#18 March 2021
Welcome to our March 2021 newsletter.
This month we highlight new articles by John Danvers and Mike Slott, a collaborative photography project for meditators organized by Cameron Macfie, and a new Mindful Feminist Facebook group for secular Buddhists initiated by Freida Maverick. We also note the second meeting of SBN's monthly online group and the publication of Lenorë Lambert's new book on secular Buddhism.
How do we know if secular Buddhism is the ‘appropriate’ view and path?
While we cannot definitively know that secular Buddhism is the most ‘appropriate’ approach to the dharma in some universal sense, Mike Slott asserts that each individual can determine whether secular Buddhism is an ‘appropriate’ view and path for their own life based on their experiences, interests, and goals.
Interwoven nature: reflections on reconnecting body, mind and world
A longtime practitioner of Zazen and a secular Buddhist, John Danvers argues that mindful meditation enables those who practice it regularly to experience the self as a process that extends out into the world, to realise how open and porous we are and how interconnected we are with other beings and with our surroundings.
Meditators needed for a collaborative photography project
Cameron Macfie, a documentary photographer, is asking meditators to send him photos of themselves in the spaces in which they meditate and a photo that represents meditation for them. His goal is to bring all participants together in a shared online space for a collective meditation, and to provide a visual representation for inner experiences.
Connect with Secular Buddhists worldwide
If you have a sangha, centre, meditation group, resource or website, or are an individual who would like to connect with other secular Buddhists, fill out our simple form and we can add you to our listing of secular Buddhist groups and individuals.
We've also developed an interactive map as a visual aid to encourage communication and also make it easy to see where we might find others travelling the same spiritual path.
Second Meeting of the SBN Online Group
The Secular Buddhist Network online group held its second meeting 18 February. The focus for most of the meeting was a discussion of Stephen Batchelor's 'ten theses of secular dharma,' which appears at the end of his 2015 book, After Buddhism: Rethinking the dharma for a secular age.
A new Facebook group for secular Buddhists: Mindful Feminists
A new Facebook group initiated by Freida Maverick has formed: Mindful Feminists. The purpose of the Mindful Feminists Facebook group is to support each other to recollect, and mindfully hold, core qualities of compassion, presence and wisdom while standing firm, with loving-kindness and courage, to the task of defending and advocating for female sex-based rights in a world that is largely misogynistic.
Lenorë Lambert's new book: The Buddha for Modern Minds
Lenorë's book is now available on Amazon as an e-book and will be available in a print version later this month. Lenore's book provides newcomers to Buddhism and experienced practitioners with answers to key questions such as: Does the dharma teach passivity? Is the dharma anti-passion? The book also offers a deep dive into the Four Great Tasks (orthodox Four Noble Truths) and brings them alive with personal stories and practical suggestions.
Lenorë has also launched a free downloadable 'PAR' card on her website. PAR stands for People Against Rushing and it’s a virtual (imaginary) organisation she established to encourage people to slow down, notice their life, inhabit it, and create the space for themselves to be present. For more information on PAR, click here.
If you are on Facebook or Twitter, we would be grateful if you would 'like' and 'share' any item in this newsletter that you think is valuable or the newsletter itself. Look out for Secular Buddhist Network on Facebook; our Twitter account is @AFourFoldTask.
Learn about the basic ideas and concepts of secular Buddhism through a free online course
Find a secular Buddhist community near you
Find out about upcoming courses and retreats
Let us know what you think about the newsletter and the website