Archive for December 2012
Episode 149 :: Mark Knickelbine :: Practice Circle
Mark Knickelbine SBA Board Member Mark Knickelbine speaks with us about secular approaches to a contemplative practice, and the new Practice Circle. There are many ways to approach secular practice. You might, for example, come to Buddhism from a different religious tradition, and find that the teaching is helping you, but the supernatural assertions as…
Read MoreEpisode 148 :: Mike Nam :: U.S. Military Buddhists
Mike Nam Secular Buddhism seems like an oxymoron, especially when we simply take the words themselves at face value without any deeper understanding of what we mean. Military Buddhists might be another phrase that elicits a similar response. There are many service men and women in our armed forces that would describe themselves as Buddhist.…
Read MoreMeditating on the Mud Machine
Ordinarily we begin meditation by focusing on the body, in particular, the breath. This is known as “mindfulness of breathing” and we learn about it at the beginning of the Buddha’s sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Majjhima Nikāya 10. I use the Ñaṇamoli/Bodhi translation). The Buddha suggests a few other body-oriented meditations,…
Read MoreLoving Kindness Guided Meditation
Guided Loving Kindness Meditation Follow this Guided Loving Kindness Meditation by Mark Knicklebine (about 35 minutes):
Read MoreEpisode 147 :: Cheryl Giles and Willa Miller :: Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work
We all go through times in our lives when we have a hard time. Conditioned existence, the world in which we live, is like that. And we have different levels of ability to find comfort in those trying times. Some are naturally flexible, able to easily navigate the difficult waters of significant personal loss or…
Read MoreTed Meissner: Secular Buddhism (podcast)
Our very own Ted Meissner was recently interviewed by Ginger Campbell, the host of the Brain Science podcast, and Books and Ideas podcast. In this interview, Ginger asks Ted about Buddhism, what it is, what the practice is, and how it differs from secular Buddhism. More Information: Virginia Campbell, MD Brain Science Podcast
Read MoreJan Ford :: Igniting the Human Imagination
Everyone, I would like to share our dear friend and Senior Advisor Jan Ford’s most pressing thoughts and interests for the Secular Buddhist Association, and our mission, prior to his passing. Thanks to Dana Nourie, we have permission to publish this personal message, crafted while Jan was heavily sedated and struggling with the health issues…
Read MoreEpisode 146 :: David Chapman :: Enlightenment and Epistemology
David Chapman Buddhist blogger David Chapman returns to the podcast to speak with us about how we can gain provisional understanding of what is true, from what is false. We’ve had some recent discussion on the Secular Buddhist Association website about what is sometimes perceived as a dogmatic adherence to “scientism”. That is, we absolutely…
Read MoreCrossed Paths in the Dhamma?
An apparent inconsistency lies at the heart of the Buddha’s teachings: his dhamma recommends we follow two paths at the same time, which lead to different destinations. On the one hand, we are to act ethically within the world, so as to build up a kammic bank account which will help us in attaining better…
Read MoreBody Scan Guided Meditation
Guided Body Scan Meditation Follow this Guided Body Scan Meditation by Mark Knicklebine (about 40 minutes):
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