SBN Editor, Author at Secular Buddhist Network

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SBN Editor

The Lotus Library: Free Buddhist eBooks on the internet

Founded by a small group of practicing, Buddhist volunteers in Australia, the Lotus Library offers free, Buddhist eBooks on the internet

Secular Dharma and Ethical Living Retreat

Stephen Batchelor, Winton Higgins, and Lenorë Lambert led a residential study retreat on Secular Dharma and Ethical Living in December 2023. Their secular dharma approach focused on the ethical perspectives and practices needed to engage with the various interconnected crises our world faces in the twenty-first century.

Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #54 March 2024

Welcome to our March 2024 newsletter. This month we feature new articles by Kirk Mason and Tina Sideris. We also highlight a half day meditation retreat sponsored by SBN and a video presentation on Navigating the Artifical Intelligence Explosion with Buddhist Wisdom. Finally, we offer resources for mindful communication in these challenging times.

Resources for mindful communication

In a polarized society, how can we communicate wisely and compassionately? In this article we offer some valuable resources for mindful communication.

SBN’s half-day online meditation retreat

The Secular Buddhist Network (SBN) held a half-day, online meditation retreat on 4 February 2024. Unlike most traditional meditation retreats that are led by one or several teachers, who give meditation instructions and dharma talks, SBN's retreat was peer-led, with three people providing brief introductions for silent meditation periods.

Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #53 February 2024

Welcome to our February 2024 newsletter. This month we feature new articles by Jack Chamberlin, Colette Descent, Carmel Shalev, and Karsten Struhl. We also highlight several offerings from SBN: a course, a retreat, and a new online group.

SBN’s new online group: the Secular Buddhist Zen Pub

SBN is starting a Saturday morning weekly zoom that is easy to drop in on, and rewarding through dharma insights and practical applications (including friendships).

SBN’s discussion group: Secular Dharma and Political Activism

The Secular Buddhist Network has formed a discussion group for those who wish to share their experiences of and discuss new possibilities for bringing secular Buddhist ideas, ethics, and practices to community groups, social service organizations, and political movements.

Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #52 January 2024

Welcome to our January 2024 newsletter. This month we feature new articles by Edward Morey,, Carmel Shalev, and Cedar Thokme. We also highlight an upcoming online retreat sponsored by the Secular Buddhist Network and a "job posting" from Tuwhiri, a secular Buddhist publishing imprint.

Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #51 December 2023

Welcome to our December 2023 newsletter. This month we highlight an interview with Seth Zuihō Segall about his new book, The House We Live In, and an article by John Danvers. We also feature a practitioner's account of her journey to secular Buddhism and Bodhi College's course offerings for 2024.

An interview with Seth Segall on his new book, The House We Live In

SBN interviewed Seth Zuihō Segall about his new book, The House We Live in: Virtue, Wisdom, and Pluralism. In this book Seth offers a theory of ethics and flourishing based on Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius.

A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Sylwia

From a very early age, Sylwia Plich has always questioned religious orthodoxies. She has moved from her family's Catholicism to Protestantism to Tibetan Buddhism. In 2016, she came across Stephen Batchelor's writings and embraced a secular approach which focuses on ethical life on a daily basis.

Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #50 November 2023

Welcome to our November 2023 newsletter. This month we highlight new articles by Winton Higgins, Keith Jackson, and Mike Slott/Katya de Kadt. We also feature a practitioner's account of her journey to secular Buddhism and a statement on Israel/Palestine.

Statement on Israel/Palestine

As individuals who embrace a secular or naturalistic approach to the dharma, one that is based on the goal of reducing suffering and facilitating the flourishing of all beings in this world, we feel a responsibility to speak out about the horrific events in Israel and Palestine.

A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Carmel

Although deeply influenced and inspired by some aspects of Judaism, Carmel Shalev began to lose faith in God and his commandments because they treated women as somehow limited and second best to men. She eventually connected with Buddhist teachers and found that Stephen Batchelor's secular approach resonated deeply with her.