Lectures & Events
Monday, December 14th - 12pm EST
Right Hearing: listening for and to survivors of sexual abuse in Buddhism
Abstract: Survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct in Buddhist contexts are routinely dismissed, vilified, and silenced when they attempt to speak out about their experience. However, their testimony is crucial for the project of understanding, preventing and responding to sexual abuse, because they are the experts on abuse dynamics. We can only fully learn how systems of power operate – that is, any institution, political structure, or hierarchical social arrangement – by listening to those upon whom power operates. Drawing on our upcoming book on sexual abuse in Buddhism, we identify the challenges that survivors have faced in naming the harm done to them with a particular focus on ways in which Buddhist doctrines and practices have made it harder for their voices to be heard. We call attention to how neutral doctrines are more likely to be used in the service of power in systems marked by gendered hierarchies, as well as to the ways in which certain Buddhist doctrines and practices can be abuse-prone or easily weaponized to enable abuse. We also highlight the ways in Buddhist abuse survivors have begun to offer alternative doctrinal interpretations and practices in response to the problem of sexual abuse.
Cost is $40, sliding scale available. Use code EBHEARING for 60% off before November 20th.
Ann Gleig, PhD, is a Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. Her research specialty is Buddhism in America. Her publications include American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity (Yale University Press 2019) and Talking About Cults: Abuse and the Study of New Religious Movements (The University of Georgia Press, 2026). With Amy Langenberg, she has cowritten a book on sexual abuse in Buddhism which will be published by Yale University Press.
Amy Langenberg, PhD is a Professor of Religious Studies at Eckerd College. She is a specialist in South Asian Buddhism and women, gender, and sexuality in Buddhism. She is the author of Birth in Buddhism: The Suffering Freedom and Female Freedom (Routledge 2017) and and has published articles in leading peer-reviewed publications such as the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, History of Religions, Numen, and Religion Compass. Her most recent project is a co-written book with Ann Gleig on sexual abuse in Buddhist communities (forthcoming, Yale University Press).
Friday, October 2nd - 11am EDT
Can We Develop a Multidimensional Science of Meditation?
Abstract: Over the past century, we have witnessed the rise of therapeutic meditation practices such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Transcendental Meditation, developed to alleviate the pressures of modern life and enhance wellbeing. However, the scientific focus on wellbeing and self-enhancement has constrained our understanding of the remarkable diversity of meditation practices, their varied aims, and their potential risks.
In this talk I explore how to develop a multidimensional science of meditation that encompasses the diversity of practices and goals, as well as the systematic mapping of nonordinary states of consciousness, including both beneficial and adverse effects. I conclude by reflecting on the underlying beliefs about the power of meditation and argue for the importance of expanding research beyond a narrow focus on wellbeing and self-enhancement.
Cost is $40, sliding scale available. Use code EBSCIENCE for 60% off before September 16th.
Learning objectives:
Participants will be able to articulate the different aims of religious-based versus secular therapeutic techniques.
Participants will be able to describe the key beliefs people today hold about the power of mindfulness practices.
Participants will be able to understand how a multidimensional science of meditation can broaden our perspective on meditation and the study of consciousness.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit.
Miguel Farias, PhD,is the lead editor of The Oxford Handbook of Meditation (2021/2025) and the co-author of The Buddha Pill: Can Meditation Change You? (2015/2019). He directs the Brain, Belief, and Behaviour Lab at Coventry University and lectures on the science and history of meditation at the University of Oxford. He has written on meditation for the BBC, New Scientist, and The Spectator. Learn more about Dr. Farias and his work at miguelfarias.co.uk.
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Questions:
email cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com to learn more.
