New Books in Buddhist Studies Extraordinary, Mysterious, and Impossible Experiences, with Jeffrey Kriple
May 8, 2026
Jeff Kripal, Rice University scholar of religion known for studying paranormal and mystical experiences, joins the conversation. He explores spontaneous extraordinary events like abductions, channeling, and precognition. They debate naming, academic hedging, ontological pluralism, and why the humanities should speak plainly about the weird. The talk urges reclaiming curiosity and new metaphysical toolkits.
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Experiences Exceed Existing Frameworks
- Extraordinary experiences often exceed our conceptual frameworks and thus demand new modes of interpretation.
- Jeff Kripal developed a humanistic, semiotic approach in Authors of the Impossible after hearing firsthand reports that 'couldn't have possibly happened, but I knew happened.'
Kali's Child Pushed Him Toward the Impossible
- Kripal recounts Kali's Child controversy that led to harassment and his exit from Indian studies.
- That experience pushed him toward studying American counterculture and 'impossible' experiences at Esalen.
Realism Plus Ontological Pluralism
- Kripal identifies as an ontological pluralist: multiple ontologies can be real yet inadequate for particular experiences.
- He argues cultures share 'the same world' but experience it differently, e.g., qi versus other conceptual categories.
