Podcasts about buddhist atheist

This week on RfRx, David Teachout is taking us on a deep dive into Buddhism. Buddhism, in its core tenets, is as much philosophy as it is religion. Contrary to most religions, there's no requirement to be a dualist while still appreciating, and incorporating Buddhist principles into one's life. For many atheists raised, and repeatedly told, that there's no meaning found outside of fundamentalism, Buddhism is an example that proves that wrong. David Teachout is a mental health therapist and photographer, focused on and teaching how creativity intersects with mental flexibility to work through life's struggles. David grew up as a Christian fundamentalist, attending a bible college and receiving a bachelor's in theology and psychology. During his studies there, David deconverted and has been on a journey of appreciating humanity and all the stories we create to build meaning and purpose. David has a master's in both forensic psychology and counseling psychology, and is currently at work on a doctorate in clinical psychology. David has been actively working within the field of psychology as therapist, social worker, advocate, and subject-matter-expert, for over fifteen years. In his spare time, David enjoys reading a copious amount, both fiction and non-fiction, exploring perspective through photography, and maintains a blog at www.lifeweavings.com and a podcast at www.humanitysvalues.com. For RfRx comments, inquiries & topical questions, email us at RfRx@recoveringfromreligion.org. Any time you are struggling with religious doubts or fears you can connect with a trained RfR Helpline agent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To chat online go to http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org. To talk over the phone, dial: (844) 368-2848 in the US & Canada If you are in need of professional help, we can offer the Secular Therapy Project to provide options to connect with a professional therapist. All therapists have been thoroughly vetted by our organization and offer only evidence-based and non-religious treatment. Connect with them at http://www.seculartherapy.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok. Volunteer: http://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/volunteer Donate: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/donate --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/recovering-from-religion/message

"A Brief History of Secular Buddhism For 2,500 years: Buddhist meditation was practiced by monks—these practices are older than Christianity and Islam. Meditation was not generally taught to lay people. 19th century: Buddhism came to the attention of Western intellectuals 1890's-1950's: Buddhist meditation was first taught to laypeople en-mass: Burmese monks: Ledi Sayadaw, Webu Sayadaw and Saya Thetgyi taught meditation to lay meditation teachers such as Sayaguyi U Ba Khin. 1960's: Sayagyi U Ba Khin teaches S.N. Goenka and after 1976 Goenka creates hundreds of secular meditation centers that teach Vipassana a form of mindfulness meditation and proto-Secular Buddhism. 1979: Jon Kabat-Zin founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts to treat the chronically ill. 2011: Stephen Batchelor published the book “Buddhist Atheist.” Small local and online Secular Buddhist groups form around the world 2015: Mark W. Gura co-founded the Association of Mindfulness Meditation and Secular Buddhism (AMMSB.org), the first national nonprofit dedicated to Secular Buddhism in the U.S. and he published “Atheist Meditation.” 2016: The Atheist Alliance of America started to inform the atheist community about Secular Buddhism. 2016: With the help of Peter Boghossian and Anthony Magnabosco, the AMMSB adopted the use of Street Epistemology to introduce Secular Buddhism to traditional Buddhists. 2017: With the help of Rebecca Hale and Roy Speckhardt the American Humanist Association and the AMMSB collaborated to further inform the secular humanist and atheist community about Secular Buddhism." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

Renowned Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor speaks to Banyen Books & Sound about his latest book, The Art of Solitude. Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer. Best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism, he is one of he most influential voices in Buddhist thought today. Stephen Batchelor has been a contributing editor of Tricyle: The Buddhist Review since 1992, and is the author of several bestselling books, including Buddhism Without Beliefs, Living with the Devil, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, Secular Buddhism, and After Buddhism.

RECUT from Episode 106: Many people who use substances say that they create a deeper connection with “god,” “nature” or their own “spiritual” selves. Yet most organized religions are averse to plant medicines including psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote and cannabis. Christians call these entheogens (plants that when ingested produce higher states of consciousness) false gods and warn against them for a host of reasons, primarily because they don't want adherents straying from the flock.Buddhists use different words but similarly proscribe intoxicants that lead users into states of “mindlessness” or “carelessness.” But as an intermittent traveler in spiritual circles I can assure you substance use among Western spiritual teachers is far more widespread than openly admitted. So many of them use psychedelics and cannabis, but maintain a well-guarded “conspiracy of silence,” as this week's guest, Stephen Batchelor, puts it.Batchelor is an esteemed teacher, writer, artist, and Buddhist scholar, who is best known for his secular approach to Buddhism and his openness to using entheogens to deepen his own contemplative practices. At 18, he went to India, where he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974. He traveled, first to Germany and then South Korea, where he left the Tibetan tradition to train in Zen Buddhism. But in 1985 he disrobed, married and moved to France, where he and his wife still live in a small village near Bordeaux. His work has centered around developing a more modern, universalist approach to Buddhism, one that integrates the truths of tradition with the needs of our time.“The bulk of Buddhist teachers set out on this path through psychedelics and cannabis in the 1960s and 70s,” Batchelor, 68, told me. “But Buddhism, for many reasons, is too trapped in its own history. It appears user friendly but scratch the surface and you'll hit a bedrock of moralism. It's heavily committed to certain dogmas that it won't or can't release.”If you are interested in Batchelor's secular approach to this religion, I recommend Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and his most recent, The Art of Solitude, which was written before COVID but helped me mightily during the darker days of lockdown and forced isolation. It's my honor to have Stephen as a guest and my pleasure to share the conversation with you.

I have been interested in Buddhism for some years now, and so to further feed my curiosity and broaden my knowledge on the subject I decided to turn to Stephen Batchelor, whose knowledge as both Buddhist practitioner and scholar is impressively extensive. Following his immersion in Buddhist teaching and training as a monk from the early 1970s, Stephen grew increasingly discontent with traditional Buddhism, in particular those aspects common to most religions, including a priestly class, dogmatism, and adherence to infallible holy texts. He has therefore devoted the last number of decades to promoting Secular Buddhism, incidentally the title of one of his many books. Some of Stephen's other major publications include Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and, most recently, The Art of Solitude. My aim for this episode was two-fold: roughly the first half is devoted to exploring some basic tenets of Buddhism, while in the latter part we delved into Stephen's approach to secularising the tradition. After he told me about how he initially became a Buddhist in India, my guest was asked to provide some biographical background on the Buddha. Here Stephen painted a vivid cultural and historical portrait of India during Gautama's lifetime, which was a period of momentous transition. I asked him about the veracity of the famous account of what set the Buddha's quest for enlightenment in motion, which while not historically accurate has the kind of timeless truth all great myths possess. He clarified the three marks of existence and then explained the five precepts. I asked Stephen to provide insight into the Middle Way, after which we discussed how the Buddhist conception of enlightenment, something of a mistranslation as he noted, differs from the European variety that emerged in the eighteenth century. I provocatively, if still good naturedly, challenged Stephen about why he even bothers to call himself a secular Buddhist and does not simply slough off all affiliations to a faith tradition. We then had an extended discussion on mindfulness meditation, including how rapidly its popularity has expanded throughout the world in recent times, the centrality of this practice to the Buddha's teachings, and how its numerous physiological and psychological benefits point to the practical aspects of Buddhism that transcend any associations with, or even knowledge of, the religio-philosophical system whence it emerged. I hope, and am fairly convinced, Stephen's insights, articulacy, and erudition will give everyone who listens at least a few nourishing morsels for deeper reflection. Stephen Batchelor's website: https://stephenbatchelor.org/index.php/en/ Some of Stephen Batchelor's books: Buddhism Without Beliefs (1997) / Confession of a Buddhist Atheist (2010) / Secular Buddhism (2017) / The Art of Solitude (2020) Bodhi College, which Stephen co-founded and where he teaches courses off and online: https://bodhi-college.org/ Twitter account for Skeptically Curious: https://twitter.com/SkepticallyCur1 Patreon page for Skeptically Curious: https://www.patreon.com/skepticallycurious

In this English episode of the Club Groeneveld podcast ‘Terug naar de natuur’ (Back to Nature), Louis Bijl de Vroe has a conversation with Stephen Batchelor. Stephen is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. Stephen considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening rather than a religious system based on immutable dogmas and beliefs. Stephen was born in Scotland in 1953 and after completing Grammar School, he travelled overland to India at the age of eighteen. He settled in Dharamsala, the capital-in-exile of the Dalai Lama, where he studied Buddhist philosophy. After becoming a Buddhist monk, he continued his studies in various countries before settling in France where he has lived since 2000. There he pursues his work as a scholar, writer and artist. For several months each year, he travels worldwide to lead meditation retreats and teach Buddhism. He is the translator and author of various books and articles on Buddhism including the bestselling ‘Buddhism Without Beliefs’ and ‘Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.’ His most recent publication is ‘The Art of Solitude’ which came out just before the Covid crisis hit. In our conversation we talk about: The importance of realigning oneself with the natural world. The different ways of experiencing life, be it skimming over the surface or finding a depth within. your experience that allows you to get to grips with the core questions of who you are. About rediscovering the mysterious and how philosophy begins in wonder. The difficult question of how to know what is right and just. The ultimate importance of life not in an abstract sense, but in a concrete sense – or: the question how to actually lead a good life. About finding out that it is the process that matters, the constant process of learning which requires humility, openness and a sense of humour. The fact that, in a sense, the more you know, the less you know. Special thanks to Stephen Batchelor, Marcel Tjepkema, Martien Groenendijk, Joost Brands, Deborah Huisman, Lonneke Rhodens, Jelte Vredenbregt and Noa van Benthem. ABOUT CLUB GROENEVELD Club Groeneveld is a learning environment, source of inspiration and community for professionals, leaders, entrepreneurs and anyone who wants to help build a more meaningful world. With our programs and lectures we invite you to broaden your perspectives and deepen your view on your life, your leadership and responsibility within the world. In this way we help create breakthroughs from the inside and contribute to a more beautiful and more meaningful world with nature as one of our chief sources of inspiration. Interested in joining our community or one of our programs? Go to www.clubgroeneveld.nl, subscribe to our newsletter and podcast, or follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.

"I don’t take cannabis in social situations. I only take it by myself in a quiet, reflective space...Sometimes it leads me down blind alleys, but often it clarifies and heightens my reflections. I see it as a power plant."Many people who use substances say that they create a deeper connection with “god,” “nature” or their own “spiritual” selves. Yet most organized religions are averse to plant medicines including psilocybin, ayahuasca, peyote and cannabis. Christians call these entheogens (plants that when ingested produce higher states of consciousness) false gods and warn against them for a host of reasons, primarily because they don’t want adherents straying from the flock.Buddhists use different words but similarly proscribe intoxicants that lead users into states of “mindlessness” or “carelessness.” But as an intermittent traveler in spiritual circles I can assure you substance use among Western spiritual teachers is far more widespread than openly admitted. So many of them use psychedelics and cannabis, but maintain a well-guarded “conspiracy of silence,” as this week’s guest, Stephen Batchelor, puts it.Batchelor is an esteemed teacher, writer, artist, and Buddhist scholar, who is best known for his secular approach to Buddhism and his openness to using entheogens to deepen his own contemplative practices. At 18, he went to India, where he was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1974. He traveled, first to Germany and then South Korea, where he left the Tibetan tradition to train in Zen Buddhism. But in 1985 he disrobed, married and moved to France, where he and his wife still live in a small village near Bordeaux. His work has centered around developing a more modern, universalist approach to Buddhism, one that integrates the truths of tradition with the needs of our time.“The bulk of Buddhist teachers set out on this path through psychedelics and cannabis in the 1960s and 70s,” Batchelor, 68, told me. “But Buddhism, for many reasons, is too trapped in its own history. It appears user friendly but scratch the surface and you’ll hit a bedrock of moralism. It’s heavily committed to certain dogmas that it won’t or can’t release.”If you are interested in Batchelor's secular approach to this religion, I recommend Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and his most recent, The Art of Solitude, which was written before COVID but helped me mightily during the darker days of lockdown and forced isolation. It’s my honor to have Stephen as a guest and my pleasure to share the conversation with you.This episode is sponsored by WONDERFEEL:Wonderfeel's next-generation wellness formulas are organic, tested and pure. More than just CBD, these are profoundly effective wonder formulas developed by Dr. Andrew Levinson and tested with patients at his clinic for over two years.Wonderfeel fans are thrilled, saying they fall asleep easier and stay asleep using the Evening CBD.Their Daytime CBD gets glowing reviews among migraine sufferers who finally found relief. And compared to other CBD brands their customers have tried, they report feeling way less anxiety and stress. If you want to feel the wonders of Wonderfeel formulas Log in here and use the code BRAVE, and you’ll get 15% off your purchase. If you don’t feel wonderful, your purchase is on Wonderfeel.

Upali interviews Stephen Batchelor,  a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, a former monk best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism.  They talk about teaching Dharma (vs simply teaching meditation), finding authority through authorship, and plant medicine. Stephen teaches meditation around the world, and he is the author of such well-known books as Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, After Buddhism, and most recently The Art of Solitude.  You can learn more about Stephen at https://www.stephenbatchelor.org/Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/teachingmeditation)

Navigeren tussen fascinatie en obsessie. Een gesprek met schrijver Henk van Straten over de rabbithole van supplementen, KSM-66 en Ashwaganda, meditatie en waarom we het niet doen, Samsara, Ayahuasca en hoe dan verder, het effect van de tweede minuut koud douchen, saffraan snuiven, make-up en horloges, het strenge stemmetje en de monkey mind, het laserpistool van liefde, de default-setting en het grotere geheel.De boeken die Henk noemt zijn Buddhism without Beliefs en Confession of a Buddhist Atheist van Stephen Batchelor. Zijn eigen boek dat onlangs uitkwam heet Hemingway is gecanceld.

Joe Bill’s an improv luminary with a brilliant mind that careens joyfully between gutter-level explicitness and spiritual truth—oh wait, are they different? When Joe came to San Francisco to teach and perform, Ted and Lisa cranked up the podcast for a two-part conversation that runs the gamut. Part 1 of the conversation starts with the [more…] The post Monster Baby #50 A Buddhist Atheist: A Conversation with Joe Bill, Part 1 appeared first on Anima Learning.

Secular Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor joins us to explore some of the ideas presented in his newest book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. We start off by examining the two Buddhist doctrines of karma and rebirth, using the original teachings of the Buddha, especially the “imponderables” as a touchstone for the conversation. Stephen’s basic claim being that the belief in rebirth doesn’t have sufficient evidence behind it, and it actually takes away from the core practices and teachings of the Buddha. We conclude the interview by exploring the difference between agnosticism and atheism, which Stephen claims can be integrated together into what he calls an “ironic atheism.” Episode Links: Stephen and Martine Batchelor ( http://www.stephenbatchelor.org ) Buddhism Without Beliefs ( http://amzn.to/bHGkI7 ) Confession of a Buddhist Atheist ( http://amzn.to/9WL5X1 )

Stephen Batchelor is a former monk in the Tibetan and Korean Zen traditions with a humanistic, non-dogmatic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of the book Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and the Sounds True audio learning program Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. In this episode, Stephen speaks with Tami Simon about the importance of doubt in spiritual practice, lessons from the historical life of the Buddha, and how he is exploring the Buddha's teachings in a postmodern world. (64 minutes)

While the doctrines of early Buddhism were pragmatic, skeptical and humanistic it did not take long for Buddhism to acquire the familiar trappings of an organized religion. Just a few hundred years after the Buddha's death many of his followers began to teach that the Buddha was not an ordinary human but rather a supernatural being living in a celestial realm. Mahayana Buddhists believed that they too could acquire supernatural powers by earning merit and becoming Bodhisattvas. How did Buddhism stray so far from the teachings of its founder? What happens when western converts to Buddhism start to question its metaphysical assumptions? Stephen Batchelor, former Buddhist monk and author of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist", answers these questions and makes the case that Buddhism must become secularized if it is to remain relevant in our modern world.

Stephen Batchelor, author of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist" joins us for the first installment of a three part series on Buddhism. Batchelor, a former monk in both the Tibetan and Zen traditions, was trained by monks in the Dali Lama's inner circle. Over time he began to doubt many core doctrines of Buddhism when he found they could not withstand the test of reason. This crisis of faith prompted him to closely examine the earliest Buddhist texts. In them he found a very different conception of the Buddha and his teachings--one that is surprisingly humanistic. Also in this episode: the doubtcasters give a thumbnail sketch of the religious and social context of early Buddhism and a summery of Buddhist doctrines such as "the three marks of existence" and "the four noble truths".

Tami Simon speaks with Stephen Batchelor a former monk in the Tibetan and Koran Zen traditions with a humanistic, non-dogmatic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of the new book Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, and the Sounds True audio learning program Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening. Stephen speaks about the importance of doubt in spiritual practice, lessons from the historical life of the Buddha, and how he is exploring the Buddha's teachings in a post-modern world. (61 minutes)

Colin Marshall talks to Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies founder Stephen Batchelor, author on, scholar of and educator about Buddhist topics. His latest book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, recounts his journey from young spiritual seeker to devoted monk to questioning student to holder of the complex hybrid of principles and practices he has achieved today. This personal narrative builds upon and provides a background to his famously controversial Buddhism Without Beliefs.

Writer Stephen Batchelor + neurophilosopher Owen Flanagan: The author of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist argues that the Buddha was a radical innovator. What is it in our brains that makes some of us upend tradition and most of us follow the herd?

Writer Stephen Batchelor + neurophilosopher Owen Flanagan: The author of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist argues that the Buddha was a radical innovator. What is it in our brains that makes some of us upend tradition and most of us follow the herd?