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Published on:

2nd Jul 2025

Required Readings: Buddhism - A Journey Through History

In this episode of "Decoding Academia: Required Readings", Chris and Matt take a joint stroll through the history of Buddhism through Donald S. Lopez Jr.'s latest book, 'Buddhism: A Journey Through History.' We discuss the unexpected historical and cultural facets of Buddhism, how modern interpretations can often romanticise ancient practices, and whether Matt's mind has been blown. We also consider important issues like the Buddha's retractable penis, incredibly long tongue, and just how strongly we should condemn monks scribbling pictures of their would-be brides. So join us in the cycle of samsara as we strive to earn some merit and at least crawl a little closer to enlightenment.

Book Reviewed

  • Lopez, D. S. (2025). Buddhism: A Journey through History. Yale University Press.

Required Readings - Buddhism A Journey Through History

00:00 Introduction to Decoding Academia

01:51 Current Book Selection: Buddhism a Journey Through History

02:56 Initial Impressions and Apologies

06:00 Buddhism's Complexities and Contradictions

07:59 Western Perceptions vs. Historical Realities

11:27 The Historical Buddha?

17:09 Buddhist Approaches to Texts

22:09 Comparisons with Other Religions

26:38 Orthopraxic Buddhism

29:53 Petty Buddhism

34:20 Matt's Religion Hot Take

37:17 Ashoka: The Buddhist King?

39:02 Buddhism's Syncretic Nature

39:35 The Syncretic Approach

42:49 Anti-Colonial Buddhism

43:44 Buddhist Modernism and Science

46:58 The Buddhist Canon

51:26 Matt's History Thoughts

53:06 Buddhism's Cultural and Social Role

55:55 Gods and Supernatural Beings

56:48 The Attitude towards Women

59:36 The Value of Buddhism

01:03:35 Religions as Cultural Technologies with Social Functions

01:05:54 Monastic Issues

01:12:51 Religious Motivations

01:14:38 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 17 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

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About the Podcast

Decoding the Gurus
A psychologist and an anthropologist try to make sense of the world's greatest self-declared Gurus.
An exiled Northern Irish anthropologist and a hitchhiking Australian psychologist take a close look at the contemporary crop of 'secular gurus', iconoclasts, and other exiles from the mainstream, offering their own brands of unique takes and special insights.

Leveraging two of the most diverse accents in modern podcasting, Chris and Matt dig deep into the claims, peek behind the psychological curtains, and try to figure out once and for all... What's it all About?

Join us, as we try to puzzle our way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur?

Join us and let's find out!
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About your hosts

Christopher Kavanagh

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A Northern Irish cognitive anthropologist who occasionally moonlights as a social psychologist. Chris has long standing interests in the psychology of conspiracy theorists and pseudoscience. His academic research focuses on the Cognitive Science of Religion and ritual psychology. He lives happily in Japan with his family.

Matthew Browne

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An Australian psychologist and numbers-guy. He does research on all kinds of stuff, but particularly enjoys looking into why people believe the things they do: religion, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine and stuff. He's into social media in the same way people slow down for car accidents.