POSTS:
Doug Smith
Buddhist Activism and Quietism
By Doug Smith | February 6, 2017 Originally appeared on the SBA website at https://secularbuddhism.org/buddhist-activism-and-quietism/. Many of us are looking for the right way to engage with contemporary political concerns. What does Buddhism have to teach us? A couple of recent articles have taken this question in opposite directions. In “Let’s Stand Up Together”, Bhikkhu Bodhi argues that Buddhism has a […]
On Some Criticisms of Modern Mindfulness
By Doug Smith | May 16, 2016 Originally appeared on the SBA website at https://secularbuddhism.org/on-some-criticisms-of-modern-mindfulness/. Is the contemporary mindfulness movement a kind of "fad" that misconstrues the essential message of the Buddha? Pieces by Edwin Ng and Ron Purser (2016a, 2016b) and Stephen Schettini (2014), not to mention the earlier “McMindfulness” critique by Purser and Loy (2013) argue that this […]
On Conventional and Ultimate Truth
By Doug Smith | March 12, 2015 Originally appeared on the SBA website at https://secularbuddhism.org/on-conventional-and-ultimate-truth/. One of the most famous Buddhist tropes is the distinction between “conventional truth” and “ultimate truth”. While these terms never appear in the Nikāyas, and so cannot be traced back to the Buddha himself, they do trace to the abhidhamma period, perhaps as a […]
Impermanence and Emptiness: a Reversal in Perspective?
By Doug Smith | January 12, 2015 Originally appeared on the SBA website at https://secularbuddhism.org/impermanence-and-emptiness-a-reversal-in-perspective/. The Buddhist notion of emptiness (suññatā/śunyatā) is famously difficult to get one’s head around. In a presentation this past Saturday Sharon Salzberg described it as a combination of impermanence (anicca) and interconnectedness. This is a good first go at understanding emptiness, although the simple concept […]
Secular Buddhism, Thin and Thick
By Doug Smith | April 9, 2013 Originally appeared on the SBA website at https://secularbuddhism.org/secular-buddhism-thin-and-thick/. There is an important split in the way many of us approach Secular Buddhism. Some of us want a "big tent" form of Secular Buddhism that welcomes believers from any and all faith backgrounds who are looking for a way to incorporate meditative […]
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