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Profs and Pints Philadelphia presents: “Horror in the East,” a look at truly frightening Buddhist beliefs and rituals, with Justin McDaniel, professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, founder of the Penn Ghost Project, and former Buddhist monk.
[Venue opens for happy hour for talk attendees at 5 pm. Talk begins at 7 pm.]
Get yourself in the Halloween spirit with the help of Profs and Pints, a social enterprise that stages great talks by scholars of all sorts—including those who specialize in spooky subject matter.
Now back in full swing in cities throughout the nation, Profs and Pints is reviving talks in Philadelphia with the help of the Black Squirrel Club, a cool new performing arts space located in a former 1890s steam plant in Fishtown. To celebrate its return Profs and Pints is bringing to the stage one of its most fascinating speakers, Professor Justin McDaniel, a former Buddhist monk whose teachings about macabre Eastern beliefs and practices are sure to expand your horizons when it comes to horror.
Westerners often regard Buddhism as a religion of peace, meditation, and compassion. While this is often true, it ignores the horrific and phantasmagoric side of many Buddhist rituals and beliefs. Those include practices such as meditating on corpses, strolling through giant Hell Gardens filled with terrifying images, and telling stories about haunting and highly sexualized ghosts. It’s no wonder that Buddhist countries produce some of the most violent horror films in the world.
Professor McDaniel will give an entertaining and highly visual talk looking at the ways in which Buddhists in Japan, Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Singapore, and other places embrace the macabre. You’ll leave with a much richer understanding of Buddhism and the cultures and worldviews that gave rise to horror movies that can scare the wits out of you.
Dr. McDaniel has lived a life that gives him distinct expertise on this subject matter. He has published award-winning books on meditation, ghosts, and Buddhist literature, studies Buddhist art, and translates Buddhist manuscripts. He lived for many years in Southeast Asia, where he conducted research as a Fulbright Fellow, taught and translated, and became a Buddhist monk. He also has regularly given cemetery tours and founded the Penn Ghost Project, an interdisciplinary effort to study beliefs in spirits from the beyond. At Penn he has long waiting lists for his courses such as “Living Deliberately” and “Existential Despair,” and he taught the online course “Gods, Ghosts, and Monsters.”
His talk will give you a much richer perspective on things that go bump in the night. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: Punishment depicted in the hell garden at Aluvihara Rock Cave Temple in Sri Lanka. (Photo by istolethetv/ Creative Commons.)
