When people ask, “What is secular Buddhism?” answers tend to emphasize adapting the Buddha’s teachings to the modern world. What does it mean to be Buddhist in the 21st century consumer-driven economy and individualistic society?
All that is fine, but in the rush to understand “Buddhism” in the context of contemporary society, what it means to be “secular” usually is lost. The Secular Buddhist Network, for example, has eight discussion groups devoted to various aspects of what it means to be “Buddhist.”
But none asking what it means to be “secular.”
That has changed. On Thursday, April 30, 2026, a new SBN online discussion group held its first meeting. Devoted entirely to what it means to be “secular,” at its first meeting the group named itself Exploring Secularism.
We were moved to organize Exploring Secularism by SBN’s focus on one aspect of secular Buddhism while ignoring the other half. Although most SBN groups approach their subject “from a secular Buddhist perspective,” in our experience these groups seldom address the secular part of the equation. And when SBN responded to the second Trump Administration, it reached out to other Buddhist groups to create the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy. No problem.
But no one suggested asking other secular organizations to form a coalition for that or any other purpose. That is a problem.
As Exploring Secularism’s co-organizers, we hope to raise SBN members’ awareness of our secular side. By doing so, we aspire to better serve two distinct groups: secular people who have developed an interest in Buddhism, and people with a Buddhist background or experience who are interested in a secular approach.
In our meetings, we discuss topics ranging from the 19th century origins of the word “secularism” to whether secular Buddhism requires a materialist view of consciousness. We ask how to develop ethical frameworks without supernatural beliefs. Is secularism the same as philosophical or scientific naturalism? Can one be a secularist and still allow for supernatural events?
More personally, we have shared experiences with loss and how different worldviews provide comfort during challenging times. We have discussed how we might think about death in the absence of any belief in an afterlife.
Our purpose is not to hammer out a uniform position on how to be secular. Rather, it is to enrich our understanding of the many meanings of “secular” and “secularism.” We welcome all viewpoints to the discussion.
We created Exploring Secularism in the context of SBN’s strategic plan to break down internal silos that inhibit interaction and cross fertilization among sub-groups of the SBN community. In addition to promoting Exploring Secularism within SBN and on SBN’s website, we intend to foster communication and discussion between SBN and other secular groups—breaking down SBN’s “Buddhists only” external silo.
If topics such as these interest you, we invite you to join Exploring Secularism. We meet on the last Thursday of every month at 12:00 Noon U.S. Eastern Time to accommodate participants from as many locations as possible—our current membership spans seven time zones, from the U.S. Pacific Coast to Israel. You can use Time Buddy to find out what time this would be in your time zone.
For more information, and to join Exploring Secularism, please click here.
