Welcome to our September 2025 newsletter.
This month we feature articles by Piero Falci, Caspar Harris, Lenorë Lambert, Kenneth Leong, and Marc Symons. We also highlight Ted Meissner's 2024 interview with Shaila Catherine about her book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind.
New Name, Same Objective
We have a new name for SBN's monthly newsletter: Insights: Exploring Secular Dharma. After six years, we thought it was time for a change, and the new name better reflects our view that secular Buddhism needs to be an inclusive trend, open to a variety of perspectives. Rather than offering a set of fixed beliefs, a secular approach to the dharma will be co-created by practitioners committed to reducing suffering and promoting flourishing in this life.
Secular Dharma and Social Engagement: Two Articles
In "We Need Mindfulness and Social Engagement" Piero Falci contends that inner peace remains elusive in a world grappling with significant challenges, that both mindfulness and social engagement are essential. Click here to read the article.
In "The Case for a Socially Engaged Dharma Practice" Caspar Harris argues that secular dharma practitioners should focus not just on personal development but engage with wider social issues and embrace what Thich Nhat Hanh calls interdependence. Click here to read the article.
What Am I Cultivating?
Marc Symons discusses how a meditation practice centered on "What am I cultivating?" helps us to discover any reactivity that is arising and brings us in touch with the core teachings of Gotama.
An SBN Online Retreat: From Reactivity to Equanimity
Sharon Tobias and Marc Symons will be leading a half day online retreat on Sunday, September 21, from 11 am to 3 pm US Eastern Time. The retreat will focus on gaining greater awareness of reactivity and cultivating equanimity. Click here to sign up for the retreat.
Ted Meissner's The Secular Buddhist Podcast
Over fifteen years and 337 episodes, Ted Meissner's Secular Buddhist podcast provided those interested in the secular dharma with fascinating and insightful interviews with meditation teachers and writers. This month we feature Ted's interview with Shaila Catherine on her book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind, originally aired on August 13, 2024.
Shaila Catherine is an author of several books and the founder of Bodhi Courses, an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay, a center for mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom in Silicon Valley, in California. She is known for her expertise in guiding practitioners to cultivate concentration and the deep absorption states of jhāna, and for her enthusiasm for sutta study.
Donate to Tuwhiri's Secular Buddhism Book Project
SBN is a fiscal sponsor for Tuwhiri's Secular Buddhism Book Project. This means that a US taxpayer can now donate on a tax deductible basis to Tuwhiri through SBN.
If you are in Aotearoa New Zealand and would like to make a tax deductible donation, you can send it by bank transfer to Tuwhiri's Kiwibank account at 38 9010 0064662 07, and then email admin@tuwhiri.org to indicate the amount you have sent, and where to send the receipt.
Happiness Myths Exposed
Lenorë Lambert, an Australian secular Buddhist, discusses the myths surrounding happiness and the need to embrace life as it is in an interview on the Redefining Wisdom podcast.
Reconstructing the Dharma: An Axiomatic Approach to Buddha’s Teachings
Kenneth Leong argues that two core Buddhist concepts - non-self and this-that conditionality - provide the axiomatic foundation for all Buddhist concepts and doctrines.
Connect with the Secular Buddhist Network
Looking for a sangha? - To facilitate the development of local sanghas, SBN has established a listing for individuals looking to meet others in their geographical area. Click here.
SBN's Monthly Discussion Group - Meets the third Thursday of each month on Zoom. Click here.
Sunday Morning Meditation Group - Meets every Sunday at 11 am US Eastern Time on Zoom. Click here.
Sunday Evening Practice Circle- A long-time offering of the Secular Buddhist Association, meets the 2nd and 4th Sunday every month, 8:00 p.m. Central Time (9:00 p.m. Eastern). Click here.
SBN Reading Groups- SBN sponsors two reading groups. Book, article, video and podcast selections for both groups focus on topics related to secular Buddhism. Click here.
Exploring Aging from a Secular Buddhist Perspective- Meets the second and last Monday of each month on Zoom. Click here.
Secular Dharma and Political Activism - Meets the first Friday of every month on Zoom. Click here.
Secular Buddhist Zen Pub - Meets every Saturday, 11 am US Eastern Time on Zoom. Click here.
SBN online course on Exploring a Secular Dharma- Click here to learn about the basic ideas and concepts of secular Buddhism through a free online course.
Upcoming Events, Workshops, and Retreats
SBN's Calendar of Meetings and Courses - A calendar of SBN sponsored discussion and meditation groups, as well as SBN's courses on secular Buddhism. Click here.
Upcoming courses and retreats - Click here for a listing of upcoming courses, programs, and retreats of interest for secular Buddhists and socially engaged Buddhists.
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