Archive for February 2018
Mindfulness of the Body
Mindfulness of the body is the heart of much contemporary meditation practice. We’ll look at it today with a focus on the original texts, which provide a great array of related practices. We will see ways that the older approach is complex and profound, and at times challenges our contemporary approach to meditation. Sutta: the…
Read MoreEpisode 289 :: Sumi Loundon Kim :: Sitting Together: A Family-Centered Curriculum on Mindfulness, Meditation & Buddhist Teachings
Sumi Loundon Kim Sumi Loundon Kim joins us to speak about teaching Buddhism within a family setting. Many Westerners have come to Buddhism as individuals, having found the teachings to be beneficial in our lives. That may lead us to find other birds with whom we can flock together, but it’s still fairly common for…
Read More2/25 Practice Circle: Mindfulness of Movement and Breath
Click Here at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, February 25th to Join the Live Session. During January and February, Practice Circle will be aligned with the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Online Live program offered by Ted Meissner and Amy Balentine. There may be people from that class joining Practice Circle as an additional opportunity to…
Read MoreIntro to Buddhist Art
What are some of the hallmarks of Buddhist art, and how has it developed over the years? These are big questions that we will only begin to tackle in this video. We’ll look at Buddhist art with an emphasis on its origins, and finally ask the question whether anything really qualifies as Buddhist art at…
Read MoreWho Cares What the Buddha Thought?
It’s a good question. We’ll consider some of the reasons why someone with a secular outlook should care what the Buddha thought, as well as other aspects of this question. Check out my new Patreon page!
Read MoreA “Re~Collection” on Building, Renewing, and Sustaining Sanghas – (reposted from "Secular Buddhism in Aotearoa New Zealand" blog)
“It can be said that a Sangha is like a projection of its individual members. There cannot be healthy relationships with others if “the self” is not known, accepted, and sustained. So do that internal work first. Then if and only if new relationships are actually desirable, try out some of what is suggested here….…
Read MoreWas the Buddha Bald?
We usually think of the Buddha as having a full head of hair, but it may not always have been so. Today we’ll look at some of the history of Buddhist iconography, and take some lessons about how viewpoints can change over time. Some suttas mentioned in this video: The Marks of a Great Man…
Read MoreThe Buddha on Self and Non-Self
The Buddha’s teachings on the self and on non-self are some of his most subtle, interesting, and unique. We’ll take a look at them in this video. We’ll also compare the Buddha’s view of the self with that of western philosophers David Hume and Derek Parfit. Suttas mentioned in this video: Sabbāsava Sutta (MN 2.8)…
Read MoreEpisode 288 :: Ethan Nichtern :: The Dharma of The Princess Bride
Ethan Nichtern Ethan Nichtern returns to the podcast to speak about his book The Dharma of The Princess Bride: What the Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships. The dharma, those lessons about how we live our lives and the suffering that is an inherent aspect of conditioned existence,…
Read MorePractice Circle: Mindful Movement
Click Here at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, February 11th to Join the Live Session. During January and February, Practice Circle will be aligned with the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Online Live program offered by Ted Meissner and Amy Balentine. There may be people from that class joining Practice Circle as an additional opportunity to…
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