Posts by Ted Meissner
Episode 42 :: Stanford M. Forrester :: Buddhism and Haiku
Stanford M. Forrester Stanford Forrester talks with us today about Buddhism and Haiku. Buddhism has a long tradition of finding expression in the arts. Perhaps one of the most in alignment with our practice of present moment awareness is that of poetry, specifically haiku. There are few forms which, in so few words, provide the…
Read MoreEpisode 41 :: Faith Adiele :: Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun
Faith Adiele joins us to speak about her experiences as your average Nigerian Nordic farm girl Buddhist nun in Thailand.
Picture this: you’re a complete outsider. You don’t fit in because of your ethnicity, your background, your religion, your gender, everything. And you take that a giant step further by going to another country, where you’re even more alien and don’t even speak the same language.
Read MoreEpisode 40 :: Glenn Wallis :: The Problem With Beliefs
Glenn Wallis Dr. Glenn Wallis speaks with us about beliefs, and how conflating them with knowledge can lead us down unhelpful paths in our practice. What do you believe? Our children are above average. Our dog loves us. Our team is going to win the game. Most of the time, these beliefs don’t really cause…
Read MoreEpisode 39 :: Spring Washam :: East Bay Meditation Center and Diversity
Spring Washam Meditation teacher Spring Washam speaks with us about having diversity in our communities, and East Bay Meditation Center. We’ll also have a bonus segment, chatting with Roger Nygard about the DVD release of his movie, The Nature Of Existence. Show of hands — how many of us have ever walked into a room,…
Read MoreEpisode 38 :: Jayarava's Raves
Jayarava Jayarava joins us to speak about his blog, Jayarava’s Raves, and his thoughts and reflections on being a pragmatic Western Buddhist. Secular or religious. It’s like you’re choosing decaf, or rocket fuel. We remain critical of each other’s ways of approaching our traditions even within the traditions themselves, and simple questions can be taken…
Read MoreEpisode 37 :: Dr. Pam Gay :: Cosmologist Over Cocktails
Dr. Pam Gay Pam Gay speaks with us about comics, science fiction conventions, new discoveries with the Hubble telescope — and practicing acceptance with others’ spiritual views. Hi everyone, and welcome back to The Secular Buddhist. I’d like to take a moment before we get started with today’s wonderful guest to thank you for listening.…
Read MoreEpisode 36 :: Buddhism and ZOMBIES!
Jan Ford Picture if you will a forest monastery, in a large meditation hall. It’s silent and peaceful, as the moon rises over a lovely night. And you hear… the cracking of a twig, outside. Followed by a low moaning, that’s joined by more and more voices. Suddenly the windows are being broken in, and…
Read MoreEpisode 35 :: Chris McKenna :: The Mind Body Awareness Project
Chris McKenna Today we’re joined by Chris McKenna, Executive Director of The Mind Body Awareness Project. Many of us started our Buddhist practice out of an interest in Asian culture, through martial arts, or we heard meditation was a good way to relax. Some of us have started the practice of the eightfold path because…
Read MoreEpisode 34 :: Doug McGill :: Right Speech
Doug McGill Professional journalist and founder of the Rochester Meditation Center in Southeast Minnesota, Doug McGill, speaks with us about the challenges of right speech in our modern world. Lately there’s been a great deal of talk on the internet about concepts which challenge us, as Buddhists, to practice right speech. There is a split…
Read MoreA Reply to B. Alan Wallace's article "Distorted Visions of Buddhism: Agnostic and Atheist"
The following is a reply to B. Alan Wallace’s article “Distorted Visions of Buddhism: Agnostic and Atheist“. Readers may wish to read the article in its uncommented form before reading this response. Stephen Batchelor has also written An Open Letter to B. Alan Wallace, which appears in Mandala itself, and is an excellent response. The…
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