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Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #34 July 2022
Welcome to our July 2022 newsletter. This month we highlight a new article by Rick Heller, the opening of registrations for SBN's online course on secular Buddhism, and a practitioner's account of his journey to secular Buddhism. We also feature an online workshop on dependent arising that was offered 13 June by two Bodhi College faculty and a Bodhi College event to memorialize Gary Born, a Trustee of the college and participant in SBN's monthly discussion group, who recently passed away.
Understanding dependent arising
Bodhi College cofounders Christina Feldman and Akincano Weber discussed key aspects of dependent arising, a core notion of Buddhism, in a virtual workshop offered 13 June. The workshop was co-sponsored by Bodhi College and Tricycle magazine.
A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Tim
Tim grew up in a Christian household, but found a disconnect between his church's teachings and how church members lived their lives. He was introduced to Buddhism over 20 years ago and learned about secular Buddhism in the course of his explorations. Colette Descent edited the interview for SBN.
On pain and pleasure
Rick Heller's interest in mindfulness and a secular form of Buddhism began when he discovered that much of our pain comes from what we do to ourselves.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #33 June 2022
Welcome to our June 2022 newsletter. This month we highlight a dharma talk by Winton Higgins, articles by Brad Park and Mike Slott, and an interview with a practitioner on his journey to secular Buddhism.
The dharma of nostalgia
In a dharma talk given to the Kookaburra Sangha in Sydney, Australia, Winton Higgins explores how nostalgia is often a reactive craving for mythologised memories and public histories.
The path of the bodhisattva or ‘making the road’ through solidarity?
Mike Slott offers an alternative model to the path of the Bodhisattva, one based on the solidarity of practitioners 'co-creating' the transformative changes that we seek.
Our diverse paths to secular Buddhism
Each month, we highlight the path that brought an individual to explore and then fully engage in a secular approach to the dharma.
A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Jeff
Jeff was deeply involved in orthodox Judaism for 15 years, but eventually moved away from this spiritual tradition to explore secular Buddhism: a non-dogmatic, ethical approach to life.
The 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.
‘Our approach’ to meditation practice
A practitioner of reflective meditation, Brad Parks discusses some of the key elements of how we approach the process of meditation, how we make choices as we 'go inside and navigate the inner world'.
Rethinking the Dharma / Reimagining Community #32 May 2022
Welcome to our May 2022 newsletter.This month we highlight two new articles by David Loy and John Danvers, an interview with Colette Descent on her journey to secular Buddhism, an update on the SBN website, and a special offer from Tuwhiri, the secular Buddhist publishing imprint, for SBN newsletter subscribers.
A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Colette
Colette Descent is an active participant in several SBN groups. She is a member of the monthly online discussion group, the weekly meditation group, and is participating in the Spring 2022 SBN course on secular Buddhism, Exploring a Secular Dharma. We asked Colette about her path to becoming a secular Buddhist and how it has impacted her life.
Anger, conflict and compassion
Given the anger that many people feel in relation to the tragic events in Ukraine and to violent conflicts in other parts of the world, John Danvers reflects on this powerful emotion and how we might deal with it in a skillful way so that anger is transformed into compassionate action.
What is engaged Buddhism missing? The Buddha on poverty and plutocracy
In a recent dharma talk, David Loy emphasized the economic roots of the climate crisis and calls for structural, not just individual, change. According to David, 'the ecological crisis is deeply implicated in the basic structure of our economic system. . . In other words, the eco-crisis is also an economic—especially a class—crisis.'
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