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Reimagining Community newsletter #14 November 2020
Welcome to our November 2020 newsletter. This month we highlight new articles by Seth Zuihō Segall and Winton Higgins, two online courses on the secular dharma,  two new books by Tuwhiri,  and a new course from Sati Sangha on 'ethical reflecting.' We also ask for feedback about the website and newsletter.

Winton Higgins responds to Seth Zuihō Segall’s ‘Why I am not a secular Buddhist’
Winton Higgins asserts that Seth Zuihō Segall mistakenly assumes that all secular Buddhists support a 'scientistic' form of secular Buddhism which is hostile to religion. In fact, many secular Buddhists advocate an 'interpretive' approach which integrates dharmic insights with modern perspectives to promote human flourishing in this life.

Owen Flanagan on the core elements of a naturalistic Buddhism
Owen Flanagan presents the core elements of a naturalistic Buddhism in a recent essay. Following the traditional division of the Noble Eightfold Path into three sections – wisdom, ethics, and meditation - he lays out the ‘three strands’ of a Buddhism stripped of the metaphysical and supernatural elements of traditional Buddhism.

Reimagining Community newsletter #13 October 2020
Welcome to our October 2020 newsletter. This month we highlight recent dharma talks by Winton Higgins and Stephen Batchelor, as well as new articles by Dr. Cathryn Jacob and Bernat Font. Our feature is an excerpt from a provocative, new article by Stefano Bettera on the 'God of the Buddha.'

Mortality and spiritual freedom
In an August 2020 talk to Bluegum Sangha in Sydney, Australia, Winton Higgins offered some thoughts on This life: secular faith and spiritual freedom, a recently published book by the Swedish philosopher, Martin Hägglund. He explored some of the ways the book might prompt us as dharma practitioners to refocus our practice by clarifying some of our underlying assumptions.

Reimagining Community newsletter #9 June 2020
Welcome to our June 2020 newsletter. This month’s glossary item is MINDFULNESS and we introduce new articles by John Danvers and Stefano Bettera, as well as a new secular mindfulness course offered by Dave Smith. Our feature is an excerpt from a dharma talk by Winton Higgins on secular Buddhist meditation.

Reimagining Community newsletter #7 April 2020
Welcome to our April 2020 newsletter. This month’s glossary item is the FOUR IMMEASURABLES and we introduce new articles on secular Buddhists' responses to the coronavirus, how an Irish, working class radical became one of the first western Buddhist monks, and a book review of Evan Thompson's Why I am not a Buddhist. Our feature article is an excerpt from a blog post by Bernat Font on secular Buddhism.

Metta in the time of the coronavirus: responses of secular Buddhists to the pandemic
Several contributors to the Secular Buddhist Network website offer their insights on how we can best respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The common theme is that by fully understanding core Buddhist insights regarding impermanence, suffering, and interconnection, as well as cultivating an ethical stance of care and compassion, we can skillfully respond to this current crisis.

A review of Evan Thompson’s ‘Why I am not a Buddhist’
In his recently published book, the philosopher Evan Thompson critiques Buddhist modernism and the notion that Buddhism is superior to other spiritual traditions because it provides us with a scientific understanding of the mind and our world. Is Thompson's criticism of Buddhist modernism valid? Do his criticisms apply to secular Buddhism?

Exploring secular Buddhism through courses and retreats
For those who want an introduction to secular Buddhism, or who wish to explore key ideas in secular Buddhism more thoroughly, there are a number of excellent courses and retreats to choose from.

Secular Buddhism
Secular dharma lowers the moon of nirvana down to our reach. It is no longer treated as a metaphysical reality distinct from everything we could conceive, or as a goal farther than far: it is about living each moment of our life from that place of non-greed, non-aversion and non-confusion.

Interview with Winton Higgins on The Mindful Cranks podcast
In an interview for The Mindful Cranks podcast, Winton Higgins discusses different approaches to secular Buddhism, the tendency of Western Buddhists to focus on mindfulness meditation as a form of self-help and self-improvement, and the need for practitioners to become caring dharmic citizens, politically engaged in the struggles to create a just and sustainable society.

Reimagining Community newsletter #5 Feb. 2020
Welcome to our February 2020 newsletter. This month’s glossary item is the EVERYDAY SUBLIME and we introduce new articles by Stefano Bettera and Bill Gayner. Our feature article is an excerpt from a talk given by Winton Higgins in 2019 on satipaṭṭhāna or insight meditation.

Reimagining Community newsletter #4 Jan 2020
This month’s glossary item is Dukkha and we have an interview with meditation teacher Dave Smith and an unconventional glossary of attitudes relevant to the Buddhist path developed by Nelly Kaufer. We also introduce a new feature of the website, an interactive map that connects secular Buddhists worldwide. Our feature article is by Stefano Bettera, called Defining secular Buddhism: beware of certain traps.

Emotion-Focused Mindfulness Therapy and Stephen Batchelor’s four tasks
Emotion-Focused Mindfulness Therapy (EFMT) is a new psychological approach to addressing internal conflicts like harsh self-criticism. The approach emerged out of a dialogue between Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and the secular and contemporary Buddhist perspectives of Stephen Batchelor, Winton Higgins and Jason Siff.