Archive for January 2015
The Buddha and Blasphemy
With the recent tragedy at Charlie Hebdo blasphemous satire is in the news, and many ask if it should be allowed. There are many different degrees of “allow”, and most discussions on the matter, particularly the more virulent, trade off of these different degrees. First there is the plain issue of legality: should the state allow satire?…
Read MorePhilip Kitcher on Secular Humanism
One criticism of ‘New Atheist’ books has been that they lack sophistication, that they attack only the most extreme forms of theistic belief without touching its more nuanced, liberal forms. So it comes as a welcome development to read Philip Kitcher’s new book, which takes a more nuanced look at religious belief and practice. As…
Read MoreEpisode 217 :: Greta Christina :: Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do With God
Greta Christina Author Greta Christina joins us to speak about her new minibook, Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do With God. Given enough time, the survival rate of life is exactly zero. There are no exceptions; at some point, we will all die. Different religions, including Buddhism, have different assertions about what…
Read MoreImpermanence and Emptiness: a Reversal in Perspective?
The Buddhist notion of emptiness (suññatā/śunyatā) is famously difficult to get one’s head around. In a presentation this past Saturday Sharon Salzberg described it as a combination of impermanence (anicca) and interconnectedness. This is a good first go at understanding emptiness, although the simple concept “interconnectedness” doesn’t really do justice to the recondite complexity of dependent origination…
Read MorePractice Circle: Jason Siff and Recollective Awareness Meditation
Happy New Year! We’re excited to be starting 2015 with our first guest-led Practice Circle featuring Jason Siff, the author of “Unlearning Meditation” and “Thoughts are Not the Enemy.” Over the next two Practice Circle sessions, Jason will be teaching us the technique he calls Recollective Awareness Meditation, which involves open awareness practice, journaling, and…
Read MoreA World of Impermanence: the Three Marks
The three marks of existence (anicca, dukkha, anatta, or impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self) have always played a central role in Buddhist dhamma. They outline its basic metaphysics, the ground which characterizes lived reality. The Buddha viewed these characteristics as everlastingly true of the world: “Bhikkhus, whether Tathāgatas arise or not, there persists that law, that…
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