There are two lectures in the Lingyin Lecture Series in Buddhist Studies for the Michaelmas term 2021
The first lecture is as follows
Meditation Sickness and the Ethics of Buddhist Studies
Dr. Pierce Salguero (Penn State University’s Abington College)
Date: November 22nd, 2021.
Time: 5:00 PM GMT
Venue: Zoom
Why does a certain percentage of people experience psychotic breaks or other adverse mental and physical side-effects from practicing meditation? Are these the symptoms of improper practice or an unavoidable part of spiritual cultivation? In either case, the phenomenon that centuries-old Buddhist texts called “meditation sickness” is now amply documented in contemporary scientific literature. Writings from medieval China not only identify the mental and physical symptoms that can arise in the course of meditation practice, but also explain why these pathologies arise and how they can be effectively treated. Might these materials contain important therapeutic information that is relevant for meditators today? The possibility is tantalizing, but we Buddhist studies scholars find ourselves in a predicament. We are the only people who can translate these premodern texts for contemporary audiences and interpret them in light of modern medical theories. But will our professional norms and disciplinary identities let us help?
Dr. Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary humanities scholar who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He holds a Ph.D. in History of Medicine from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2010), and teaches Asian history, medicine, and religion at Penn State University’s Abington College, located near Philadelphia.
The major theme in his scholarship is discovering the role of Buddhism in the global transmission and local reception of knowledge about health, disease, and the body. He approaches this topic using methodologies from history, religious studies, translation studies, and literary studies. More recently, He has gotten into ethnography and documentary filmmaking as well.
This lecture series is generously sponsored by Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou, China.
MT21 Lingyin lecture Pierce Salguero
The second lecture is as follows:
CHAN ISN’T JUST MEDITATION: Chan Master Hanyue’s Attitude toward Sutra Teachings in the Ming
Speaker: Prof. Yi-hsun Huang (Shanghai University, China)
Date: Monday, 29 November 2021
Time: 10 AM – 12:00 PM (UK time),
Venue: Online via Zoom.
This talk introduces Chan Master Hanyue’s 漢月 (1573–1635) attitude towards sūtra teachings in the late Ming by using a rare book, Hanyue’s Guiding Words on the Zhizheng zhuan. Hanyue represents a mature and confident attitude towards sūtra teachings on the part of a Chan master during this late stage of development in imperial China.
Prof. Yi-hsun Huang is a researcher of the Center for Chan Buddhism at Shanghai University, China. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and specializes in Chan and Pure Land Buddhism. She has published Rare Texts by Chan Master Hanyue in the Ming I, A Study of a Chan Dictionary: The Zuting Shiyuan, A Study of Chan Master Xuedou, and Integrating Chinese Buddhism: A Study of Yongming Yanshou’s Guanxin Xuanshu, as well as various articles in Chinese and English.
This lecture series is generously sponsored by Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou, China.
All are welcome. Attendance free. Advance registration required. For registration details please click on the link below to see the full poster.