fbpx
Wikipedia

Secular Buddhism

January 01, 1970

Not to be confused with Neo-Buddhism.

Secular Buddhism—sometimes also referred to as agnostic Buddhism, Buddhist agnosticism, ignostic Buddhism, atheistic Buddhism, pragmatic Buddhism, Buddhist atheism, or Buddhist secularism—is a broad term for a form of Buddhism based on humanist, skeptical, and agnostic values, valuing pragmatism and (often) naturalism, eschewing beliefs in the supernatural or paranormal. It can be described as the embrace of Buddhist rituals and philosophy for their secular benefits by people who are atheist or agnostic.

Secular Buddhists interpret the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddhist texts in a rationalist and often evidentialist manner, considering the historical and cultural contexts of the times in which the Buddha lived and in which the various sutras and tantras were written.

The secular Buddhist framework strips Buddhist doctrine of various traditional beliefs that could be considered superstitious, or that cannot be tested through empirical research, such as: supernatural beings (such as devas, bodhisattvas, nāgas, pretas, Buddhas, etc.), merit and its transference, rebirth, and karma,[1] Buddhist cosmology (including the existence of pure lands and hells), etc.[2]

Traditional Buddhist ethical views regarding social issues such as abortion and human sexuality may or may not be called into question as well, with some schools, especially Western Buddhist ones, taking alternative stances.

History edit

Secular Buddhism has its roots in Buddhist modernism and secular humanism,[3] and is part of the broad trend of secularization that has been ongoing in the West since the recovery of classical Greek culture in the Renaissance. Many aspects of secular Buddhism are associated with the abandonment of hierarchical features of Buddhist monastic culture among some lay Buddhist practice communities in the West during the last decades of the 20th century in favor of democratic principles of civic association and the inclusion of women, disrupting traditional structures of patriarchal authority and gender exclusivity.[3]

The Insight Meditation movement in the United States was founded on modernist secular values. Jack Kornfield, an American teacher and former Theravadin monk, stated that the Insight Meditation Society wanted to present Buddhist meditation "without the complications of rituals, robes, chanting and the whole religious tradition."[4] S. N. Goenka, a popular teacher of Buddhist Vipassana meditation, taught that his practice was not a sectarian doctrine, but “something from which people of every background can benefit: an art of living.”[5] This essentially treats Buddhism as an applied philosophy, rather than a religion,[3] or relies on Buddhist philosophy without dogmatism. While recent scholarship has shown that such framings of Buddhist tradition were in large part rhetorical, and that teachers such as Goenka retained their traditional religious commitments in enacting their teachings and disseminating their meditation practices, such rhetorical reframing had a powerful impact on how Buddhism was repackaged in the context of the emergent globalities of the latter part of the twentieth century.[6]

Stephen Batchelor is a self-proclaimed secular Buddhist who promotes a strictly secular form of Buddhism. Batchelor was a Buddhist monk ordained in the more traditional forms of Buddhism. From his experience as a monk practicing Tibetan Buddhism and later Zen,[7] he felt the need for a more secular and agnostic approach. In his books Buddhism Without Beliefs and Confession of a Buddhist Atheist he articulates his approach to the Buddha's teaching, describes Siddhārtha Gautama as a historic person rather than an idealized religious icon, and scrutinizes typical Buddhist doctrines dealing with the concept of an afterlife.[7][8] In his book After Buddhism he promotes a skeptical philosophical interpretation of Buddhism akin to the Hellenistic philosophical tradition of Pyrrhonism. Batchelor suspects that Pyrrho learned some Buddhism while Pyrrho was in India as part of Alexander the Great's conquest and that Pyrrhonism may reflect the skepticism of Early Buddhism before Buddhism fell into dogmatism.[9]

Key concepts and practices edit

Unlike the various kinds of Buddhist modernism, which tend to be modifications of traditional schools of Buddhist thought and practice in the light of the discourses of modernity, secular Buddhism is founded on a reconfiguration of core elements of the dharma itself.[10] To this end it seeks to recover the original teachings of Siddhattha Gautama, the historical Buddha, yet without claiming to disclose "what the Buddha really meant". Rather, it interprets the early canonical teachings in a way that draws out their meaning in the Buddha's own historical context (the culture of the Gangetic plains in the fifth century BCE) while demonstrating their value and relevance to people living in our own time. Both aspects of this interpretation are literally "secular" in that they evoke the Latin root word saeculum – a particular age or generation. The ethos of the movement is captured in Stephen Batchelor's Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.[11]

Secular Buddhism proposes metaphysical beliefs and soteriology of Indian religious culture be left behind. This culture saw human life as an irredeemable realm of suffering, from which one should seek transcendence in an enduring beyond-human condition – a stance that virtually all Buddhist schools, as well as Hinduism and Jainism, perpetuate. Secular Buddhism, on the other hand, seeks to impart the Buddha's teaching as a guide to full human flourishing in this life and this world. In adopting a post-metaphysical philosophy, it parts company with existing religious forms of Buddhist orthodoxy, which have evolved since the Buddha's death. Instead, it aligns itself with today's post-metaphysical philosophy, not least phenomenology, so finding itself on a convergent path with similar movements in radical Christian theology, found in the work of thinkers such as Don Cupitt[12] and Gianni Vattimo.[13]

Secular Buddhism rejects power structures legitimated by the metaphysics of orthodox Buddhist belief.[14] It questions notions of spiritual progress based on standardized prescriptions for meditation practice, as well as the idea that Buddhist practice is essentially concerned with gaining proficiency in a set of meditative techniques endorsed by the authority of a traditional school or teacher.[15][16] Instead, secular Buddhism emphasizes a praxis, encouraging autonomy and equally encompassing every aspect of one's humanity, as modeled by the noble eight-fold path (appropriate view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration). Such an approach is open to generating a wide range of responses to specific individual and communal needs, rather than insisting on there being "one true way" to "enlightenment" valid for all times and places.

See also edit

Notes and references edit

  1. ^ Vernon, Mark (10 March 2010). . The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019.
  2. ^ Fronsdal, Gil (2014). "Natural Buddhism". Insight Journal. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
  3. ^ a b c Higgins, Winton (2012), , Journal of Global Buddhism, 13: 110–113, archived from the original on 2018-04-11, retrieved 2015-05-26
  4. ^ Fronsdal, Gil (1998), "Insight Meditation in the United States: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", in Prebish, C.S.; Tanaka, K.K. (eds.), The Faces of Buddhism in America, University of California Press
  5. ^ Braun, Erik (October 1, 2013). "S. N. Goenka, Pioneer of Secular Meditation Movement, Dies at 90". Tricycle:The Buddhist Review. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Stuart, Daniel M. (2020), S.N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 9781611808186
  7. ^ a b "Buddhism Without Beliefs". Publishers Weekly. March 31, 1997. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  8. ^ Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1998). "Buddhism without Beliefs: Review" (PDF). Journal of Buddhist Ethics 5:14-21.
  9. ^ "Batchelor's "After Buddhism": A Review – Secular Buddhist Association". secularbuddhism.org.
  10. ^ Batchelor, Stephen (2012), , Journal of Global Buddhism, 13: 87–107, archived from the original on 2019-07-05, retrieved 2015-05-26
  11. ^ Batchelor, Stephen (2010), Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, New York: Spiegel & Grau, ISBN 978-0-385-52706-4
  12. ^ Cupitt, Don (1997), After God, New York: Basic Books, ISBN 978-0465045143
  13. ^ Vattimo, Gianni (2002), After Christianity, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231106283
  14. ^ Contestabile, Bruno (25 February 2018). "Secular Buddhism and Justice". Contemporary Buddhism. 19 (2): 237–250. doi:10.1080/14639947.2018.1442144. S2CID 148960240.
  15. ^ Magid, Barry (2008), Ending the pursuit of happiness: a Zen guide, Boston: Wisdom Publications, ISBN 978-0861715534
  16. ^ Siff, Jason (2010), Unlearning Meditation: What to Do When the Instructions Get In the Way, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 978-1590307526

Further reading edit

External links edit

  • Secular Buddhism in Tricycle's Buddhism for Beginners series

January 01, 1970
secular, buddhism, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, ne. This article needs additional citations for verification Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Secular Buddhism news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2015 Learn how and when to remove this message Not to be confused with Neo Buddhism Secular Buddhism sometimes also referred to as agnostic Buddhism Buddhist agnosticism ignostic Buddhism atheistic Buddhism pragmatic Buddhism Buddhist atheism or Buddhist secularism is a broad term for a form of Buddhism based on humanist skeptical and agnostic values valuing pragmatism and often naturalism eschewing beliefs in the supernatural or paranormal It can be described as the embrace of Buddhist rituals and philosophy for their secular benefits by people who are atheist or agnostic Secular Buddhists interpret the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddhist texts in a rationalist and often evidentialist manner considering the historical and cultural contexts of the times in which the Buddha lived and in which the various sutras and tantras were written The secular Buddhist framework strips Buddhist doctrine of various traditional beliefs that could be considered superstitious or that cannot be tested through empirical research such as supernatural beings such as devas bodhisattvas nagas pretas Buddhas etc merit and its transference rebirth and karma 1 Buddhist cosmology including the existence of pure lands and hells etc 2 Traditional Buddhist ethical views regarding social issues such as abortion and human sexuality may or may not be called into question as well with some schools especially Western Buddhist ones taking alternative stances Contents 1 History 2 Key concepts and practices 3 See also 4 Notes and references 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory editSecular Buddhism has its roots in Buddhist modernism and secular humanism 3 and is part of the broad trend of secularization that has been ongoing in the West since the recovery of classical Greek culture in the Renaissance Many aspects of secular Buddhism are associated with the abandonment of hierarchical features of Buddhist monastic culture among some lay Buddhist practice communities in the West during the last decades of the 20th century in favor of democratic principles of civic association and the inclusion of women disrupting traditional structures of patriarchal authority and gender exclusivity 3 The Insight Meditation movement in the United States was founded on modernist secular values Jack Kornfield an American teacher and former Theravadin monk stated that the Insight Meditation Society wanted to present Buddhist meditation without the complications of rituals robes chanting and the whole religious tradition 4 S N Goenka a popular teacher of Buddhist Vipassana meditation taught that his practice was not a sectarian doctrine but something from which people of every background can benefit an art of living 5 This essentially treats Buddhism as an applied philosophy rather than a religion 3 or relies on Buddhist philosophy without dogmatism While recent scholarship has shown that such framings of Buddhist tradition were in large part rhetorical and that teachers such as Goenka retained their traditional religious commitments in enacting their teachings and disseminating their meditation practices such rhetorical reframing had a powerful impact on how Buddhism was repackaged in the context of the emergent globalities of the latter part of the twentieth century 6 Stephen Batchelor is a self proclaimed secular Buddhist who promotes a strictly secular form of Buddhism Batchelor was a Buddhist monk ordained in the more traditional forms of Buddhism From his experience as a monk practicing Tibetan Buddhism and later Zen 7 he felt the need for a more secular and agnostic approach In his books Buddhism Without Beliefs and Confession of a Buddhist Atheist he articulates his approach to the Buddha s teaching describes Siddhartha Gautama as a historic person rather than an idealized religious icon and scrutinizes typical Buddhist doctrines dealing with the concept of an afterlife 7 8 In his book After Buddhism he promotes a skeptical philosophical interpretation of Buddhism akin to the Hellenistic philosophical tradition of Pyrrhonism Batchelor suspects that Pyrrho learned some Buddhism while Pyrrho was in India as part of Alexander the Great s conquest and that Pyrrhonism may reflect the skepticism of Early Buddhism before Buddhism fell into dogmatism 9 Key concepts and practices editUnlike the various kinds of Buddhist modernism which tend to be modifications of traditional schools of Buddhist thought and practice in the light of the discourses of modernity secular Buddhism is founded on a reconfiguration of core elements of the dharma itself 10 To this end it seeks to recover the original teachings of Siddhattha Gautama the historical Buddha yet without claiming to disclose what the Buddha really meant Rather it interprets the early canonical teachings in a way that draws out their meaning in the Buddha s own historical context the culture of the Gangetic plains in the fifth century BCE while demonstrating their value and relevance to people living in our own time Both aspects of this interpretation are literally secular in that they evoke the Latin root word saeculum a particular age or generation The ethos of the movement is captured in Stephen Batchelor s Confession of a Buddhist Atheist 11 Secular Buddhism proposes metaphysical beliefs and soteriology of Indian religious culture be left behind This culture saw human life as an irredeemable realm of suffering from which one should seek transcendence in an enduring beyond human condition a stance that virtually all Buddhist schools as well as Hinduism and Jainism perpetuate Secular Buddhism on the other hand seeks to impart the Buddha s teaching as a guide to full human flourishing in this life and this world In adopting a post metaphysical philosophy it parts company with existing religious forms of Buddhist orthodoxy which have evolved since the Buddha s death Instead it aligns itself with today s post metaphysical philosophy not least phenomenology so finding itself on a convergent path with similar movements in radical Christian theology found in the work of thinkers such as Don Cupitt 12 and Gianni Vattimo 13 Secular Buddhism rejects power structures legitimated by the metaphysics of orthodox Buddhist belief 14 It questions notions of spiritual progress based on standardized prescriptions for meditation practice as well as the idea that Buddhist practice is essentially concerned with gaining proficiency in a set of meditative techniques endorsed by the authority of a traditional school or teacher 15 16 Instead secular Buddhism emphasizes a praxis encouraging autonomy and equally encompassing every aspect of one s humanity as modeled by the noble eight fold path appropriate view intention speech action livelihood effort mindfulness and concentration Such an approach is open to generating a wide range of responses to specific individual and communal needs rather than insisting on there being one true way to enlightenment valid for all times and places See also editAdevism Buddhism in the Americas Buddhism in the West Buddhist modernism Buddhist paths to liberation Criticism of Buddhism Arguments of secular origin Index of Buddhism related articles Religious views on truth Schools of Buddhism Secular spirituality Shambhala Buddhism Similarities between Pyrrhonism and Buddhism Spiritual but not religious Spiritual naturalismNotes and references edit Vernon Mark 10 March 2010 The new Buddhist atheism The Guardian Archived from the original on 22 July 2019 Fronsdal Gil 2014 Natural Buddhism Insight Journal Barre Center for Buddhist Studies a b c Higgins Winton 2012 The Coming of Secular Buddhism A Synoptic View Journal of Global Buddhism 13 110 113 archived from the original on 2018 04 11 retrieved 2015 05 26 Fronsdal Gil 1998 Insight Meditation in the United States Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in Prebish C S Tanaka K K eds The Faces of Buddhism in America University of California Press Braun Erik October 1 2013 S N Goenka Pioneer of Secular Meditation Movement Dies at 90 Tricycle The Buddhist Review Retrieved August 12 2019 Stuart Daniel M 2020 S N Goenka Emissary of Insight Shambhala Publications ISBN 9781611808186 a b Buddhism Without Beliefs Publishers Weekly March 31 1997 Retrieved August 12 2019 Bodhi Bhikkhu 1998 Buddhism without Beliefs Review PDF Journal of Buddhist Ethics 5 14 21 Batchelor s After Buddhism A Review Secular Buddhist Association secularbuddhism org Batchelor Stephen 2012 A Secular Buddhism Journal of Global Buddhism 13 87 107 archived from the original on 2019 07 05 retrieved 2015 05 26 Batchelor Stephen 2010 Confession of a Buddhist Atheist New York Spiegel amp Grau ISBN 978 0 385 52706 4 Cupitt Don 1997 After God New York Basic Books ISBN 978 0465045143 Vattimo Gianni 2002 After Christianity New York Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0231106283 Contestabile Bruno 25 February 2018 Secular Buddhism and Justice Contemporary Buddhism 19 2 237 250 doi 10 1080 14639947 2018 1442144 S2CID 148960240 Magid Barry 2008 Ending the pursuit of happiness a Zen guide Boston Wisdom Publications ISBN 978 0861715534 Siff Jason 2010 Unlearning Meditation What to Do When the Instructions Get In the Way Shambhala Publications ISBN 978 1590307526Further reading editBatchelor Stephen 1998 Buddhism without Beliefs Riverhead Books ISBN 1 57322 656 4 Batchelor Stephen 2015 After Buddhism Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age Yale University Press ISBN 978 0300205183 Harris Sam 2014 Waking Up A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 1451636017 Higgins Winton 2021 Revamp Writings on Secular Buddhism Tuwhiri ISBN 9780473571399 Payne Richard 2021 Secularizing Buddhism New Perspectives on a Dynamic Tradition Shambhala Publications ISBN 9781611808896 Stuart Daniel M 2020 S N Goenka Emissary of Insight Shambhala Publications ISBN 9781611808186 Ward Tim 1995 What the Buddha Never Taught Celestial Arts ISBN 0 89087 687 8 Wright Robert 2017 Why Buddhism Is True The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment Simon amp Schuster ISBN 9781439195468External links editSecular Buddhism in Tricycle s Buddhism for Beginners series Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Secular Buddhism amp oldid 1222161816, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.