Search results for: secular understanding
Episode 241 :: Stephen Batchelor :: After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age
Stephen Batchelor Stephen Batchelor returns to speak with us about his newest work, After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age. As we think about the historical veracity of the Buddhist tradition, we may have an accidental tendency to miss some of the more compelling human elements of the story. We forget that these…
Read MoreShould Secular Buddhists be Engaged Buddhists, Too?
The SBA website has been an invaluable forum for discussion and dialogue about what secular Buddhism is and should be. What is the difference between secular Buddhism and more traditional forms of Buddhism? Which aspects of Buddhist theory, belief, and practice are consistent with secular forms of Buddhism and which are not? What distinctive role…
Read MoreEpisode 220 :: Massimo Pigliucci :: Secular Buddhism and Neo Stoicism
Massimo Pigliucci Science philosopher Massimo Pigliucci joins us to speak about his experiences with stoicism, and we discuss some similarities with secular Buddhism. Hi, everyone. Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to remind the listeners that we’ve started a new podcast which may also interest you. It’s called Present Moment: Mindfulness Practice…
Read MorePhilip Kitcher on Secular Humanism
One criticism of ‘New Atheist’ books has been that they lack sophistication, that they attack only the most extreme forms of theistic belief without touching its more nuanced, liberal forms. So it comes as a welcome development to read Philip Kitcher’s new book, which takes a more nuanced look at religious belief and practice. As…
Read MoreEpisode 212 :: Winton Higgins :: Four Frontiers for Secular Buddhists
Winton Higgins Our returning guest, Winton Higgins, speaks with us about some key challenges facing secular Buddhists in contemporary society. Hi, everyone. Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to remind the listeners that we’ve started a new podcast which may also interest you. It’s called Present Moment: Mindfulness Practice and Science, and…
Read MoreEpisode 200 :: Stephen Batchelor :: This Secular Age
Stephen Batchelor Stephen Batchelor joins us once again to speak about the growing acceptance of a secular approach to Buddhism. Hi, everyone. Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to remind the listeners that we’ve started a new podcast which may also interest you. It’s called Present Moment: Mindfulness Practice and Science, and…
Read MoreAjahn Brahmali on Secular Buddhism
Ajahn Brahmali of Bodhinyana Monastery gave a talk on February 7, 2014 about Secular Buddhism. Brahmali is smart and well-spoken, and he represents a saṅgha that is at the liberal end of Theravadin monastic saṅghas (for example, they were instrumental in the ordaining of bhikkhunis, as against their more traditional Thai counterparts), so spending some time…
Read MoreEpisode 184 :: Terry Bean :: Little Rock Secular Buddhists
Terry Bean Terry Bean joins us to speak about Little Rock Secular Buddhists, an in-person group in the heart of Arkansas. The term “Secular Buddhism” was virtually unknown a few years ago. But things are changing, as those of us who do identify as Buddhist, but not quite in the traditional sense, find one another.…
Read MoreFrom Both Sides: Secular Buddhism and the “McMindfulness” Question
The debate over the relationship between Buddhism and the mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has heated up recently to a red hot glow. On July 1, Ron Purser and David Loy published an attack on the mindfulness movement in the Huffington Post under the title, “Beyond McMindfulness.” As I write this, a Google search on “McMindfulness” generates…
Read MoreA Secular Evaluation of Rebirth
Rebirth: it’s one of those topics that defines the Secular Buddhist approach. Practitioners who accept the traditional Buddhist notions of rebirth and the kammic causation that accompanies it will be less interested in a naturalistic ‘secularization’ of the dhamma. Discussions along the frontiers of belief tend not to be very fruitful: people find their beliefs…
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