Welcome to our October 2026 newsletter.
This month we feature articles by Anne-Laure Brousseau, Jeffrey Fracher, Signe Glahn, Kristopher Keith, and Ulla König.
Our Suffering Is Not a Private Matter
Jeffrey Fracher recounts a friend's painful experience to highlight how dukkha often "doesn't stay inside us. It moves through us, into the room, and onto whoever happens to be standing closest."
Living Life on Life’s Terms: Turning the Wheel of Secular Dharma
Book Review: Anne-Laure Brousseau reviews Stephen Batchelor, Martine Batchelor, and Bernat Font's new book, which is published by Tuwhiri. The book is based on seminar talks given by the three authors at a Bodhi College course, called Secular Dharma: Study, Practice, Community. Click here to read the review.
Book Launch Event: Bodhi College is hosting an online event on September 30 with the authors to celebrate the publication of Living Life on Life's Terms. Click here for more information.
A Gentle Pessimism: Impermanence as a Gateway to Compassion
Kristopher Keith advocates a perspective which integrates Schopenhaeur's philosophy of pessimism with Buddhism's notions of impermanence and compassion.
New MBEL Courses Available for English Speakers
Registration is now open for the first English language courses of the revised version of the Mindfulness-Based Ethical Living (MBEL) course.
Connect with the Secular Buddhist Network
Submit a newsletter article - We welcome articles on a range of topics related to a secular or naturalistic approach to the dharma. As we aim to foster discussion and debate, articles can be either supportive or critical of this approach. Click here to read our guidelines for article submissions.
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.
Exploring Secularism - Meets the last Thursday of every month, 12 Noon US Eastern Time on Zoom. For more information, click here.
Daily Life Practice Group - Meets the first and third Tuesday of every month, 1 pm US Eastern Time on Zoom. For more information, click here.
SBN online course on Exploring a Secular Dharma- Click here to learn about the basic ideas and concepts of secular Buddhism through an online course.
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