Secular Buddhism

One of the most common questions I hear when I'm teaching is "Is Buddhism a Religion?" People are typically expecting a simple "yes" or "no" but I've found that the answer is a bit more complex than that. In this episode, I will share my view of why I see Buddhism as an applied psychology or a philosophical way of life more than a religion. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, gui...

Life is a journey and the journey is the goal. What would life be like if we did things for the sake of doing them? In this episode, I will explore the idea of learning to enjoy the journey instead of always focusing on destinations. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI you can chat with about any episode or teaching. Hosted on Acast...

We want to win and we don't want to lose. The problem is that there is no winning without losing. There is no good without bad, no right without wrong. This is the basic understanding of non-duality. We are free to be what we are free to be but that also means we are not free to be what we are not free to be. In this episode, I will discuss the illusion of free will and how the greatest sense of f...

In life, difficulties arise. This is a universal aspect of the human experience. Knowing this, how do we deal with difficult emotions? We don't like feeling angry, sad, or afraid, but these are normal and natural emotions just like happiness or joy. Emotions, like everything else, are impermanent and interdependent. In this episode, I will discuss the topic of dealing with difficult emotions. Expl...

We are continually making comparisons, this vs that, good vs bad, here vs there, etc...In this episode, I will discuss the topic of perfection and the problems we run into when we compare things. The understanding of non-duality permeates through all Buddhist teachings. In order to properly understand perfection, we must not compare to anything else. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transc...

How do we make sense of the atrocities that are committed every day in the world? Is there a source of evil behind such things? In this episode, I will discuss the Buddhist understanding of non-dichotomy in relationship to good and evil. How does our understanding of interdependence influence our way of understanding the horrible things we see happening in the world? Let me know what you think in...

Modern society tends to assign a value to everything we do. If there is no utilitarian purpose to something, we think it's not valuable. Why does a painter paint? Why does a dancer dance? For the simple joy of doing it. This is what it means to live life artfully. In this episode, I will explore the concept of purposeless purpose and meaningless meaning. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full tr...

Why do we chase after happiness? What if we could be free from the pursuit of happiness? In this episode, I will explore the nature of human emotions. When we understand that all emotions, including happiness, sadness, etc...are impermanent, we can learn to stop chasing after these emotions. Pursuing happiness can be a lot like pursuing our shadow. It's not something we can "catch". Explore more a...

Who are you? Who you were yesterday, may not be who you are today. Our true nature is that we are continually changing, evolving, and growing. There is no fixed permanent you. In this episode, I will discuss the Buddhist concept of "no-self". Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI you can chat with about any episode or teaching. Hosted...

What's true here may not be true there and what was true yesterday, may not be true today. The nature of truth, life, and reality is that they are impermanent. They are ALWAYS changing. How do we make sense of things like promises and commitments in a world that is constantly changing? In this episode, I will explore the concept of truth as being relative to both space and time. Explore more at ei...

True faith is the attitude of being open to whatever might be. When we create an image in our mind of how life is "supposed" to be, we literally blind ourselves to seeing life as it is. In this episode, I will explore the concepts of faith and doubt and discuss how doubt is the key to having true faith. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI,...

This week I'm traveling for work so I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the journey of life. Every moment is a new experience we've never had. Each moment is unique and that's what makes it all so beautiful. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI you can chat with about any episode or teaching. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

It's commonly said that Buddhism is a path of liberation...but what does that really mean? In this episode, I will discuss the concept of freedom and truth. I will also discuss how can we extend freedom to ourselves and to others. If you are interested in attending any retreats or workshops, please visit http://secularbuddhism.com/retreats/ to express your interest. Explore more at eightfoldpath.c...

In this episode, I will explore the idea of learning to meditate by not meditating. I share the poem "Dust if You Must" by Rose Milligan that went viral on the Secular Buddhism. It was viewed by over 10 million people in just a matter of days. I also discuss the idea of being vs doing. I hope you enjoy this episode! Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses,...

In this episode, I will discuss one of the Buddha’s most famous teachings: The Parable of the Raft. The general concept to be learned by this parable is the importance of letting go of the things that we no longer need on our journey. It would be wise to take a moment to reflect on what rafts we continue to cling to even after they are no longer necessary for us. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com...

What does it mean to be selfless? In Gyomay Kubose's essay on selflessness he mentions that "Buddhism is the way of selflessness", but what does that really mean? In this episode, I will explore the topic of selflessness and how our sense of self is always relative. Understanding relative existence and interdependence is the key to living life in a state of selflessness. When you put your whole li...

In this episode, I'll discuss how our evolutionary hardwiring causes us to chase after carrots and avoid getting hit with sticks. This constant seeking and avoiding can make it difficult to live authentic lives. We tend to focus on showing a good front and hiding any aspect of ourselves that we deem unworthy. The Japanese haiku "showing front, showing back, maple leaves fall" teaches us to be vuln...

In this episode, I will explore the typical problems that people encounter when first learning or hearing about Buddhist terminology and symbols. Buddhism emphasizes truth rather than God, meditation rather than prayer, enlightenment rather than salvation, and universal life rather than individual soul. But for many secular minded people, the terminology and the symbols encountered when learning a...

This episode explores the difference between Acceptance vs Resignation. A common misconception about Buddhist thought is the idea that acceptance means we just resign to what is and we don't/can't do anything about it. Buddhism does not encourage resignation, in fact, Resignation is not at all in line with Buddhist teachings. This discussion will clarify the difference between acceptance and resig...

This episode explores how I teach mindfulness to my kids. We know that practicing mindfulness is beneficial for adults but it's also very beneficial for kids. Research indicates that mindfulness can help kids improve their abilities to pay attention, to calm down when they are upset and to make better decisions. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and...

This episode explores the topics of Death, Karma, and Mindfulness. The ultimate aim of Buddhist studies is to obtain freedom, and freedom is the only requirement for happiness. There are 11 key things you can do to live more mindfully. Everything you need in order to be happy can be found within the present moment. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses,...

This episode explores the topic of the ego. What is ego? What part of me is really me? When we view ourselves and others as independent and permanent, we tend to view ourselves as finished products rather than works in progress. The reality is that the sense of self is an illusion, we are impermanent and interdependent. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, cour...

This episode explores the topics of Interdependence and Impermanence as well as the 8 fold path. Understanding these topics along with Emptiness, will help us to develop "wise view", the most important part of the 8 fold path. Poem shared: "Autobiography In Five Short Chapters" by Portia Nelson. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI y...

This episode explores the nature of human suffering or the nature of the human condition. The first main discourse of the Buddha was concerning the nature of suffering, taught in a format commonly known as "The 4 Noble Truths". Understanding the nature of suffering will allow us to explore how we can minimize suffering for ourselves and for others. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcri...

This episode is an introduction to the new Secular Buddhism podcast. I'll talk about what it is and why I'm starting this podcast. I hope you enjoy the introduction and if you're interested in learning more about Secular Buddhism, please follow the podcast. New episodes will be available weekly. Explore more at eightfoldpath.com : full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI y...