Exploring the Healing Powers of Demonic Forces

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/.