“Portrait of a Poison: Datura in Buddhist Magic,” by Samuel M. Grimes, University of California, Berkeley Abstract: The psychoactive plant Datura metel appears across a range of traditions in premodern South Asia preserved in texts. Among those traditions is the form of tantric Buddhism (Vajrayāna) located in the yoginī tantras. In Vajrayāna works, the plant…
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Contemplation in Africana Traditions with guest editors Oludamini Ogunnaike (University of Virginia), Georgette Mulunda Ledgister (Harvard Divinity School), and Funlayo E. Wood (Harvard University). The African continent and diaspora have a rich heritage and strong contemporary practice of…
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Philosophy and Contemplation in Tantric Buddhism with guest editor Yaroslav Komarovski (University of Nebraska – Lincoln). This JCS Special Issue gives attention to intersections and relationships between philosophical and contemplative dimensions of Buddhist tantric traditions. While Buddhist philosophy and tantric…
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a call for papers for a Special Issue devoted to Contemplative Ecology with guest editors Douglas Christie (Loyola Marymount University), Simone Kotva (Cambridge University), Ariel Evan Mayse (Stanford University), and Devin Zuckerman (University of Virginia). The guest editors of this Special Issue recognize that the world is in…
The JCS Editors invite proposals to guest edit a Special Issue by filling-in the Special Issue Proposal Form via the Submissions page. JCS Special Issues invite and collate select articles on a coherent theme that collectively contribute to Contemplative Studies. See details on the Special Issues page. Each Special Issue is curated by one to…
The JCS Editors are delighted to announce a forthcoming Special Issue dedicated to exploring the tensions and transitions between mindful practices and embodied critical thinking. By guest editors Donata Schoeller, Sigridur Thorgeirsdottir, and Greg Walkerden. This Special Issue explores embodied approaches to critical, analytic, and systematic thinking in dialogue with meditation practices. We focus specifically…
The editors are delighted to announce a Special Issue dedicated to the intersections of psychedelics, contemplation, and religion by guest editors Daniel A. Hirshberg and Stuart Ray Sarbacker: Psychedelics are now enjoying a resurgence of both popular and scientific interest due to the rigorous documentation of their therapeutic potential. While psychedelics induce short-term alterations of…
On behalf of the Executive Board, we are thrilled to announce that the Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS) is open for submissions. The Journal of Contemplative Studies is a peer-reviewed, open access digital journal published by the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. The journal publishes original research and scholarship on topics related…
End of content
End of content