Medicine, health, and healing have been central to Buddhism since its origins.
Long before the global popularity of mindfulness and meditation, Buddhism provided cultures around the world with conceptual tools to understand illness as well as a range of therapies and interventions for care of the sick. Today, Buddhist traditions, healers, and institutions continue to exert a tangible influence on medical care in societies both inside and outside Asia, including in the areas of mental health, biomedicine, and even in responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the global history of the relationship between Buddhism and medicine remains largely untold. Pierce Salguero, author of A Global History of Buddhism and Medicine(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) and co-editor of the new Buddhism and Healing in the Modern World(Link is external) (Link opens in new window), will discuss the interplay of Buddhism, medicine and healing with CCSR Graduate Fellow Liya Xie.
This event is part of the Religion and the Public Conversation series.