meditation Archives - Secular Buddhist Network

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meditation

Meditating in a secular world

Meditative practice enables us to develop a more present, lucid and conscious connection with what surrounds us, in the precise moment and place where we find ourselves. Meditative practice does not take us beyond that present moment in its totality. If anything, it leads us deeper, to union with it.

Interview with Dave Smith on teaching meditation and the Secular Dharma Foundation

Dave Smith is an internationally recognized Buddhist meditation teacher, addiction treatment specialist, and published author. We recently interviewed Dave about his approach to being a meditation teacher and his Secular Dharma Foundation.

The wanderer stilled: Martine Batchelor on meditation

Martine Batchelor discusses how concentration and experiential enquiry are the two basic elements of all forms of Buddhist meditation.

Secular Buddhist meditation: cultivating virtues and insights to promote human flourishing

Mike Slott argues that the purpose of meditation for secular Buddhists is to cultivate certain virtues and insights which are crucial to promoting human flourishing in this world, not the attainment of nirvana.

The basis of meditation

At a Sŏn-style retreat in which the question 'What is this?' is posed Martine Batchelor explains that all forms of meditation practice are all based on two fundamental elements – anchoring and experiential inquiry.

Secular versus traditional approaches to meditation

In his 2015 book After Buddhism Stephen Batchelor argues that the goal of meditation for secular Buddhists is not achieving nirvana but gaining an embodied understanding of our experiences from moment to moment.

The goal of secular Buddhist meditation practice

According to Winton Higgins, 'We meditate to experience this world and this life as vividly as possible. Intensely. The way we experience it reflects back at us – it tells us who we are and where we’re at in this moment.'

Meditating without nirvana: a transformative experience

From a secular Buddhist perspective, Mike Slott contends that meditation should not be about reaching or accessing nirvana, but developing the capacity to become wiser, more compassionate, and mindful.

Meditating with and for each other

Mike Slott argues in this article that traditional meditation retreats in insight and Zen centers are too individually-focused, that there needs to be more opportunities to develop a sense of community and comraderie among retreat participants. He offers "practical suggestions on how solidarity and support between retreatants, as well as a greater focus on our engagement in the world, can become part of meditation retreats."

Mindfulness is a hot commodity: looking for a quick fix?

Something that goes by the name ‘mindfulness meditation’ is a hot commodity these days. You can find many models on the market, some are more or less expensive, and of varying quality (like cars and dishwashers). The brands that are on the market either claim claiming origins in the Buddhist tradition, which lends them the kudos and the aura of ancient wisdom, or studiously avoid doing so.

Challenges to Buddhist meditation practice now

In this talk given in 2018 Winton Higgins compares the expectations of people living in the Buddha’s era (5th century BCE) about meditation practice, and to our own views about the goals of meditation.

Secular Buddhism and the real reasons to meditate

Mike Slott argues that the goal of meditation is to become a more mindful and compassionate person, one who can contribute to creating a society in which all human beings can flourish.

Jim Champion on meditation: what if I’m doing it wrong?

Jim Champion discusses the common view of meditators that they are somehow doing "something wrong" and argues that "what I’ve found so far in my practice of meditation (which most commonly involves sitting quietly, with the intention to meditate, in the morning and the evening) is that however much I want do it right, in fact I can't do it wrong.

A secular approach to insight meditation

In a dharma talk given in New Zealand in October 2015 Winton Higgins explores the differences between the traditional model of insight meditation using the foundational text of the Satipatthāna sutta and a secular approach.

A review of Sam Harris’ ‘Waking Up – the illusory nature of the self’

Mark Knickelbine reviews Sam Harris' book, "Waking Up." He has a positive view of the book, but believes that Harris has painted too limited a view of the kind of contemplative practice which can help us awaken in the modern world.