**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 bodies, fetus spirits, corpse oil, and the spectrum of white and black magic. We d ... Show More
Apr 2025
Amy Zhang, "Circular Ecologies: Environmentalism and Waste Politics in Urban China" (Stanford UP, 2024)
After four decades of reform and development, China is confronting a domestic waste crisis. As the world's largest waste-generating nation, the World Economic Forum projects that by 2030, the volume of household waste in China will be double that of the United States. Starting in ... Show More
1h 7m
Yesterday
Caste and Urbanization with Malini Ranganathan and Juned Shaikh
This episode features a conversation with urban geographer, Malini Ranganathan, and historian, Juned Shaikh, on the centrality of caste to urbanization in India. Through a focus on 20th century Bombay (now Mumbai) and 21st century Bangalore (now Bengaluru), we explored the symbio ... Show More
1h 12m
May 3
Arely M. Zimmerman, "Contentious Citizenship: Salvadoran Activism and Belonging Across Borders" (U Arizona Press, 2026)
Contentious Citizenship: Salvadoran Activism and Belonging Across Borders (U Arizona Press, 2026) reshapes how we understand belonging, identity, and political participation in the context of migration. Drawing on decades of Salvadoran activism from the 1980s solidarity movement ... Show More
23m 24s
Jul 2025
Emergent Phenomena with Daniel M. Ingram
Today, host Prof. Pierce Salguero sits down with Dr. Daniel M. Ingram, a retired ER physician, co-founder of the Emergent Phenomena Research Consortium, CEO of Emergence Benefactors, and a noted adept in Buddhist meditation. Together we explore “emergent phenomena,” or the spirit ... Show More
1h 11m
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
Apr 2025
Buddhist Themes in The White Lotus, Explained | Josh Bearman
<p dir="ltr">Dan deconstructs the Dharmic elements of the popular HBO show, with the co-host of The White Lotus Official Season 3 companion podcast.</p> <p dir="ltr">Joshuah Bearman is a writer and film producer in Los Angeles. He has written for Wired, GQ, Harper's, Rolling Ston ... Show More
1h 9m
Aug 2025
Rima Vesely-Flad, "Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation" (NYU Press, 2022)
Finalist, Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Constructive-Reflective Studies, given by the American Academy of ReligionExplores how Black Buddhist Teachers and Practitioners interpret Western Buddhism in unique spiritual and communal waysIn Black Buddhists and the Bla ... Show More
1h 32m
Sep 2024
Fabio Rambelli, "Spirits and Animism in Contemporary Japan" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2019)
In Japan, a country popularly perceived as highly secularized and technologically advanced, ontological assumptions about spirits (tama or tamashii) seem to be quite deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric. From ancestor cults to anime, spirits, ghosts, and other invisible dimens ... Show More
55m 24s
Aug 2024
471. Satanism: Fear, Manipulation, & Suffering | Zeena Schreck
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down with ex-high priestess of the Church of Satan and daughter of Anton LaVey, Zeena Schreck. They discuss her upbringing in the church, the pathology of her mother and father, how and why she severed ties, and the spirituality she has come to know to ... Show More
1h 53m
May 2024
PT513 – Depth Psychology, Archetypal Energies, and How Psychedelics Reveal the Soul, with Simon Yugler
<p>In this episode, Kyle interviews Simon Yugler: psychedelic-assisted therapist, educator, and author of the book, Psychedelics & the Soul: A Mythic Guide to Psychedelic Healing, Depth Psychology, and Cultural Repair, which comes out this fall.</p> <p>He digs into depth psycholo ... Show More
1h 15m
Aug 2024
#1226 -Ghosts, Hauntings & Paranormal Activity | Spirituality
Sadhguru explains ghosts, hauntings and paranormal activities. He also demystifies occult and death, and explains how certain processes such as Kalabhairava Karma and Kalabhairava Shanti ensure a pleasant transition for the departed.
Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet. ... Show More
12m 26s
Nov 2024
Picatrix (Ghayat al-Hakim): The World's Most Famous Book of Magic?
Discover the mysteries of Picatrix (Ghayat al-Hakim), one of the most influential books of magic ever written. This ancient Arabic text has fascinated mystics, scholars, and occultists for centuries with its unique blend of astrology, alchemy, and Hermetic philosophy. In this epi ... Show More
28m 53s