In a book launch event sponsored by the Secular Buddhist Network and Tuwhiri, a secular Buddhist publishing imprint, Mike Slott and Winton Higgins discussed Mike's new book, Mindful Solidarity: A Secular Buddhist Democratic Socialist Dialogue.
The event was held 10 November on Zoom.
Alex Carr, a facilitator of One Mindful Breath, a secular Buddhist sangha in New Zealand, opened the meeting and discussed the importance of connecting secular Buddhism with political activism. He was followed by Karsten Struhl, who discussed how two groups within the Secular Buddhist Network are exploring this connection.
Mike then provided an overview of the book. He noted that the main goal of the book is to encourage radical political activists and Buddhist meditators to learn from each other, thus strengthening political activism and enriching Buddhist practice. The book is addressed to each community:
To the labor and political activist community, Mike argued that if we want to achieve the social transformation that we believe is essential to people having good lives and a sustainable environment, then we need to recognize that core Buddhist insights about human nature, the value of mindfulness, and the importance of having an ethics of compassion and care are really crucial. These insights can 1) help us to sustain our political activism and 2) function as political activists in ways which are consistent with our goals.
To the dharma community, Mike pointed out that suffering is not just the result of the unskillful ways in which human beings respond to themselves, others, and the world but that much suffering results from exploitative and oppressive social systems. Thus, a Buddhist practice which is excessively focused on individual meditation and which is disengaged from collective action is limited in its contribution to promoting human flourishing in this life – both at an individual and social level. At the same time, a secular version of Buddhism fits better with the goals of reducing suffering and promoting flourishing in this life than ancestral versions of Buddhism, which, in their tradition religious dimension, offer instead the solution of salvation from daily suffering.
After Mike's overview, Winton Higgins, the author of Revamp: writings on secular Buddhism, engaged Mike in a dialogue by raising some crucial questions about the dialogue between radical activism and Buddhism, including:
- How do we bring together perspectives from different traditions in a coherent and meaningful way?
- How do we make the transition from our current situation to a society which is more just, egalitarian, and sustainable?
- Which community – political activists or Buddhist meditators – is more likely to be supportive of this approach?
- What is the role of mindfulness in our society?
The final part of the meeting included questions and comments from the participants on the Zoom call.
To view the book launch event, click on the link below.
