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In this episode, I sit down with my friend Linda C. Ceriello, a scholar of mysticism and popular culture from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Linda is one of the foremost scholars of metamodernism, with particular focus on contemporary spirituality and mystical experiences. She talks with me about what this concept of metamodernism means, and how it can open up new kinds of more capacious thinking. Iâm sure you will agree that a lot of what weâve been doing on this podcast over the past 4 years â juxtaposing different perspectives, exposing our full selves, exploring the dark sides of spirituality, leaning into sincerity, etc. â has all embodied a metamodern sensibility. Anyway, I think sheâs the perfect guest to talk with as we launch season 4, and I hope youâll enjoy the show.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in multidisciplinary conversations about Asian healing and mystical traditions, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members area on Substack (blackberyl.substack.com), as each episode our guests share downloadable PDFs of articles, book chapters, and other materials for you.
One last thing: we are planning an âAsk Me Anythingâ episode coming up soon, so reach out via Substack or my website, piercesalguero.com, and let me know your questions. Ok, on with the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
* âWhat is Metamodern?â website
* âWhat is Metamodern? Conversationsâ on YouTube
* Bloomsbury Press series: Studies in Metamodernism, Theory and Criticism Across the Disciplines
* Vermeulen and van den Akker, âNotes on Metamodernismâ (2010)
* Kersten, Polo, Wilbers, Glocal Metamodernisms: European Fiction After Postmodernism (2026)
* Disambiguation video
* Recorded lecture: âAn Overview of the Academic Research on Metamodernismâ (2021)
* Recorded panel: âA Bodhisattva Move: Popular Mysticismâs Influence on the Metamodern Turn?â (2023)
Subscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including these PDFs of Lindaâs work:
* Metamodern Mysticisms (2018)
* âToward a metamodern reading of Spiritual but Not Religious mysticismsâ (2018)
* âThe Metamodern Bend: Theorizations for Religious Studiesâ (2022)
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Welcome to season 4 of the BBP!
We concluded the last episode with Jeff Kripal calling upon humanities scholars to break out of our conservative paradigms and to allow ourselves to âget weird.â So, letâs do it! This season, we are going all-in on the mystical, mysterious, profound, reality-bending, and impossible aspects of Asian religions, medicines, and spiritualities.
As usual, weâll launch the season the tables turned, with Lan taking up the mic to interview Pierce. Together, we think about traditional, modern, and postmodern approaches to Asian medicine. Usually, these epistemologies are competing or people are trying to integrate them⊠but could there be another approach that celebrates all of them without needing to reconcile dissonance?
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in multidisciplinary conversations about Asian healing and mystical traditions, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also look us up on Substack to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
* Pierce Salguero, âA Metadisciplinary Approach to Asian Medicine (and Other
Epistemological Carnivals)â (2025)
* Pierce Salguero, âThe Fractal of Humanitiesâ (2021)
* Pierce Salguero, âA Pedagogy of the Soulâ (2022)
* Pierce Salguero, âLetâs Put More Humanity into the Humanitiesâ (2019)
* Pierceâs Humanâąities Blog on Substack or on Medium
Subscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including:
* PDF of the introduction to Pierceâs new book: Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice, just published by University of Hawaii Press.
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Fehlende Folgen?
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Today I sit down with Prof. Jeff Kripal, noted scholar of religion at Rice University, to talk about extraordinary, mysterious, and âimpossibleâ experiences. This is a conversation Iâve been waiting a few years to have. Together we explore what you can or canât talk about in the humanities â and what we risk when we break the rules. Along the way, we touch on paranormal phenomena, epistemological pluralism, conspiracy theories, Platoâs cave, and why no one dresses up as a humanities professor for Halloween.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources related to this conversation:
Jeff Kripal's websiteArchives of the Impossible & Conferences Pierce Salguero, "Secret Lives of Buddhist Studies Scholars" (2024)Pierce Salguero, "The Fractal of Humanities" (2021)Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, "On the need for metaphysics in psychedelic therapy and research" (2023)Jeff Kripal, The Flip (2020)Jeff Kripal, Secret Body (2019)Commonweal PodcastSubscribe on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including:
PDF of the introduction of Jeff's book, How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else (2024)
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I'm happy to share this rebroadcast of an interview I did with James Bae, the host of the "Buddhist Yoga" Youtube channel. In this deep-dive, we discuss my new book, Meditation Sickness, just out from University of Hawaii Press. This edited collection of translations by expert scholars lays out a range of Buddhist viewpoints about the potential side-effects of contemplative practice, and what happens when one crosses the line between expected challenges and true medical crises. Including ancient scriptures, writings by some of the most celebrated Buddhist meditation teachers of all time, as well as contemporary ethnographic reports from all over the Buddhist world, the book details the symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment of "meditation sickness." Our conversation provides a detailed overview of the contents of the book, and illustrates why it is crucially important for Western meditators to be knowledgable about these phenomena. Enjoy!
Resources mentioned in the episode:
Pierce Salguero, Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook of the Dangers of Buddhist Practice (2026). Pierce Salguero, âMeditation Sicknessâ in Medieval Chinese Buddhism
and the Contemporary West (2023).Pierce's previous appearances on Buddhist Yoga: Buddhist Medicine and Contemplative Pedagogy ; The Contemporary Landscape of Buddhist HealingPierce's resource website: BuddhistMedicine.NetBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including:
PDF of the introduction to the 2026 book.
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Today I sit down with Sanjay Manchanda, who is an Adjunct Professor at California Institute of Human Science and also teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Sanjay is an awakening facilitator, a practicing psychotherapist, and an inventor and technologist with a PhD in computer science. In this conversation, we talk about the importance of integration after awakening, psychedelics, shadow work, and a helmet that pulses infrared light into the brain to facilitate spiritual experiences. Along the way, we raise the important question of whether we will ever be able to create an enlightenment machine.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources related to this conversation:
Sanjay's Neuromatrix Headset: https://neuromatrix.health/Ultrasound research by Jay Sanguinetti: https://www.jaysanguinetti.com/Arnold Mindell, Dreambody: The Body's Role in Healing the Self (1982).Les Fehmi, The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body (2008).YouTube videos: Awareness Explorers, Neuroscience of Meditation SummitFor information about Sanjay's Monday morning group Multidimensional Fundamental Well-Being, personal coaching, and therapy sessions, contact [email protected].Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including:
$500 discount on the Neuromatrix Headset
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Today I sit down with Dr. Tawni Tidwell, a biocultural anthropologist and Tibetan medicine doctor at the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of WisconsinâMadison. Together we discuss how Tibetan medicine approaches the challenges that arise in the course of meditation. Along the way, we talk about reconnecting with indigenous knowledge, establishing a more intimate relationship with the body and the land, and the importance of social context in supporting spiritual practice.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources related to this conversation:
Tawni Tidwell, âLife in Suspension with Death: Biocultural Ontologies, Perceptual Cues, and Biomarkers for Tibetan Tukdam Postmortem Meditative Stateâ (2024)Tawni Tidwell et al, âEffect of Tibetan Herbal Formulas on Symptom Duration Among Ambulatory Patients with Native SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Retrospective Cohort Studyâ (2024)Tawni Tidwell, âTibetan Medical Paradigms for the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Understanding COVID-19, Microbiome Links, and Its Sowa Rigpa Nosologyâ (2021)New open access book! Crafting Potency: Sowa Rigpa Artisanship Across the HimalayasTawniâs research profile at the Center for Healthy MindsPlease note that Tawni is not taking new patients at this time, but she recommends the American Tibetan Medical AssociationBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Tawni Tidwell et al. âChasing dön spirits in Tibetan medical encounters: Transcultural affordances and embodied psychiatry in Amdo, Qinghaiâ 2022.
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Today I sit down with Marleen Thaler, a researcher at the University of Vienna and University of Graz. Together, we investigate the history of the transformation of Kundalini from a Hindu goddess resting at the base of the spine to her modern manifestation as a psychiatric syndrome. Along the way, we discuss the central importance of the Theosophical society, the anti-psychiatry movement of the 1970s, spiritual emergencies, and kundalini as a meeting point for religion and medicine.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Arthur Avalon, The Serpent Power: The Secrets of Tantric and Shaktic YogaGopi Krishna, Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in ManLee Sennella, The Kundalini Experience: Psychosis or TranscendenceSpiritual Emergence Network (USA | International)Marleen's publications: Academia.eduBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Full English translation of the Hathayoga Pradipika, which includes description of kundalini coiled at the base of the spine and structured practices to direct her energy toward enlightenment.
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Today, I catch up with Brandt Stickley, Associate Professor at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland. We discuss his practice of âChinese medicine anti-psychiatry,â which involves exorcising spirits using acupuncture needles. Along the way, we talk about mass possession, spiritual shark bites, and how to properly unwind a wayward ghost.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Brandt's websiteCertificate in Chinese Medicine PsychiatryBrandt's courses and mentorshipBlood, Fire, Light, & Time on SubstackBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Brandt Stickley, "Approaching the Origin: The Diaphanous Body and Classical Chinese Medicine" (2024)
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In celebration of the holiday season, here's a bonus episode from the archives. In May of 2023, I sat down with Zachary Lui who is a practitioner of Chinese medicine, magic, and shamanism in the Toronto area. We started by talking about his early work with Chinese martial arts, traditional medicine, and qigong. We then got into Zacâs practice of chaos magic, diverse ritual practices, reiki, and esoteric Buddhist healing. Finally, we discussed his communication with different deities and spirits, as well as the potential dangers of working with them in his healing practice.
Wuji Xuan Life Wellness Queen City Curio Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole Podcast Andrieh Vitimus, Hands-On Chaos Magic (2009)
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in the episode:
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Today I sit down with Nick Canby, visiting assistant professor at Brown University and a clinical psychologist specializing in meditation and psychedelics. Together, we dive into Nickâs research on the self â what is it and what itâs like to lose it. Along the way, we mention some of the downsides of experiencing oneness and the complications of defining a mental health disorder.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Previous episode on meditation challenges with Willoughby Britton and Jared Lindahl List of Publications from the Varieties of Contemplative Experience studyCanby et al., "The Teacher Matters: The Role and Impact of Meditation Teachers in the Trajectories of Western Buddhist Meditators Experiencing Meditation-Related Challenges"Pierce's forthcoming volume, "Meditation Sickness: A Sourcebook on the Dangers of Buddhist Practice" Previous episode on madness and religious experience with Richard Saville-SmithNick's clinical practiceNick's profile on Cheetah HouseComplete list of Nick's publicationsBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Article summarizing Nickâs dissertation research on âloss of selfâ experiences50% off âVarieties of Ego-Dissolutionâ online course (research overview of the types of self-boundary dissolution and their impacts)
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Today I sit down with Leo Lok, a retired practitioner of Chinese medicine who now teaches and consults with practitioners treating difficult cases of meditation-caused dysregulation. Together, we discuss how to think about the challenging side-effects of meditation through the lens of the ancestral Chinese arts of qi regulation. Along the way, we discuss the surprising power of ocular alignment, how to gradually condition oneself for spiritual heavy lifting, and medieval Chinese emergency treatments for meditation practice gone wrong.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Leo's chapter on Chinese physicians will appear in Pierce's forthcoming book, Meditation Sickness: An Anthology on the Dangers of Meditation Practice. (Get notified when this is published.)Zhiyi's (538â597) magnum opus on meditation in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, translated by Paul SwansonPierce discusses medieval Chinese approaches to meditation sickness, including Zhiyi's advice for meditators, in an open access article in Journal of Buddhist Ethics.See Leo's recommended YouTube instructional video on the six healing breaths.Leo's new website is under constructionBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Pierce's 2017 translation of the complete "Chapter on Illness" from Zhiyi's Shorter Treatise on Ćamatha and VipaĆyanÄ.
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Today I sit down with Susannah Deane, a scholar of Tibetan medicine, Buddhism, and psychiatry. Together, we delve into her work on Tibetan concepts of "wind disorders" and Tantric practice gone wrong. Along the way, we talk about losing control of spirits, becoming a deity, and how Tibetans choose between religious and medical specialists when spiritual practice goes off the rails.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Susannah Deane, Tibetan Medicine, Buddhism and Psychiatry: Mental Health and Healing in a Tibetan Exile Community (2018).Salguero, Cheung, and Deane (eds.), Buddhism and Healing in the Modern World (2024).Susannah Deane, Illness and Enlightenment: Exploring Tibetan Perspectives on Madness in Text and Everyday Life (2025).Susannah's Academia.edu profileBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
High resolution image of the Tibetan subtle body system Susannah's chapter âFor This Kind of Thing, the Lama Is Better: Religion, Medicine, and the Treatment of 'Madness' among Tibetans in Amdo," from Buddhism and Healing in the Modern World
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Today I sit down with Richard Saville-Smith, an independent scholar of madness, religion, and psychiatry. We discuss Richardâs book Acute Religious Experiences (2023), which argues that frameworks from Mad Studies can get us out from under the academyâs current habit of either pathologizing or sanitizing religious experiences. Along the way, we talk about the power struggle between psychiatry & the humanities, the influence of Queer Studies on Richardâs work, and his reinterpretation of Jesus as a madman.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Acute Religious Experiences: Madness, Psychosis and Religious Studies (2023)Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloading:
Chapter 10 from Richard's book, which presents his D.R.E.A.D. framework for acute religious experiences.
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Today I sit down with Willoughby Britton and Jared Lindahl, the interdisciplinary team from Brown University that is responsible for the âVarieties of Contemplative Experienceâ study on the challenges and adverse effects of meditation. We talk about the design, findings, and outcomes of the study, and how it opened up a new field of interdisciplinary investigation. Along the way we ask: if someone suffers harm from practicing meditation, whose fault is it? What is the ultimate cause? And who gets to interpret the experience?
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com to see what our guests have shared with you. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Complete Varieties of Contemplative Experience study publications listWilloughby on the Mind & Life PodcastWilloughby & Jared on The Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness PodcastâThe Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhistsâ (2017)âThe Roles and Impacts of Worldviews on the Onset and Trajectory of Meditation-Related Challengesâ (2022)âThe Teacher Matters: The Role and Impact of Meditation Teachers in the Trajectories of Western Buddhist Meditators Experiencing Meditation-Related Challengesâ (2025)âProgress or Pathology? Differential Diagnosis and Intervention Criteria for Meditation-Related Challenges: Perspectives from Buddhist Meditation Teachers and Practitioners.âCheetahHouse.orgBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including downloads of these PDFs:
âChallenging and Adverse Meditation Experiences: Toward A Person-Centered Approachâ (2021)âPrevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United Statesâ (2021)
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Today I sit 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 âemergent phenomena,â or the spiritual, mystical, magical, energetic, and psychedelic possibilities at the deep end of human experience. Along the way, we discuss dark nights of the soul, ontological fruit salad, brain scans of peak meditation states, and warning labels on spiritual practice.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Links to all Daniel's stuffEmergent Phenomena Research ConsortiumEmergent Benefactors Daniel M. Ingram, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (2018) website | bookDharmaOverground.orgOlivier Sandilands & Daniel M. Ingram, Documenting and defining emergent phenomenology: theoretical foundations for an extensive research strategy (2024)Avijit Chowdhury et al., Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation âcessationâ experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study (2022) Malcolm J. Wright et al., Altered States of Consciousness are Prevalent and Insufficiently Supported Clinically: A Population Survey (2024)Pierce Salguero, The Secret Spiritual Lives of Buddhist Studies Scholars (2024)Become a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including PDFs of these resources.
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Today I sit down with Josh Schrei, storyteller, sound artist, and host of The Emerald Podcast. Josh helps us to embrace and center the spirit world in our understanding of contemporary Buddhism. Along the way, we talk about Tibetan weather makers, shamanic battle, the trance-inducing effect of stories, and how to diplomatically negotiate with animistic forces.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Emerald Podcast: Animism is Normative ConsciousnessThe Emerald Podcast: For the Divine Mother of the UniverseThe Emerald Podcast: Why Mindfulness Isnât EnoughThe Emerald Podcast: Guardians and Protectors!Josh's Website: The Mythic BodyJosh's PatreonBecome a paid subscriber on blackberyl.substack.com to unlock our members-only benefits, including a video lecture by Pierce with a detailed introduction to Thai animist culture and healing practices. For other videos, see courses.piercesalguero.com.
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Today I sit down with Mary Shutan, a spiritual teacher specializing in awakening and shadow work. Our conversation focuses on the weirdness, emotional volatility, darkness, and other challenges that inevitably accompany serious spiritual practice. Along the way, we talk about the diverse range of awakenings, the difficulties of managing kundalini energy, and what to do in the case of a spiritual emergency.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned:
Lan Li, Body Maps: Improvising Meridians and Nerves in Global Chinese Medicine (2025) Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).Mary Shutan, Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark (2024).Mary Shutan, The Spiritual Awakening Guide (2015).Mary Shutan, The Body Deva: Working with the Spiritual Consciousness of the Body (2018).Mary Shutan, Working with Kundalini: An Experiential Guide to the Process of Awakening (2019).Mary's website: maryshutan.comMary's YouTube channel: @MaryShutanResources provided on blackberyl.substack.com:
Chapter 23 of Mary's new book ("Engaging the Deep Wild")Preface & Chapter 1 of Pierce's new book ("Preparing for the Journey")Plus, sign up with a paid subscription before the end of the month to receive a bookmark in the mail from Lan Li!
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Today I sit down with Miguel Farias, an experimental psychologist and researcher of religion, spirituality, and cognition. Together we try to get to the bottom of whether meditation is actually good for you through a comparison of Miguel's research on the adverse effects of meditation with my research on Asian notions of meditation sickness. Along the way, we discuss the limitations of modern Western understandings of consciousness, and explore whether we can develop a more expansive, multifaceted understanding of altered states both pleasant and unpleasant.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned:
Miguel Farias and Catherine Wikholm, The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2019).Miguel Farias, Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2022).Miguel Farias et al, âAdverse Events in Meditation Practices and Meditation-based Therapies: A Systematic Reviewâ (2021).Pierce Salguero, ââMeditation Sicknessâ in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary Westâ (2023). Peter Berger, The Homeless Mind (1973).Joseph Henrich et al. article on the MĂŒller-Lyer illusion (2010).The source for the term âmonophasic biasâ is apparently Charles Laughlinâs chapter âTranspersonal Anthropologyâ in Roger Walshâs book Paths Beyond Ego (1993).Pierce Salguero, A Lamp Unto Yourself (2025).Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:
Introduction to the Oxford Handbook of Meditation
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Today I sit down with David Gordon White, a distinguished indologist and scholar of Tantra. Our conversation focuses on Davidâs most recent project tracing the transregional histories of spirits, gods, demons, and their associated rituals across Eurasia. Along the way, we dive into an intellectual conversation about dog-headed men, angry goddesses, alchemical mercury, body-snatching yogis, the origins of Dracula, and much, much more.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on blackberyl.substack.com. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned
David Gordon White, Daemons are Forever (2021)David Gordon White, Myths of the Dog-Man (1991)David Gordon White, The Alchemical Body (1997)David Gordon White, Kiss of the Yogini (2006)David Gordon White, Sinister Yogis (2011)Michel Strickmann, Chinese Magical Medicine (2002)Michel Strickmann, Mantras et Mandarins (1996)David Gordon White, âThree Shades of Tantric Yoga,â in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies (2024)David Gordon White, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene," Journal Asiatique (2020) David Gordon White, "Draculaâs Family Tree," Gothic Studies (2021)Resources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:
PDF of David's chapter in Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies PDF of David's article, "Were-Creatures of the Eurasian Ecumene"PDF of David's article, "Draculaâs Family Tree"
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Today 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 discuss the logics of rituals, their role in Thai communities, and how a misfit Catholic punk from Philly found himself in a rural Thai monastery.
If you want to hear scholars and practitioners engaging in deep conversations about the dark side of Asian religions and medicines, then subscribe to Black Beryl wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out our members-only benefits on Substack.com. Enjoy the show!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Thai movie Necromancer (2005)Justin McDaniel, The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand (2011)Justin McDaniel, Architects of Buddhist Leisure: Socially Disengaged Buddhism in Asiaâs Museums, Monuments, and Amusement Parks (2018)Justin McDaniel, Wayward Distractions: Ornament, Emotion, Zombies and the Study of Buddhism in Thailand (2021)Justin McDaniel, Cosmologies and Biologies: Illuminated Siamese Manuscripts of Death, Time and the Body (2024)Press coverage of monasticism coursePress coverage of existential despair courseResources provided by the interviewee on blackberyl.substack.com:
PDF with introduction to The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk
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