Secular Buddhist Network

POSTS:

Creating a Buddhist community – connections that work

Stephen Batchelor explains how ‘community is not something you join or something that you find. It’s something you create. Community is a practice of ... forging and developing connections and friendships and relationships.’

The goal of secular Buddhist meditation practice

According to Winton Higgins, 'We meditate to experience this world and this life as vividly as possible. Intensely. The way we experience it reflects back at us – it tells us who we are and where we’re at in this moment.'

Three paths for secular Buddhists – crucial conversations and movements

Mike Slott identifies three trends or paths within secular Buddhism: 1) a dharmic-focused effort to reconstruct Buddhism, 2) bringing a secular form of Buddhism into the mindfulness movement, and 3) integrating secular Buddhist perspectives and insights into projects for radical, political transformation.

Reflections on the Second Noble Truth: it’s more than craving

Mike Slott argues that Buddhists need to broaden their understanding of the causes to suffering (the Second Noble Truth) to include not only the inevitable sources of dukkha (sickness, death, etc.) and our own unskillful ways of being in the world due to craving, but also social and economic structures which harm human beings.

Three marks of existence, or three factors of human experience?

Mike Slott contends that, from secular Buddhist perspective, it is more appropriate to view impermancence, not-self, and dukkha as aspects of our experience rather than ontological characteristics of reality.

Meditating without nirvana: a transformative experience

From a secular Buddhist perspective, Mike Slott contends that meditation should not be about reaching or accessing nirvana, but developing the capacity to become wiser, more compassionate, and mindful.

Meditating with and for each other

Mike Slott argues in this article that traditional meditation retreats in insight and Zen centers are too individually-focused, that there needs to be more opportunities to develop a sense of community and comraderie among retreat participants. He offers "practical suggestions on how solidarity and support between retreatants, as well as a greater focus on our engagement in the world, can become part of meditation retreats."

Bhikkhu Bodhi on traditional versus secular Buddhism

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi explores the differences between traditional and secular forms of Buddhism, and expresses concern that both approaches have viewed political activism as marginal to the dharmic path.

Four bonds of fellowship that help build community

Martine Batchelor discusses the four bonds of fellowship that help build community at a Gaia House talk. What are these four bonds? Generosity, kind words, beneficial help and consistency.

Dharma and community for meditators

Winton Higgins has written extensively about democratic communities and the development of secular Buddhism. In this article Winton offers some defining characteristics of a democratic sangha.

Secular Buddhism and the western search for meaning

… Winton Higgins traces the origins of secular Buddhism in interpretations of the Pali canon developed by Harold Musson and Stephen Batchelor.

A secular Buddhist perspective on dharmic citizenship

Winton Higgins urges secular Buddhists to be active citizens and contribute to social and political change. Given the crises facing our society, 'nowadays politics matters like never before!'

Secular Buddhism and democratic communities: sanghas r us

Winton Higgins discusses the importance of not just giving lip service to the importance of community, or sangha, but making it a central part of our practice.

A glossary of Buddhist terms (from a secular perspective)

A glossary of commonly used terms in dharma (aka ‘Buddhist’) circles set out in plain English, such as dharma, sangha, mindfulness and more.

Sangha essentials – creating community & bonding

In the third of three talks given at a day-long workshop in New Zealand in 2019 Winton Higgins discusses the centrality of creating communities or sanghas in the secular dharma path.