Noh and Zen
Joseph Houseal
12 September 2026
From Zen practice to ghosts and dreams, Joseph Houseal looks at how Buddhist ideas are embodied in Noh performance
Becoming Heruka
Joseph Houseal
8 August 2026
Joseph Houseal witnesses the cham of the wrathful protector Heruka, and reflects on the years of monastic discipline that make the transformation possible
So You’re the Dance Guy? Remembering Robert Thurman
Joseph Houseal
11 July 2026
Joseph Houseal recollects a fortuitous meeting with Robert Thurman
The Acrobat Family
Joseph Houseal
13 June 2026
Joseph Houseal shared a meditation on those who live lives for the transmission of ancient performance practices
The Snow Lion’s Attributes
Joseph Houseal
16 May 2026
Joseph Houseal introduces a profoundly significant new project to reconstruct formal documentation of the ritual dance heritage of the Drikung Kagyu tradition.
25,000 Bhutanese Masks: A Conversation with Graham Shackell
Joseph Houseal
18 April 2026
Joseph Houseal speaks with performer, scholar, theorist, and mask-maker Graham Shackell on Bhutan’s precious Buddhist heritage of masked rituals
Dance Is Evidence: Rethinking History Through the Moving Body – Gandhara, Buddhism, and The Greeks
Joseph Houseal
14 February 2026
Joseph Houseal offers an examination of Buddhist ritual dance and movement as historic and spiritual record.
‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple
Joseph Houseal
10 January 2026
Joseph Houseal explores spiritual dance in the “Shaker” community of Maine
Book Review: Buddhist Dances: Movement and Mind, Part 1
Rebecca Wong
13 October 2025
Rebecca Wong explores the most comprehensive book on Buddhist dance and movement heritage from one of BDG’s veteran columnists
Dance Is the Complete Practice
Joseph Houseal
11 October 2025
Joseph Houseal delves into ancient links and parallels between calligraphic pictograms and ritual dance traditions
Ancient Dances Today
Joseph Houseal
13 September 2025
Joseph Houseal’s presentation for Buddhistdoor Global’s 30th Anniversary Symposium in Vancouver on 3–4 September 2025
Messengers of Mind, Part Two: Liminal Lives
Joseph Houseal
12 July 2025
Joseph Houseal digs deeper into the history of cultural explorers and the West’s early encounters with Buddhism