Dr. Sean Hillman discusses caregiving work and his research on end-of-life care in India through the lenses of religious studies, bioethics and the law. He talks about how religious views affect end-of-life decision-making of patients, families and health care professionals; issues around blocking disclosure of bad news in sharing of sensitive medical information; ritual fasting and immobilization at the end of life; and attitudes towards end-of-life care, including pain management, hospice palliative care and assistance in dying. Dr. Hillman is a clinical bioethicist with the Centre for Clinical Ethics (CCE), a consultant organization based at Unity Health Toronto and contracted to seven institutions in Ontario. He also is a Buddhist Corrections Chaplain for two facilities in the Kingston region. Dr. Hillman was a bedside caregiver in hospital for almost two decades and did a year-long fellowship in Clinical and Organizational Bioethics also at the CCE. A medical anthropologist and textualist, he has a doctorate in religion, bioethics, and south Asian studies from the University of Toronto. A scholar of Asian philosophies and languages for almost thirty years, Dr. Hillman has spent five years living, studying and researching in India. His current research projects are on maximizing decisional participation by those who might have mental capacity interferences, and on how to better understand why families may request aggressive medical management for their loved-ones despite a poor prognosis (including religious logic such as vitalism, non-harm and filial piety). Dr. Hillman is a member of Durham Family Resources community advisory committee for their “recognizing capacity” pilot project which advocates for increased inclusion of those with intellectual, cognitive or communication challenges and for including supported decision making in Ontario healthcare law.

As psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies march towards likely legality for therapeutic purposes, we may ask  how Buddhism and psychedelics intersect. In this episode, Kerry Helston explores some challenges and opportunities as well as the existing legacy of Buddhism and psychedelics in the West, with reference to current science and academic literature as well as personal experiences.  Resources mentioned: Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America by Douglas Osto LSD and the Mind of the Universe by Christopher M. Bache  Secret Drugs of Buddhism: Psychedelic Sacraments and the Origins of the Vajrayana by Mike Crowley “Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat” “Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness” Chacruna Religion & Psychedelics Forum Kerry Helston is a University of Toronto graduate student in psychotherapy and spiritual care. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.

A conversation with Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim on her ground-breaking 2021 book, ReOrienting Histories of Medicine: Encounters along the Silk Roads. Ronit's research on Eurasian medical history illuminates cross-cultural interactions and transmissions of knowledge, drawing on medieval manuscripts from Dunhuang, Kucha, the Cairo Genizah and Tabriz. See more about this book at https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/reorienting-histories-of-medicine-9781472512574/ . The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/ .

A conversation with Pierce Salguero on his 2022 book, A Global History of Buddhism and Medicine. Pierce explains what it means to talk about "Buddhist medicine", how medical texts and healing practices interact, and how Buddhism and its healing practices change over time and across geographic regions. He emphasizes how the deep importance of Buddhism has been neglected in our understanding of medical practices globally, and stresses the value of transdisciplinary collaboration and conversation. See more about this book at http://cup.columbia.edu/book/a-global-history-of-buddhism-and-medicine/9780231185271. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/ .

A conversation about Buddhist spiritual care work with Joanne Yuasa, a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist minister who is also in training to be a military chaplain. Joanne talks about how she came to Buddhism as an adult, and about her experiences with social anxiety disorder. Karl, Wini, and Joanne share their experiences of engaging with Buddhist practice in moments of suffering and distress. They also talk about working in hospital clinics as Buddhist care providers, and about the role of practices like deep listening and chanting mantras. All three speakers have gone through Emmanual College’s Buddhist chaplaincy program – Emmanual College is located in Toronto. Karl and Wini are just completing their Master of Pastoral Studies, focusing on Buddhist spiritual care, and Joanne Yuasa completed that program recently. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.

Thinley Gyatso discusses the use of mantras in Tibetan medical practice. He describes early medical texts that address how mantras are used as healing tools, and reports on conversations with Tibetan medical doctors who use mantra recitation in their medical practice. Thinley describes how mantra recitation as a form speech or sound therapy and a type of breathing practice. Thinley’s research brings forth the multidimensional impact that mantras can have in Buddhist practices of healing. Thinley Gyatso is a University of Toronto doctoral student in Buddhist Studies. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.

Jonathan Morgan examines the role of the demonic in Buddhism, with a focus on Tibetan perspectives. He looks into how animistic traditions, such as Tibetan Bon, co-exist with Buddhism, and he asks: are demons inherently evil in the way that some Euro-North American cultures understand them, or are they more ubiquitous and even intimately familiar to people? Do demons teach us anything about ourselves or the nature of the world we inhabit? Can demons even help us to heal? Jonathan Morgan is a University of Toronto graduate student in psychotherapy and spiritual care. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.

An interview by Uvina Persaud with Buddhist minister Joanne Yuasa about her student practicum work in a hospital palliative care unit, and about how her own sensibilities about death and dying have changed through this training. Uvina Persaud is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada. See more at https://buddhist-studies-footnotes.castos.com/.

An interview by Sumeet Kumar with Buddhist monk Adesh on the role of mindfulness in healing. Bhante Adesh shares insights on the role of a monk in Buddhist spiritual care, on the differences between healing practices in Buddhism and biomedicine, and on his work with people experiencing advanced life-limiting illnesses. He also talks about the importance of deeply listening to others as the first step in working as a healer, and on the role of mindfulness in healing. Sumeet Kumar is an MA student at the University of Toronto. The Footnotes series is produced at the University of Toronto, in Canada.

A reading guide by Frances Garrett for the article, "Sex and Sexuality in Buddhism: A Tetralemma.", by Amy Langenberg, published in 2015 in Religion Compass, 9: 277– 286. This episode of Footnotes was produced by Frances Garrett, with sound editing by Jesse Whitty. The show’s music is “Like Pebbles in a Stream" by Fabio Rambelli and Rory Lindsay and "Not Tired Bells" by Daniel Birch. The Footnotes series is created at the University of Toronto, in Canada, with support from eCampus Ontario.