Oct. 27, 2026
Tantra across the Buddhist cosmopolis | Richard K. Payne, PhD
đź“š Read the book: Tantra Across the Buddhist Cosmopolis by Richard K. Payne
https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9780195368475
Browse 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.
Richard K. Payne is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley and an ordained Shingon priest. In this conversation he talks about how he came to Buddhist studies, from growing up near the Japanese American community in the South Bay to training on Mount KĹŤya while researching the tantric fire ritual, or homa, which became the center of his scholarly career.
From there we turn to his new book, Tantra Across the Buddhist Cosmopolis, and the questions it raises about how religion gets studied. Payne argues that ritual comes before the doctrines used to explain it, possibly reaching back to the earliest human work of keeping a fire alive. He describes practice and doctrine as two semi-autonomous systems rather than belief dictating behavior. He also makes the case that Buddhism spread through multidirectional networks of monks, merchants, and pilgrims, not one-way arrows on a map, and that tantric Buddhism was once widespread across Southeast Asia, where Atisha spent as many years studying as he later spent in Tibet.
We also discuss why tantra can’t be neatly defined, his alternative approach of context, use, and designation, and what “transgressive” really means. We close with how Buddhism reached the West already framed as psychology, and what that framing leaves out: the body, the social world, and the idea that the Buddha mind is not confined to the meditation cushion.
Richard's webpage: https://rkpayne.wordpress.com
Some other books authored or edited by Richard:
Oxford Encyclopedia of Buddhism: https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9780190256890
Language in the Buddhist Tantra of Japan: https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9781350152090
0:00 Cold open
0:44 Introduction
1:46 From philosophy to Buddhist studies
3:53 Early exposure to Japanese Buddhism
6:52 Wrathful deities, Jung, and Tibetan Buddhism
8:47 Training as a Shingon priest on Mount KĹŤya
12:53 The fire ritual
18:37 Buddhism beyond silent meditation
24:04 Fire maintenance and the origins of ritual
32:54 Practice, doctrine, and why he wrote the book
39:33 Lived Buddhism and domestic dharma
47:47 The Buddha mind pervades the world
50:12 Beyond nations and regions
56:04 Networks, not one-way arrows
57:53 Tantra in Southeast Asia and Atisha in Sumatra
1:09:42 Why tantra resists definition
1:19:19 Context, use, and designation
1:24:49 Living with fuzzy categories
1:29:00 Where tantra begins
1:30:18 Transgressive against what?
1:38:15 Mantra and hearing the teachings
1:46:04 Buddhism reframed as psychology
1:47:16 Internalizing ritual in the body
1:51:07 Buddhism came West already psychologized
1:54:43 The idea of sudden transformation
1:57:07 What he's working on now
2:00:52 Closing
Music I Use: https://www.bensound.com
License code: OSCKP8NKY3N0Z1ZJ, S3BXUBRELUXR8R8Z
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/130680/9780195368475
Browse 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.
Richard K. Payne is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley and an ordained Shingon priest. In this conversation he talks about how he came to Buddhist studies, from growing up near the Japanese American community in the South Bay to training on Mount KĹŤya while researching the tantric fire ritual, or homa, which became the center of his scholarly career.
From there we turn to his new book, Tantra Across the Buddhist Cosmopolis, and the questions it raises about how religion gets studied. Payne argues that ritual comes before the doctrines used to explain it, possibly reaching back to the earliest human work of keeping a fire alive. He describes practice and doctrine as two semi-autonomous systems rather than belief dictating behavior. He also makes the case that Buddhism spread through multidirectional networks of monks, merchants, and pilgrims, not one-way arrows on a map, and that tantric Buddhism was once widespread across Southeast Asia, where Atisha spent as many years studying as he later spent in Tibet.
We also discuss why tantra can’t be neatly defined, his alternative approach of context, use, and designation, and what “transgressive” really means. We close with how Buddhism reached the West already framed as psychology, and what that framing leaves out: the body, the social world, and the idea that the Buddha mind is not confined to the meditation cushion.
Richard's webpage: https://rkpayne.wordpress.com
Some other books authored or edited by Richard:
Oxford Encyclopedia of Buddhism: https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9780190256890
Language in the Buddhist Tantra of Japan: https://bookshop.org/a/130680/9781350152090
0:00 Cold open
0:44 Introduction
1:46 From philosophy to Buddhist studies
3:53 Early exposure to Japanese Buddhism
6:52 Wrathful deities, Jung, and Tibetan Buddhism
8:47 Training as a Shingon priest on Mount KĹŤya
12:53 The fire ritual
18:37 Buddhism beyond silent meditation
24:04 Fire maintenance and the origins of ritual
32:54 Practice, doctrine, and why he wrote the book
39:33 Lived Buddhism and domestic dharma
47:47 The Buddha mind pervades the world
50:12 Beyond nations and regions
56:04 Networks, not one-way arrows
57:53 Tantra in Southeast Asia and Atisha in Sumatra
1:09:42 Why tantra resists definition
1:19:19 Context, use, and designation
1:24:49 Living with fuzzy categories
1:29:00 Where tantra begins
1:30:18 Transgressive against what?
1:38:15 Mantra and hearing the teachings
1:46:04 Buddhism reframed as psychology
1:47:16 Internalizing ritual in the body
1:51:07 Buddhism came West already psychologized
1:54:43 The idea of sudden transformation
1:57:07 What he's working on now
2:00:52 Closing
Music I Use: https://www.bensound.com
License code: OSCKP8NKY3N0Z1ZJ, S3BXUBRELUXR8R8Z
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*