Archive for October 2017
Is Early Buddhism in Danger?
Academic study of early Buddhism has waned to near nothing, if a recent editorial by eminent scholar Richard Gombrich is anything to go on. In today’s video I’ll discuss why this should concern us.
Read MoreEpisode 281 :: Gerti Schoen :: Buddha Betrayed: When Spiritual Relationships Go Awry
Gerti Schoen Gerti Schoen joins us to speak about violation of trust that occur in our sanghas, from her book Buddha Betrayed: When Spiritual Relationships Go Awry. It seems this ongoing cycle of suffering is endless. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about the kind of self-inflicted suffering of greed, hatred, and delusion, but rather the suffering…
Read MoreMeditation 101
Ever thought about meditating, but weren’t sure how to begin? This video goes through some of the basics involved in sitting and walking meditation. Just the right thing to get you started!
Read MoreFive Keys to Sticking with Practice
I’m sure we all know that watching YouTube videos isn’t really adequate as a form of practice. So how should we view our ongoing practice? How long will it take to reach the goal? In this video I’ll discuss five keys we should use to engage best with practice.
Read MorePractice Circle: The Benefactor Body Scan
Recently, SBA Community Director Jennifer Hawkins engaged us with folks from the North American Buddhist Alliance to talk about the body scan, a practice used widely in both Buddhist meditation and mindfulness programs. If you’re not familiar with it, it consists of systematically directing your concentrated awareness to one body part at a time, starting…
Read MoreThree Strategies for Watching the News
The news nowadays can be pretty stressful and depressing for many of us. Are there any strategies we can use to lessen its psychological impact on us? I’ll outline three basic mindsets we can use, suggested by early Buddhist teachings, plus some additional thoughts.
Read MoreIs Secular Buddhism an Oxymoron?
It may seem like “secular Buddhism” is an oxymoron, a kind of contradiction in terms. But this depends on how we understand secularism, and how we understand Buddhism. Both concepts have a wide range of senses, which we will explore.
Read MoreBuddhist Fundamentalism
Recent events, particularly those involving the Rohingya in Burma and the role of nuns in Theravāda Buddhism, raise the question as to what constitutes Buddhist fundamentalism, and whether and how it might be different from its Western counterpart. We will look at the issue in a broad overview. For further reading please see my earlier…
Read MoreMy First Retreat – Part 3
This is Part 3 of a series of 3 articles. For Part 1: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-1-of-3-a-zen-sesshin-at-rocky-mountain-ecodharma/ For Part 2: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-2-of-3/ …continued: Morning 3: This was the last day, a short day. And in everything, I “relaxed”… in a “bad way.” I think that one factor was a personal or internal one: all of the praise I got during Dokusan…
Read MoreMy First Retreat (Part 2 of 3)
This is Part 2 of a series of 3 articles. For Part 1: https://secularbuddhism.org/2017/10/12/my-first-retreat-part-1-of-3-a-zen-sesshin-at-rocky-mountain-ecodharma/ …continued: Day 2: We woke up at 5AM (successfully!), chanted, and sat (zazen). I couldn’t tell you much about what came up during that specific sit, but I do recall that most other retreat attendees took full advantage of any breaks to…
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