New Books in Buddhist Studies

The Perils of Tantra, with Susannah Deane


Listen Later

Today, host Prof. Pierce Salguero sits 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 profile
        • Become 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 “For 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
            • Pierce Salguero is a transdisciplinary scholar of health humanities who is fascinated by historical and contemporary intersections between Buddhism, medicine, and crosscultural exchange. He has 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. www.piercesalguero.com.

              Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

              Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

              ...more
              View all episodesView all episodes
              Download on the App Store

              New Books in Buddhist StudiesBy Marshall Poe

              • 4.3
              • 4.3
              • 4.3
              • 4.3
              • 4.3

              4.3

              31 ratings


              More shows like New Books in Buddhist Studies

              View all
              Ideas by CBC

              Ideas

              373 Listeners

              99% Invisible by Roman Mars

              99% Invisible

              26,193 Listeners

              New Books in Psychoanalysis by Marshall Poe

              New Books in Psychoanalysis

              190 Listeners

              Philosophize This! by Stephen West

              Philosophize This!

              15,180 Listeners

              Tricycle Talks by Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

              Tricycle Talks

              359 Listeners

              Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

              Making Sense with Sam Harris

              26,367 Listeners

              Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein by Be Here Now Network

              Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

              941 Listeners

              The Wisdom Podcast by The Wisdom Podcast

              The Wisdom Podcast

              326 Listeners

              Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson

              Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

              2,506 Listeners

              Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff

              Team Human

              368 Listeners

              Deconstructing Yourself by Michael W. Taft

              Deconstructing Yourself

              392 Listeners

              Within Reason by Alex J O'Connor

              Within Reason

              1,598 Listeners

              Your Undivided Attention by The Center for Humane Technology, Tristan Harris, Daniel Barcay and Aza Raskin

              Your Undivided Attention

              1,562 Listeners

              Mind & Life by Mind & Life Institute

              Mind & Life

              280 Listeners

              The Way Out Is In by Plum Village

              The Way Out Is In

              1,328 Listeners