COURSES & RETREATS

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. They range from SBN’s free online course (available in both self-paced and group versions) to the course on secular dharma offered by Bodhi College.

On this page you will find the variety of courses and retreats available on secular Buddhism.

RECOMMENDED COURSES

EXPLORING A SECULAR DHARMA

SBN’s free online course

The Secular Buddhist Network is offering a free online course exploring the key ideas and practices of secular Buddhism, an important trend that has emerged in western Buddhism in recent years.

This online course is based mainly on Stephen Batchelor’s recent book, After Buddhism: rethinking the dharma for a secular age and the companion book published by The Tuwhiri Project, After Buddhism: a workbook by Winton Higgins.

Stephen and Martine Batchelor, Winton Higgins, Mike Slott, Jim Champion and Linda Modaro explain the thinking and philosophy behind this course in this short video.

They talk about its origins in the groundbreaking book After Buddhism and the process of revisting and rethinking the teachings of the Buddha for a modern age.

OBJECTIVES

The courses key objectives are to:

Identify and explain the key concepts of secular Buddhism
Compare secular Buddhism with traditional, institutional forms of Buddhism
Sketch a vision of secular Buddhist practice for individuals and communities

MIKE SLOTT

COURSE DEVELOPER

The course was developed by Mike Slott. A part-time lecturer in labor history at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, Mike is a long-time political and labor movement activist who began a meditation practice in 2010.

He is a member of and practice leader at New York Insight.

The course is available through this website for individual self-study and for people to go through in a group.

We encourage communities to enrol groups of their members in the course together, allowing them the opportunity to exchange views and experiences. Contact us to discuss.

The course will be accessible in three ways:

Self-paced

– for individuals to go through it on their own.

Community

– for people to go through with a group of friends.

Group

– for individuals to go through at the same time with a cohort of others.

Exploring a Secular Dharma is offered without a fixed fee; when you have completed it, you will be invited to make a donation which will ensure that others can go through the course also.

If you are interested in taking this course as an individual (Self-paced) click on the link below:

ENROLL NOW

If you are interested in participating in the course as part of a learning cohort, with opportunities for discussion and feedback, click here

OTHER COURSES

Registrations are now open for the Spring 2022 class of SBN’s free online course on exploring a secular dharma. Participants in the course will go through the course modules, discuss the topics in each module with each other, and meet on Zoom every two weeks with the instructors for the course.

By SBN Editor

Bodhi College’s Secular Dharma Course

Bodhi College’s Secular Dharma course takes a secular rather than a religious approach to the teachings of the Buddha. The course emphasizes the humanity of Gotama and the practical applications of his teaching in this world, and encourage each student to find his or her own way of practice within the secular/religious spectrum of their own lives.

By SBN Editor