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Secular Buddhism
An interview with Robert Wright on evolutionary psychology and a naturalistic approach to Buddhism
SBN interviewed Robert Wright, the author of why 'Buddhism is True,' on evolutionary psychology, his naturalistic approach to Buddhism, and his view of secular Buddhism.
The dialogue on secular Buddhism continues: Seth Zuihō Segall’s rejoinder to Winton Higgins
Seth Zuihō Segall continues the dialogue on secular Buddhism by offering a rejoinder to Winton Higgins' response to his article, 'Why I Am Not a Secular Buddhist.' Seth discusses the nature of the religious attitude, the role of community and traditions, and his non-dual perspective.
Winton Higgins responds to Seth Zuihō Segall’s ‘Why I am not a secular Buddhist’
Winton Higgins asserts that Seth Zuihō Segall mistakenly assumes that all secular Buddhists support a 'scientistic' form of secular Buddhism which is hostile to religion. In fact, many secular Buddhists advocate an 'interpretive' approach which integrates dharmic insights with modern perspectives to promote human flourishing in this life.
Why I am not a secular Buddhist
Seth Zuihō Segall considers his 'naturalized' and 'eudaimonic' approach to Buddhism 'close cousins' to secular Buddhism. Yet, he believes that the word 'secular' implies a set of connotations he does not wish to affirm.
Owen Flanagan on the core elements of a naturalistic Buddhism
Owen Flanagan presents the core elements of a naturalistic Buddhism in a recent essay. Following the traditional division of the Noble Eightfold Path into three sections – wisdom, ethics, and meditation - he lays out the ‘three strands’ of a Buddhism stripped of the metaphysical and supernatural elements of traditional Buddhism.
The simile of the raft: another interpretation
The point of the simile of the raft is to realize that holding one's own version of the dharma as the only valid one and considering the others wrong is a form of attachment that will not lead to anything good and that contradicts the practice itself. In the long run a closed and dogmatic attitude will reinforce harmful mental patterns.
The God of the Buddha
The historical Buddha, Gotama, is not properly characterized as either an atheist or agnostic. He does not deny or affirm, but chooses silence, a ’strategic‘ silence which affirms a precise idea: any discourse on the absolute is inadequate. It is not a question of arguing that this dimension is unthinkable or unrealizable. It is about rejecting any attempt by language to establish a definitive truth in one sense or another.
The Secular Buddhist Recovery Facebook Group
The Secular Buddhist Recovery Group on Facebook is a sangha of individuals who wish to learn, help and support each other in recovery from alcohol, drugs and other addictions using the practices and teachings of a nonsectarian approach to the Dharma. The group is for those who seek or are in recovery from addictions and for those with an interest in addiction recovery using a secular Dharma perspective.
Mortality and spiritual freedom
In an August 2020 talk to Bluegum Sangha in Sydney, Australia, Winton Higgins offered some thoughts on This life: secular faith and spiritual freedom, a recently published book by the Swedish philosopher, Martin Hägglund. He explored some of the ways the book might prompt us as dharma practitioners to refocus our practice by clarifying some of our underlying assumptions.
Stephen Batchelor on ‘Imagination, Creativity, and Magic’
In a dharma talk given to the Community Meditation Center (New York City, USA), Stephen Batchelor discussed the centrality of imagination and creativity to the dharmic path.
A secular approach to practicing meditation
Secular Buddhists can and do practice meditation in a variety of ways, but there is no secular Buddhist meditation practice per se. Instead, secular Buddhists bring a secular outlook and orientation to existing forms of meditation practice.
A secular Buddhist perspective on the threat of climate extinction
Stephen Batchelor argues that a wise and compassionate response to the threat of climate extinction demands direct engagement with life itself irrespective of any a priori beliefs about the origins and end of suffering. By entering into a contemplative, empathetic, and existential relationship with the pain of the world, one seeks to respond with situation-specific compassion.
Teaching the dharma, avoiding ‘the ego trap’
When we give a dharma talk and fall into 'the ego trap,' the focus is one's self and making sure the ego is gratified. Alex Carr confronts the key question: How could I be fostering a sense of equanimity and non-reactivity if my sangha was becoming a place where I would inflame my own craving for praise and admiration and my aversion to failure?
Laughing is a serious matter on the secular Buddhist path!
The lightness of laughter can help us to break the connected dualisms of right/wrong, true/false, internal/external, and us/the others. These standards ways of viewing the world keep us hooked to our ego and hold us back from the freedom to experiment, to be open, to enjoy the time we have and all our experiences, including the negative ones.
Stephen Batchelor on ‘Everyday Nirvana’
In a dharma talk given to the Community Meditation Center (New York City, USA), Stephen Batchelor emphasized that nirvana should be understood as an experience of the cessation of reactivity rather than an end state or experience of complete and ultimate freedom from the poisons of greed, hatred, and confusion.
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