Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network – New Books in Buddhist Studies
Host: Juliang (Case Western Reserve University)
Guests: Megan Bryson (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Kevin Bucklew (Northwestern University)
Book Discussed: Buddhist Masculinities (Columbia University Press, 2023), edited by Megan Bryson & Kevin Bucklew
Date: January 2, 2026

This episode explores the newly published edited volume Buddhist Masculinities, a cross-disciplinary collection analyzing constructions, models, and critiques of masculinity in Buddhist contexts. Bryson and Bucklew discuss the origins of the project, the importance and promise of Buddhist masculinity as a field, editorial choices, key insights from volume contributors, and directions for further scholarship.

1. Origins and Intellectual Trajectories

Guests' Academic Journeys & Motivation

• Both scholars trace their interest in Buddhism to undergraduate experiences, each being drawn in by gender dynamics within the tradition.
• Bryson: Describes herself as initially attracted to Buddhism's reputation as "progressive," but was struck by its embedded misogynistic ideas upon deeper study. Her first major project was on the "Blood Pond Hell" and its relation to gendered karmic retribution.

  “These questions about how Buddhism navigates issues of gender have been with me from the beginning of my academic journey… eventually coming to masculinities was a natural evolution of these interests.” (Megan Bryson, 05:18)

• Bucklew: Introduced to Chan Buddhism by influential teachers, then shaped by research and coursework in gender and Buddhism. Exposure to pivotal scholarship on women and gender in Buddhist traditions led him to analyze gendered rhetoric in Chan, integrating discussions on masculinity into both his dissertation and current research.

  “Masculinity has ended up figuring into my dissertation and now my book manuscript project and my chapter in this volume.” (Kevin Bucklew, 06:49)

Origins of the Volume

• The project began as a 2013 American Academy of Religion panel (organized by Gina Cogan), with only some panelists ultimately contributing to the book.
• After years of pausing and recruiting further contributions—including from up-and-coming scholars and across disciplines—the editorial team expanded.
• The process, though slowed by normal academic timelines and the pandemic, was "fairly speedy" given these constraints.

2. Why Masculinities? Why Now?

The Need for Buddhist Masculinities Studies

• Scholars have historically equated the study of "gender" with the study of women; men and masculinity have typically appeared unmarked or universal.

  “If gender only ever means women… then I think there’s just this huge field of study that remains really invisible.” (Megan Bryson, 16:15)

• The invisibility and presumed naturalness of hegemonic masculinity require critical examination—paralleling critiques in gender studies and critical race theory about the unmarked status of socially dominant identities.
• Feminist theory provides inspiration, especially Joan Scott’s argument that studying gender requires deconstructing and rebuilding the very foundations of our knowledge.

  “[This book shows] ways of engaging with gender beyond the feminine and beyond women… these majority or hegemonic identities are also constructed, even if part of their status is cloaking themselves in this veil of invisibility.” (Bryson, 16:34)

• The editors consciously chose a capacious, inclusive approach to "Buddhism" to avoid delimiting the field or "gatekeeping."

Masculinities in Buddhist Contexts

• Masculinities are ever-present and explicitly discussed within Buddhist sources—even if often ignored by modern scholars.
• In Chan literature, terms like "great man" (Da Zhang Fu) are primary monastic ideals directly tied to gendered identities.

  “Virtually never do studies of Buddhist men take gender as any part of their world.” (Kevin Bucklew, 18:31)

3. Editorial Process and Disciplinary Range

Curatorial Choices and Challenges

• The volume evolved as contributors shifted; adaptability was required as availability and content changed.
• A notable achievement is the diversity of contributors—career-wise and disciplinarily (including art historians, media scholars, religious studies, and more).

  “Buddhist masculinity is such a broad topic… this type of book can only be considered sort of an opening gesture toward a field that hasn’t come into being.” (Kevin Bucklew, 14:08)

Definition of Buddhism and Masculinity

• The editors adopted an inclusive approach, expanding both disciplinary scope and the definition of what "counts" as Buddhist.
• Their aim is to foster a field that welcomes understudied contexts, materials, and theoretical perspectives.

4. Structure of Buddhist Masculinities & Highlights

Book Organization

• Four sections structure the book’s journey through Buddhist masculinities:
  1. Masculine Models (normative frameworks)
  2. Mighty Masters (masculine power/display)
  3. Making Men (formation of masculine personhood)
  4. Breaking Boundaries (transgression/challenge of norms)

Noteworthy Chapters & Themes

• Kevin Bucklew’s Chapter (on Chan Buddhism): Explores "great man" as an ideal, revealing how martial masculinity and military language pervade the construction of the Chan master.

  “One of the arguments… is that martial masculinity and military language… are used in the context of talking to each other, [Chan] men to say, here’s how you should be a man and Chan master.” (Bucklew, 18:51)

• Rebecca Mendelsohn's Chapter (modern Japanese Rinzai Zen lay Buddhism): Shows how similar masculinities become part of Japanese nation-building.
• Marcus Evans’s Chapter (Afro-Asian masculinities in RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists): Demonstrates how martial-Chan ideals are globalized, adapted, and used to empower Black protagonists in contemporary media.

  “I was amazed to see the ways that martial masculinity… crop up over and over again in all these very different contexts.” (Bucklew, 27:31)

• Joshua Braylor Shelton’s Chapter: Uses gender theory to highlight how the tantric siddha Padmasambhava supplants kingly masculinity with a new spiritual ideal.

  “Highlighting how… stories about Padmasambhava are displacing the kingly model of Buddhist masculinity with this new siddha model, such that the siddha humiliates the king…” (Bryson, 29:20)

• Song Geng & Amy Langenberg: Address the fluidity and contestation of masculinity in East Asian pop culture (e.g., Journey to the West) and Dharma traditions.
• Desi Vandova’s Chapter: Examines visual representations of the Buddha’s body, exploring the aesthetics of "middle way" masculinity vs. royal or ascetic archetypes.

5. Key Insights: Multiplicity and Contradiction

No Monolithic Masculinity

• Across the book, masculinities are multiple, situational, and often in tension even within the same tradition or source.

• New models displace older ones; e.g., Padmasambhava’s siddha masculinity challenges and "humiliates" the kingly model.

• Ideals compete: monastic/ascetic, martial, lay/householder, tantric, and more, each dialoguing with historical and cultural contexts (e.g., Hindu, Confucian, Daoist, local secular).

  “It's not like there’s just one Buddhist masculinity even within a particular context… the coherence of each masculinity category hinges on what it’s being contrasted with.” (Kevin Bucklew, 32:46)

• The complexity and contradiction is itself a marked feature; the paradoxes facing Buddhist femininity are mirrored in masculinity: ideals are challenging, sometimes oppressive, often in tension, and never achieved by all men.

• The book resists the urge for reductionist or essentialist narratives.

Are all these masculinities truly 'Buddhist'?

• The editors answer yes—Buddhism is so woven into the societies they study that it cannot be extricated from other cultural forces; their expansive approach aims to do justice to Buddhism’s diversity.

6. Reflections on Theory and Scholarship

Theoretical Touchstones

• Joan Scott's foundational insight: Studying gender requires deconstructing the entire edifice of received wisdom, not just "adding women in."
• Miriam Levering’s distinction: Contrasts "rhetoric of equality" (universal Buddha-nature, gender irrelevance) vs. "rhetoric of heroism" (the gendered ideal of ‘great man’).

  “I think that really is a tension. It’s not just a matter of resolving it in favor of [the] Da Zhang Fu as the real thing and the other stuff is window dressing…” (Bucklew, 43:39)

• Two truths doctrine: The co-presence of ultimate non-differentiation and practical, everyday gendered realities is mirrored in Buddhist teachings and lived experience.

7. Future Directions for Buddhist Masculinity Studies

Open Questions & New Frontiers

• There is a generational interest, especially among undergraduates and graduate students, in non-binary and trans identities within Buddhist traditions (e.g., Guanyin/Avalokiteshvara as trans icons).
• Intersectionality—gender with ethnicity, power, class, sexuality—remains a rich avenue for further research.
• The editors encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across religious studies, art history, media studies, and beyond.

  “I would hope that people continue to pursue interdisciplinary collaborations… we really benefited in this volume from people working in different disciplines…” (Bucklew, 49:40)

8. What’s Next for the Editors

Megan Bryson:

• Writing a second monograph on the transmission of Buddhism in the Dali Kingdom (contemporary with the Song), focusing on circulation of texts, images, and objects and their intersections with gender and ethnicity.

Kevin Bucklew:

• Finalizing a book manuscript on how Song-dynasty Chan masters appropriated Buddhist and Chinese categories (e.g., Da Zhang Fu) to fashion new masculine ideals.
• Beginning a new project on Buddhist and Daoist approaches to embodiment, inner alchemy, and interaction of bodily imagery.

9. Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “If gender only ever means women… then I think there’s just this huge field of study that remains really invisible.” — Megan Bryson (16:15)
• “Virtually never do studies of Buddhist men take gender as any part of their world.” — Kevin Bucklew (18:31)
• “I was amazed to see the ways that martial masculinity… crop up over and over again in all these very different contexts.” — Kevin Bucklew (27:31)
• “The multiplicities of Buddhist masculinities within and across contexts create similar challenges for deciphering any sort of one way to be a good Buddhist man.” — Megan Bryson (39:46)
• “It's not like there’s just one Buddhist masculinity even within a particular context… the coherence of each masculinity category hinges on what it’s being contrasted with.” — Kevin Bucklew (32:46)
• “I think there’s such a huge range of questions to get into that there’s tremendous potential for scholars to explore.” — Megan Bryson (48:54)
• “I would hope that people continue to pursue interdisciplinary collaborations… we really benefited in this volume from people working in different disciplines…” — Kevin Bucklew (49:40)

10. Episode Takeaways

• Buddhist Masculinities fills a major gap by bringing critical scrutiny to constructions of masculinity in Buddhist traditions.
• Buddhist masculinity is not a monolith; the field is open, interdisciplinary, and only beginning to be mapped.
• Contradiction, contestation, context, and creativity—across time, cultures, and disciplines—define both the subject and the process of studying Buddhist masculinities.
• Future research will likely expand in scope, theory, and identity categories, reflecting both contemporary interests and the diversity of Buddhist worlds.
• The book, and this episode, invite listeners to rethink what we assume to be “natural” about gender in Buddhist and comparative studies.