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SBN Editor
Insights: Exploring Secular Dharma #72 September 2025
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.
A core concept of secular Buddhism: the four tasks
The core teachings and insights of Gotama are not ‘truths’ to be believed but a ‘fourfold’ task to help us live our lives in a mindful and compassionate way.
The origin of secular Buddhism
The emergence of secular Buddhism in the west is part of the secularization that has been developing since before the Renaissance. Secular Buddhism represents the attempt to continue the process of rooting the dharma in modern western culture where the earlier non-monastic insight movement left off.
An introduction to secular Buddhism
For those who are curious about or interested in secular Buddhism and want to learn about this relatively new trend within Buddhism, this article will provide a helpful starting point for exploring a secular approach to the dharma.
Stephen Batchelor and Gil Fronsdal Discuss “Buddha, Socrates, and Us”
Stephen Batchelor and Gil Fronsdal met on July 29 for a 90-minute online conversation to explore the themes of Stephen’s upcoming book, Buddha, Socrates, and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #71 August 2025
Welcome to our August 2025 newsletter. This month we feature: articles by Ayda Duroux, Jesus Perez, Marc Symons, and John Tate; Ted Meissner's 2020 interview with Matteo Pistono about his book, Roar: Sulak Sivaraksa and the Path of Socially Engaged Buddhism; and two courses that will be offered in September.
MBEL Pilot Course to Begin in September
A ten week, online course on Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL) will be offered beginning in September 2025.
Stephen Batchelor: books, articles, and interviews
Stephen Batchelor's books, articles, and dharma talks have offered a compelling vision of a secular dharma based on individual transformation and creating a “culture of awareness” in this world.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #70 July 2025
Welcome to our July 2025 newsletter. This month we feature articles by Linda Blanchard, Winton Higgins, Ira Rifkin, and Petero Wamala, as well as Ted Meissner's 2019 interview with Oren Jay Sofer about his book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #69 June 2025
Welcome to our June 2025 newsletter. This month we feature: articles by Ramsey Margolis, Mike Slott, and Brian Victoria; Ted Meissner's interview with Evan Thompson about his book, Why I Am Not a Buddhist; the newly elected Board of Directors of SBN; a 15% sale on all Tuwhiri books in June; and the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy's legal support for Mahmoud Khalil, who was illegally detained and imprisoned by the U.S. government.
Meet SBN’s New Board of Directors
The merger of the Secular Buddhist Association and the Secular Buddhist Network has been finalized. A new slate of officers and members of the SBN Board of Directors has been elected.
Online Program with Dave Smith: Mindfulness and the Middle Way
Dave Smith, a co-founder of the Secular Dharma Foundation, will be offering an online program on mindfulness and a secular interpretation of the middle way on Tuesdays, from May 27 to June 17.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #68 May 2025
Welcome to our May 2025 newsletter. This month we feature: articles by Tom Cummings, Roy Hammond, Kirk Mason, and Linda Modaro/Nelly Kaufer; Ted Meissner's interview with David Loy about his book, Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis; an upcoming SBN online meditation retreat; and the recent activities of the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #67 April 2025
Welcome to our April 2025 newsletter. This month we feature: articles by Johannes Cairns and Tiffany Caicco; Ted Meissner's interview with Pamela Weiss about her book, A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism; the formation of a new coalition of Buddhist groups to respond to the harms caused by the Trump administration; and an upcoming reading group sponsored by Tuwhiri, a secular Buddhist publishing imprint.
The Buddhist Coalition for Democracy
SBN members are part of the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy, an alliance of Buddhist sanghas and individuals representing multiple traditions and lineages, which was formed in response to the harms caused by the Trump administration.
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