Episode 29 :: Rick Bateman :: Secular Buddhism Canada Style
Rick Bateman
Rick Bateman from SecularBuddhism.com speaks with us today about his work creating a secular Buddhist practice center in Victoria, British Columbia.
Hi, everyone. Before we get started with today’s episode, I wanted to share with you a wonderful opportunity I had earlier this week. One of the great joys of doing this podcast is the outstanding people I get to interview. Well, that was topped on Tuesday night by the great good fortune of spending the evening chatting about secular Buddhism and a wide range of other topics with one of the listeners of the podcast. We’d exchanged several emails over the past few months, turned out we knew a few of the same people in the skeptic community, and decided to get together for dinner when he was in Minneapolis for a few days. It was an enriching experience, heartwarming and humbling to meet someone who’s getting something of positive value from this wee tiny small podcast.
This is what it’s about: bridge building. Networking. Mutual support in our learning and for our practice. And I’m not really able to adequately describe how light and joyful this direct experience has made me feel, but it’s exactly the quality of mind that I’m bringing to the cushion in meditation, stabilizing it, and then running it through its paces off the cushion. So, you know who you are — thank you. The whole of this practice is good friends. Thank you all.
And that leads quite nicely into today’s episode with Rick Bateman. Rick is the founder of the the website secularbuddhism.com, and the organizer of the Victoria, British Columbia Secular Buddhist Meetup.com group. He is actively striving to form a non-profit organization for secular Buddhism, and currently teaches the Buddhism For Beginners course he developed in Victoria BC. He is an experienced instructor having taught a variety of technical courses in Camosun College’s continuing education program for three years. He has served as Vice President of Human Resources & Operations at an on-line learning company and is currently the Director of Operations for a local software company. He is also simply delightful to speak with, and I encourage you to make a point of visiting his website and checking out the latest developments.
So, sit back, relax, and have a nice Honeybush tea. It really does taste like honey.
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Quotes
“Secular Buddhism recognizes no authority outside one’s self. There is no lineage, no priesthood, no titles. Nor is there any recognition of external authority be it cultural, traditional, academic or otherwise. Respect yes, but not authority.” — Rick Bateman
Web Links
Music for This Episode
Chikuzen Shakuhachi Series
The music heard in the middle of the podcast is from the Chikuzen Shakuhachi Series, Volume 1, courtesy of Tai Hei Shakuhachi. The tracks used in this episode are:
- Track 2 :: Shika no Tone