BONUS: "Buddhish" and "Buddhist Medicine," with Pierce Salguero (rebroadcasted from the Imperfect Buddha Podcast)

Blue Beryl

We'll periodically be sharing a bonus episode outside of our usual monthly schedule. This time, we're rebroadcasting an interview with me that aired on the Imperfect Buddha Podcast in late 2022. Host Matthew O'Connell asks me about my two recent publications, Buddhish and A Global History of Buddhist Medicine. In the first half of our conversation, we talk about why I'm not a Buddhist despite all of the value I've gotten out of the tradition, as well as Buddhism's fundamental commitment to a progressive path-based model. In the second half, we get into how Buddhism has advocated a multi-perspectival approach to health and wellbeing that combines diverse paradigms of healing, even when they seem to contract one another. Along the way, you'll hear about why I think the concept of non-self isn't a good fit for college students and how to balance critique with engagement in the classroom.
Enjoy, and please subscribe so that you do not miss any episodes in the future!
Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Pierce Salguero, Buddhish: A Guide to the 20 Most Important Buddhist Ideas for the Curious and Skeptical (2022)
• Pierce Salguero, A Global History of Buddhism and Medicine (2022)
• Pierce's blog on pedagogy
• The Imperfect Buddha Podcast by Matthew O'Connell.