Posts by Doug Smith
Five 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 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 MoreWhy We Can't Have Nice Things
We all like nice things, but our pursuit of them has important drawbacks. We’ll look at some of those here, as well as evidence of a transmission fluid leak that I’ve been dealing with for the past year. Oh well.
Read MoreBad Gurus
Bad gurus: recently we’ve heard of various Buddhist gurus, teachers, and leaders displaying unskillful and even illegal conduct. Google searches should display relevant names and specifics so I won’t go into the sordid details in the video. But I will have four general points to make on the topic, starting with a quick look at…
Read MoreWhy Buddhism is True
Today we’ll be taking a look at Robert Wright’s new book Why Buddhism is True, some of its positives and negatives, and whether or not it fits well with secular Buddhism. Robert Wright’s YouTube videos can be found HERE.
Read MoreBuddhism and Stoicism 2: Five Differences
Buddhism and Stoicism are in many ways allied philosophies. However in this video we will look at five ways that they differ. We will be looking in specific at early Buddhism and Stoicism as reflected in its Classical Greek and Roman texts, and as explained in Massimo Pigliucci’s recent book “How to Be a Stoic”.…
Read MoreBuddhism and Stoicism 1: Five Similarities
Buddhism and Stoicism are in many ways allied philosophies. In this video we will look at five ways that they overlap. We will be looking in specific at early Buddhism and Stoicism as reflected in its Classical Greek and Roman texts, and as explained in Massimo Pigliucci’s recent book “How to Be a Stoic”. While…
Read MoreRight Concentration Extras
What are the so-called “formless jhānas” or formless attainments in meditation? That’s one of the questions left on the cutting room floor after my video on Right Concentration. We’ll also tackle the question of how concentration meditation has tended to be sidestepped in a modern context.
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