POSTS:
Secular Buddhism
Stephen Batchelor on Secular Dharma
In a chapter from his new book, Buddha, Socrates, and Us, Stephen Batchelor presents the core elements of a secular approach to the dharma.
A Secular Buddhist Response to Gaza
Sharon Tobias, Nan DiBello, and Karsten Struhl urge all Buddhists to condemn the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, support humanitarian assistance efforts, and demand that the U.S. stop supplying weapons to Israel.
How Secular Buddhists Can Contribute to Movements for Social Change
Mike Slott discusses the ways in which a secular approach to the dharma offers important resources to political activists.
A core concept of secular Buddhism: the four tasks
The core teachings and insights of Gotama are not ‘truths’ to be believed but a ‘fourfold’ task to help us live our lives in a mindful and compassionate way.
The Case for a Socially Engaged Secular Dharma Practice
Caspar Harris argues that secular dharma practitioners should focus not just on personal development but engage with wider social issues and embrace what Thich Nhat Hanh calls interdependence.
The origin of secular Buddhism
The emergence of secular Buddhism in the west is part of the secularization that has been developing since before the Renaissance. Secular Buddhism represents the attempt to continue the process of rooting the dharma in modern western culture where the earlier non-monastic insight movement left off.
An introduction to secular Buddhism
For those who are curious about or interested in secular Buddhism and want to learn about this relatively new trend within Buddhism, this article will provide a helpful starting point for exploring a secular approach to the dharma.
Happiness Myths Exposed
Lenorë Lambert discusses the myths surrounding happiness and the need to embrace life as it is in an interview on the Redefining Wisdom podcast.
Stephen Batchelor and Gil Fronsdal Discuss “Buddha, Socrates, and Us”
Stephen Batchelor and Gil Fronsdal met on July 29 for a 90-minute online conversation to explore the themes of Stephen’s upcoming book, Buddha, Socrates, and Us: Ethical Living in Uncertain Times.
Cultivating Ethical Mindfulness — Reflections from Our Hong Kong Workshop
Ayda Duroux discusses a workshop on Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL) that she and Stephen Batchelor offered at the International Conference of Mindfulness - Asia Pacific (ICMAP) 2025.
MBEL Pilot Course to Begin in September
A ten week, online course on Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL) will be offered beginning in September 2025.
A Secular Buddhism Based on the Lotus Sūtra
John Tate offers an alternative foundation for secular Buddhism through a new interpretation of the Lotus Sutra.
A Critique of Secular Buddhism
Jesus Perez argues that secular Buddhism is characterized by a sense of cultural superiority over non-western cultures and reflects a worldview shaped by commercialism and individualism.
Exploring a secular dharma: SBN’s online course
SBN's free online course on explores key concepts a secular dharma. Participants in the course will go through the course modules, discuss the topics in each module with each other, and meet on Zoom every two weeks with the instructors for the course.
Why do some people follow dharma teachers who demand obedience?
Ramsey Margolis asks why some of the people who follow teachers in ancestral Buddhist communities, and their ‘traditional’ teachings, loathe secular Buddhism and secular Buddhists, at times with a palpable feeling of distaste that clearly is not rational.
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