Posts by Ted Meissner

Sarah Barker, Amy Boyle, and Ian Dodd join us to speak about bringing a secular Sunday Assembly to the City of Angels. Why do we congregate? Why is it we seem to have this human interest to come together in groups? It’s more than just loneliness, of course. There’s an affirmation of belonging, of identity,…

Jason Siff Meditation teacher and author Jason Siff returns to speak with us about teaching meditation. Many of us have an ongoing meditation practice, but a few have taken on the challenge of teaching. What does that mean, and how might it impact your own practice as you find yourself in a role with different…

David Loy and Ron Purser join us to discuss some Buddhist responses to popular mindfulness programs. What does mindfulness mean to you? Is it a one-eighth slice of a delicious dhamma pie, or is it the full understanding and practice of panna, sila, and samatha? However we may feel about it, mindfulness is becoming mainstream…

Matthew Bortolin Author and Zen Buddhist Matthew Bortolin joins us to speak about his book, The Dharma of Star Wars. It’s safe to say that many of us live a very rich fantasy life. It may be personal ruminations, book, or movies. We identify with some characters, we admire other characters, or have an aversion…

Gary Gach Gary Gach speaks with us today about sila, the pro-social behaviors of Buddhism — Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood. Recent events around radical, violent activities from Buddhist monastics in Myanmar have stirred some controversy about the validity of Buddhist practice. It seems that Buddhism isn’t really what it’s all cracked up to…

Bernat Font Bernat Font joins us to speak about the new Spanish language secular Buddhism website, Budismo Secular. Hi, everyone. This podcast started several years ago at the encouragement of someone dear to me, who lives in Mexico. She suggested several very good ideas about topics and themes, and eventually The Secular Buddhist began. Since…

Brad Warner Brad Warner joins us to speak about his new book just released this week, There Is No God And He Is Always With You. What do you think of when you hear the word “God”, with a capital G? If you’re from a Judeo-Christian background, particular images and ideas might come to mind.…

Dinty Moore Author and teacher Dinty Moore speaks with us about his new book, The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life. Our practice can manifest in many ways, really in everything we do. But that is a decision, a choice we have, and sometimes we don’t take it, instead continuing on automatic pilot.…

Anita Feng Zen teacher and artist Anita Feng joins us to speak about raku pottery in contemporary Buddhist art. Early Buddhist art was missing one particular figure: Buddha. That changed over time, as Buddhism reached new shores and cultures, as the teaching itself has found new forms of expression. We see a growth of artistic…