Aug. 30, 2026
Karma, rebirth, and Buddhist cosmology | Roger R. Jackson, PhD
đ Read the book: Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World by Roger R. Jackson
https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9781611809022
Browse all books by Thresholds guests:
https://bookshop.org/lists/thresholds-of-consciousness-book-list
I link to Bookshop.org rather than Amazon because purchases there support independent bookstores. I'm a Bookshop affiliate, so a small commission from your purchase also helps sustain this show, at no extra cost to you.
Karma and rebirth are central to the Buddhist worldview. In this conversation, I sit down with Roger R. Jackson, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion at Carleton College and author of Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World, to trace these ideas from their roots in Vedic ritual through the Buddha's rework of Indian cosmology, and into the four paradigms Buddhists use to relate to rebirth today: literalism, neo-traditionalism, modernism, and secularism.
We talk about:
How a post office job in 1970s Oakland financed a life-changing trip to Nepal
The shift from ritual karma to ethical karma, and what makes an act "heavy"
Why the Buddha's teaching of no-self doesn't rule out rebirth, and what actually carries forward
Whether Buddhist cosmology leaves room for free will
Translating dukkha as "suffering" vs. "anxiety"
The ThurmanâBatchelor debate over whether Buddhism requires literal rebirth
About Roger R. Jackson, PhD
Roger R. Jackson is Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion at Carleton College, with nearly 50 years of experience studying and practicing Buddhism, particularly in the Tibetan tradition. He is the author of several books, including Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World (Shambhala, 2022), Mind Seeing Mind: MahÄmudrÄ and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (2019), and Is Enlightenment Possible? (1993).
Rebirth book link: https://www.shambhala.com/rebirth.html
Shambhala author page : https://www.shambhala.com/authors/g-n/roger-r-jackson.html
00:00 Journey to Asia and the post office job that funded it
04:38 Studying at Wisconsin â and the line that started it all: "Mind is beginningless"
07:32 From dissertation to book: proving rebirth and writing an introduction
13:51 Who this book is for â and Buddhist cosmology 101
18:02 The Four Noble Truths as "good news"
19:14 From Vedic ritual to Upanishadic rebirth
26:51 The Buddha's turn: no-self and the ethicization of karma
33:44 Karma as volition â and how its weight is measured
42:31 Buddhism meets the modern West: colonialism and reinterpretation
48:12 Buddhism arrives in America: Transcendentalists to the 1893 Parliament
53:01 D.T. Suzuki, the Beats, and postwar American Buddhism
55:07 Paradigm one: literalism
57:27 Buddhist dualism and the puzzle of no-self rebirth
1:05:07 Neo-traditionalism and modernism (Thurman, Wallace, Batchelor)
1:10:11 Secularism, Ambedkar's critique, and the fatalism debate
1:17:50 Free will in Buddhist and Indic philosophy
1:22:10 Dukkha: suffering or anxiety?
1:23:25 Can you be Buddhist without literal rebirth? The ThurmanâBatchelor debate
1:27:08 What's next: the Beats, Tsongkhapa, and AI translation
Music: Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: OWNYDWAA0LEPCBU0
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Thresholds of Consciousness is a production of Madrone Hollow Productions
© 2026 Scott Menasco
All rights reserved.
scottmenasco.com
*The content presented on this channel is intended for educational, informational, and reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment, diagnosis, or professional advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host*
https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9781611809022
Browse all books by Thresholds guests:
https://bookshop.org/lists/thresholds-of-consciousness-book-list
I link to Bookshop.org rather than Amazon because purchases there support independent bookstores. I'm a Bookshop affiliate, so a small commission from your purchase also helps sustain this show, at no extra cost to you.
Karma and rebirth are central to the Buddhist worldview. In this conversation, I sit down with Roger R. Jackson, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion at Carleton College and author of Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World, to trace these ideas from their roots in Vedic ritual through the Buddha's rework of Indian cosmology, and into the four paradigms Buddhists use to relate to rebirth today: literalism, neo-traditionalism, modernism, and secularism.
We talk about:
How a post office job in 1970s Oakland financed a life-changing trip to Nepal
The shift from ritual karma to ethical karma, and what makes an act "heavy"
Why the Buddha's teaching of no-self doesn't rule out rebirth, and what actually carries forward
Whether Buddhist cosmology leaves room for free will
Translating dukkha as "suffering" vs. "anxiety"
The ThurmanâBatchelor debate over whether Buddhism requires literal rebirth
About Roger R. Jackson, PhD
Roger R. Jackson is Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion at Carleton College, with nearly 50 years of experience studying and practicing Buddhism, particularly in the Tibetan tradition. He is the author of several books, including Rebirth: A Guide to Mind, Karma, and Cosmos in the Buddhist World (Shambhala, 2022), Mind Seeing Mind: MahÄmudrÄ and the Geluk Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (2019), and Is Enlightenment Possible? (1993).
Rebirth book link: https://www.shambhala.com/rebirth.html
Shambhala author page : https://www.shambhala.com/authors/g-n/roger-r-jackson.html
00:00 Journey to Asia and the post office job that funded it
04:38 Studying at Wisconsin â and the line that started it all: "Mind is beginningless"
07:32 From dissertation to book: proving rebirth and writing an introduction
13:51 Who this book is for â and Buddhist cosmology 101
18:02 The Four Noble Truths as "good news"
19:14 From Vedic ritual to Upanishadic rebirth
26:51 The Buddha's turn: no-self and the ethicization of karma
33:44 Karma as volition â and how its weight is measured
42:31 Buddhism meets the modern West: colonialism and reinterpretation
48:12 Buddhism arrives in America: Transcendentalists to the 1893 Parliament
53:01 D.T. Suzuki, the Beats, and postwar American Buddhism
55:07 Paradigm one: literalism
57:27 Buddhist dualism and the puzzle of no-self rebirth
1:05:07 Neo-traditionalism and modernism (Thurman, Wallace, Batchelor)
1:10:11 Secularism, Ambedkar's critique, and the fatalism debate
1:17:50 Free will in Buddhist and Indic philosophy
1:22:10 Dukkha: suffering or anxiety?
1:23:25 Can you be Buddhist without literal rebirth? The ThurmanâBatchelor debate
1:27:08 What's next: the Beats, Tsongkhapa, and AI translation
Music: Bensound.com/free-music-for-videos
License code: OWNYDWAA0LEPCBU0
Artist: : Yunior Arronte
Thresholds of Consciousness is a production of Madrone Hollow Productions
© 2026 Scott Menasco
All rights reserved.
scottmenasco.com
*The content presented on this channel is intended for educational, informational, and reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment, diagnosis, or professional advice. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host*