Welcome to our March 2023 newsletter.
This month we highlight new articles by Robert M. Ellis, Harry Somaraju, and Seth Zuihō Segall, a practitioner's account of her journey to secular Buddhism, and a new SBN discussion group for practitioners who are socially engaged.
Towards a flourishing-based ethics
Seth Zuihō Segall brings together the virtue ethics systems of Aristotle, the Buddha, and Confucius with the pragmatists’ emphasis on provisional truths and democracy to offer a new flourishing-based ethics.
A practitioner’s journey to secular Buddhism: Cathryn
Cathryn Jacob became disillusioned with the dogmatism of an independent, charismatic church when she was young and was an atheist for many years. As part of her process of recovery later in life, Cathryn found that the secular dharma provided her with the concepts, skills and practices to ‘live life on life’s terms’, to flourish, and to help others do the same. She is currently very active in several secular Buddhist sanghas and groups.
The five principles of the Middle Way
Robert M. Ellis offers five principles of the Middle Way as a useful model for practice and as a set of principles that focus on judgment as a process rather than on beliefs in ultimates or absolutes.
SBN's new discussion group: Secular Dharma in the Community
The Secular Buddhist Network has formed a discussion group for those who wish to share their experiences of and discuss new possibilities for bringing secular Buddhist ideas, ethics, and practices to community groups, social service organizations, and political movements.
Research on the impact of mindfulness
Harry Somaraju discusses some of his recent research on the impact of mindfulness meditation on the alleviation of stress and the cultivation of positive mental and emotional qualities.
Connect with the Secular Buddhist Network
Online discussion group - meets the third Thursday of each month on Zoom. It’s a great opportunity for secular Buddhists and those who are interested in learning more about a secular approach to the dharma to connect with each other and to discuss key issues.
Online meditation groups - SBN offers two meditation groups. Our Sunday group meets every Sunday at 11 am US Eastern Time. We also have a group which meets Monday through Friday, at 1 pm US Eastern Time.
Online reading group - meets the first Thursday of each month. The readings are chosen by the participants and focus on issues related to a secular Buddhism, including basic concepts of a secular approach, meditation, mindfulness, and the relationship between secular Buddhism and traditional Buddhist lineages and practices.
Online group on Exploring aging from a secular Buddhist perspective - meets the last Monday of each month. The group shares experiences of aging and how we can use our practice to respond skillfully to the process of aging.
Online group on Secular Dharma in the Community (new) - meets the first Friday of every month. This discussion group for those who wish to share their experiences of and discuss new possibilities for bringing secular Buddhist ideas, ethics, and practices to community groups, social service organizations, and political movements.
SBN online courses on Exploring a secular dharma - Learn about the basic ideas and concepts of secular Buddhism through a free online course.
Upcoming Events, Workshops, and Retreats
SBN's Calendar of Meetings and Courses - A calendar of SBN sponsored discussion and meditation groups, as well as SBN's courses on secular Buddhism.
Upcoming courses and retreats - Click here for a listing of upcoming courses, programs, and retreats of interest for secular Buddhists and socially engaged Buddhists.
The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom and Pluralism - Thursday, 2 March (online through New York Insight)
with Seth Zuiho Segall
Our society is suffering from economic inequality; a continuing legacy of racism, sexism, and homo- and trans-phobia; growing anxiety and depression in the young and deaths of despair among the middle aged; increasing political and affective polarization; an overvaluation of wealth, popularity, and fame; and a failure to adequately address climate change.
Our problem is not a lack of possible solutions, but a lack of a consensus on what makes lives meaningful and worthwhile. This is an ethical question that calls for a renewed understanding of human flourishing and the wisdom and virtues that make it possible.
In this talk, Zen Buddhist priest and clinical psychologist Seth Zuihō Segall explores the commonalities between Buddhist, Confucian, and Aristotelean approaches to virtue and wisdom. We will examine the moral and intellectual virtues that promote flourishing, the diversity of ways in which we flourish, and the factors all flourishing lives share. Finally, we will address the problem of talking to each other across political and cultural divides, affirming the necessity of discovering ways to live together despite seemingly incommensurable differences. For more information, click here.
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