Archive for January 2013
On Subtracting What You Don't Like
Here’s a tweet I got after mentioning a naturalized Buddhism: Okaaaaay…. couldn’t you do the same with any religion? Subtract the parts you don’t like? It’s a question that deserves more than a 140 character response. Editing Religions A three-character response to that tweet would be simple: yes. Given any religion, one is always free…
Read MoreEpisode 153 :: Heinz Hilbrecht :: Meditation and the Brain: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science
Heinz Hilbrecht Heinz Hilbrecht joins us to speak about his book in German Meditation und Gehirn, or in English Meditation and the Brain. There seems to be an attitude prevalent in our contemporary society, that ancient ways of trying to understand the world are in conflict with scientific findings. And in many cases, this is…
Read MorePractice: The Four Strivings
When we practice, we strive to become proficient. The Sanskrit term for meditation, “bhāvana”, actually means “development” or “cultivation”, near synonyms for “practice” itself. Indeed, meditation is central to the Buddhist path: to meditate is to develop wholesome mental states through mindfulness and concentration. In the Cūḷavedalla Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 44.12), the lay follower Visākha…
Read MoreEpisode 152 :: Gary D. Conrad :: The Lhasa Trilogy
Gary D. Conrad Author Gary D. Conrad speaks with us about his Buddhist themed fiction book, The Lhasa Trilogy. We’re going to turn our attention over to lighter fare this week, in seeing how Buddhist ideas continue to arise in contemporary fiction. We’ve seen more novels that touch upon these themes, but only a few…
Read MorePractice: Working with the Hindrances
The first and biggest problems we all have in meditative practice are those constant bothers that the Buddha termed “hindrances”, clouding the clear water of awareness. He counted five, usually translated: sensual desire, ill-will, restlessness, sloth-and-torpor, and doubt. When I first heard these, I wondered, why these five? They sound like a miscellaneous grab-bag of…
Read MoreEpisode 151 :: Ben Fleury-Steiner :: Dying Inside
Ben Fleury-Steiner Ben Fleury-Steiner joins us to talk about mindfulness practice in Delaware at Open Heart Zen, and to continue our theme of compassion for others as he discusses his book Dying Inside: The HIV/AIDS Ward at Limestone Prison. Hi, everyone. When we do metta practice, starting with ourselves, then our loved ones, families, friends,…
Read MoreStrategies of Secular Buddhist Practice
As Ted Meissner and Mark Knickelbine have been emphasizing, practice is an essential part of any Secular Buddhist path. But it took me quite awhile to find my way to a really worthwhile practice. For many years I followed a Zen-based form of what I would term ‘free form’ meditation, oriented around samādhi, or focus…
Read MoreEpisode 150 :: Bob Isaacson :: Dharma Voices for Animals
Bob Isaacson Social activist and dharma teacher Bob Isaacson speaks with us today about his efforts with the organization, Dharma Voices for Animals. Hi everyone. Welcome to the new year 2013, and episode one-hundred and fifty of The Secular Buddhist. I’d like to thank everyone for listening, joining us on FaceBook, following us on Twitter,…
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