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A podcast about Buddhist Philosophy.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Buddhist metaphysics and epistemology • Secular and Western Buddhism critique • Buddhist engagement with Western philosophy • Feminist, Black feminist aesthetics, and women in Buddhism • Zen, Mahāyāna literature, modern KoreaThis podcast explores Buddhist philosophy through conversational interviews that connect classical Buddhist ideas with contemporary philosophical questions and social critique. Across the episodes, the discussions consider how Buddhist traditions approach fundamental issues in metaphysics and epistemology, including whether we can make meaningful judgments about what is ultimately real, the possibility of ineffable reality, and what—if anything—needs to be taken as “ultimately real” for inquiry such as science to function.
A recurring focus is the encounter between Buddhist thought and modern Western intellectual contexts. The podcast examines how Buddhist philosophy can be engaged by Western-trained philosophers, what it means to read Buddhism in secular or modern terms, and potential tensions or misunderstandings that arise in “Western Buddhism,” including questions about treating Buddhism as a kind of conceptual framework, narrative, or even fiction.
Another theme is Buddhist philosophy’s relationship to gender, embodiment, and feminist thought. Conversations address women’s engagement with Buddhist philosophy, women’s position within Buddhist histories and modern cultural contexts, and how Buddhist resources might intersect with existentialist and feminist struggles. The podcast also considers how Buddhist ideas can inform readings of Black feminist aesthetics, using the work of bell hooks as a point of philosophical engagement.
Overall, the episodes present Buddhist philosophy as an active field of inquiry—spanning interpretive debates, cross-cultural philosophy, and ethical-political questions—rather than only as doctrine or meditation instruction.
| Episodes: |
Episode 6 Can we make existential judgements?2021-Jan-15 42 minutes |
Episode 5 Buddhism and bell hooks2020-Jul-23 37 minutes |
Episode 4 How do women engage with Buddhist Philosophy?2020-Jul-10 47 minutes |
Episode 3 What’s wrong with Western Buddhism? with Glenn Wallis2020-Jul-02 90 minutes |
Episode 2 Engaging Buddhist Philosophy with Jay Garfield2020-Jun-24 less than a minute |
Episode 1 Why and How to Engage with Buddhist Philosophy2020-Jun-18 34 minutes |