity, much less one exclusive to humans. Instead, it defines agency as an umbrella term for the concrete sociomaterial processes that eme ... Show More
56 m
Feb 2025
Magic, Death, and Necromancy with Justin McDaniel
**Warning: This episode contains potentially disturbing content!**
On this episode of the Black Beryl, I sit down with Justin McDaniel, a scholar of Theravada Buddhist literature and art. Together we explore the darker side of Thai Buddhism, including meditation on decomposing bo ... Show More
56m 39s
Sep 2025
Ruth E. Toulson, "Necropolitics of the Ordinary: Death and Grieving in Contemporary Singapore" (U Washington Press, 2024)
Can a state make its people forget the dead? Cemeteries have become sites of acute political contestation in the city-state of Singapore. Confronted with high population density and rapid economic growth, the government has ordered the destruction of all but one burial ground, fo ... Show More
58m 30s
Jan 2025
197 - A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism
In this episode of the Secular Buddhism Podcast, I sit down with Cortland Dahl, author of A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism, to explore how Buddhist teachings and meditation can help us navigate life’s challenges with awareness, compassion, and wisdom.Cortland shares insights from ... Show More
59m 48s
Sep 2024
What Do We Mean by "Mysticism"? With Mirabai Starr
Welcome to Season 2 of Everything Belongs! This season, we'll be exploring Richard's book Eager to Love chapter-by-chapter, and what better way to kick off a brand new season than with our friend, Mirabai Starr. In this episode, we're covering Chapter One: "What Do We Mean by 'My ... Show More
1h 21m
Aug 2024
A Buddhist Recipe for Handling Turmoil | Kaira Jewel Lingo
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p>We all know that change is inevitable and impermanence is non-negotiable. But somehow it can feel surprising, maybe even wrong, ... Show More
49m 55s
Oct 2022
Emily Jane O'Dell, "The Gift of Rumi: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master" (St. Martin's Essentials, 2022)
The Gift of Rumi: Experiencing the Wisdom of the Sufi Master (St. Martin’s Press, 2022), written by Dr. Emily Jane O’Dell was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2022. In this rich and insightful book, Dr. O’Dell takes us through her own spiritual and physical travels, as well as ... Show More
37m 39s
<p><strong>RamDev, host of Healing at the Edge podcast, joins Raghu for a conversation on compassion and openness of the heart.</strong></p><p>This week on Mindrolling, RamDev and Raghu discuss:</p><ul><li>RamDev’s background in mathematics and recognizing patterns</li><li>How pe ... Show More
