Secular Buddhism

By Noah Rasheta

Society & Culture Philosophy Religion & Spirituality Spirituality Buddhism

What's Secular Buddhism about?

Don't use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist. Use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.

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Secular Buddhism episodes:

01.26.2024
187 - The Unseen Teachers
In this episode, I reflect on my transformative journey from intense frustration to effortless flying, drawing parallels between the challenges of paragliding and the introspective path of personal growth. Sharing insights from my experience with learning to ridge soar, I...
12.31.2023
186 - Renunciation: Gaining Through Letting Go
This episode discusses how renunciation is not merely about giving up material or physical pleasures but about a deeper understanding and release of attachments that cause suffering. The episode invites listeners to consider the ways in which they might be...
10.02.2023
185 - Weathering the Storms Within
In this episode, I delve into the landscape of our emotions, drawing parallels between the ever-changing sky and our internal world. Journey with me as we explore the transient nature of emotions, taking cues from the wisdom of ancient Buddhist...
09.25.2023
184 - Emotional Equanimity and Antifragility
In this episode of the Secular Buddhism Podcast, Noah delves into the concept of emotional equanimity, likening it to the tale of monk Sona who learned to maintain a balanced approach to life's challenges, akin to finely tuning a musical...
09.11.2023
183 - Six Words of Advice
Welcome back to the Secular Buddhism Podcast, a globally top-ranked Buddhist show. Today, best-selling author and host Noah Rasheta delves into the topic of Tilopa's Six Words of Advice. Tilopa's 'Six Words of Advice' provide meditation guidance for people of...
08.10.2023
182 - Unraveling Suffering: The Four Noble Truths Explained
Prepare to step onto a path of transformation and liberation as we unravel the most fundamental teachings of Buddhism - the Four Noble Truths. I'll break down each of these foundational truths, venturing into the realm of life's inherent suffering,...
07.12.2023
181 - Redefining Kindness
In the practice of self-kindness, we often overlook a profound truth: our relationship with ourselves sets the tone for our relationship with others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
05.16.2023
180 - Meditation: The Pause Button for Habitual Reactivity
In this episode, I delve deeper into how meditation acts as a massive pause button for the cycle of habitual reactivity. I'll explore beliefs, thoughts, emotions, feelings, actions, and consequences, discussing how they influence our lives and the lives of...
03.28.2023
179 - Notice Your Thoughts
"All experience is preceded by mind"; that is to say, our mind determines whether or not we suffer. Knowing that we can't escape the consequences of our actions and that actions originate with thoughts, this episode will explore how and why...
01.30.2023
178 - The Four Investigations
This is episode #178. The topic I have in mind for today is the teaching of "The Four Investigations." This is a teaching that comes from the Yogachara school of Buddhism. According to Yogachara teachings, the key to understanding reality...
01.24.2023
177 - 10,000 Heroes Podcast Interview
In this episode, I'll share the audio from an interview I did on the 10,000 heroes podcast. You can find the episode here: https://pod.link/1565667158/episode/f438b75d2dfc86e40c526270a4cd4975 Are you interested in trekking with me to Everest Base Camp? Learn more at mindfultrekking.com Hosted...
01.04.2023
176 - Working with our Propensities
In this first episode of 2023, I will talk about propensities and our relationship to our propensities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
11.02.2022
175 - The Two Truths
What are the two truths? There is the Truth of how things really are, and the truth of how things seem to be. These are sometimes referred to as Absolute truth and Relative truth. Relative truths are always dependent on...
10.28.2022
174 - Be Whatever You Already Are
A deep sense of unsatisfactoriness arises anytime we want to be other than how we are. It takes skillful effort to BE WHATEVER WE ALREADY ARE. In this episode, I will share my thoughts on the process of befriending our...
10.02.2022
173 - The Causes Of Unsatisfactoriness
Unsatisfactoriness exists and it has a cause. What is the cause of unsatisfactoriness? In this episode, I will talk about craving and the role it plays in how we feel about life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
09.25.2022
172 - Practicing Acceptance
Psychological acceptance is "the active embracing of subjective experience, particularly distressing experiences." In this episode, I will discuss practicing acceptance and using the OODA loop as decision-making tools to help us act more skillfully during difficult or stressful times. Hosted...
08.28.2022
171 - How To Feel Whole And Complete
Something whole is comprised of ALL its undiminished parts or elements. We are a combination of our body and mind (hardware and software). The key to feeling whole is to understand and embrace all of the parts that make us...
06.28.2022
170 - The Five Remembrances
The 5 remembrances are wake-up calls that help us to see more clearly, the nature of reality. They are wake-up calls that help us to live more intentionally and skillfully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
05.22.2022
169 - 84000 Gates
In this episode, I will share my thoughts about the 84,000 gates and the notion of Emptiness. In the last 2 episodes, I shared my thoughts around Signlessness and Aimlessness and now I will share my thoughts around Emptiness. Hosted...
04.26.2022
168 - Signlessness
The three doors of liberation refer to Formlessless, Signlessness, and Aimlessness. In this episode, I will talk about signlessness and what this teaching means to me and how we can practice signlessness in our day-to-day lives. Hosted on Acast. See...
04.12.2022
167 - Aimlessness
The three doors of liberation refer to Formlessless, Signlessness, and Aimlessness. In this episode, I will talk about Aimlessness and what this teaching means to me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
03.06.2022
166 - Welcoming The Unwanted
Craving for and attachment to feelings is what leads to suffering; on the flip side of that, awareness and understanding of our feelings can lead to Enlightenment. In this episode, I will share my thoughts around the Buddhist concept of...
02.20.2022
165 - Unlearning
"A student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something every day." What does it mean to "unlearn"? In this episode, I will share my thoughts around the notion of learning and unlearning in the context of practicing Buddhism. Hosted on Acast....
02.07.2022
164 - Thrown Out Of The Nest
One of the final teachings the Buddha gave, had to do with becoming an island unto yourself. In a way, he was telling his followers that it was time to leave the nest and to take refuge in themselves. In...
01.16.2022
163 - Sticks And Stones
In this episode, I will talk about the story of Sundari, an ascetic who was killed in an attempt to frame Sidhartha and bring dishonor to him and his followers. How the Buddha handled this ordeal sheds light on the...
01.02.2022
162 - The Games We Play
The games we play...some thoughts about Right View. Thich Nhat Hanh says: "Our happiness and the happiness of those around us depend on our degree of Right View. Touching reality deeply -- knowing what is going on inside and outside...
12.14.2021
161 - The Backwards Law
The backwards law proposes that the more we chase after something, the more difficult it becomes to catch it and the more disappointed we feel. In other words, the harder we try, the less likely we are to succeed. Hosted...
11.28.2021
160 - Gratitude And Patience
In a culture that tends to feel gratitude for only the pleasant things in our life, the Buddhist approach is to feel gratitude for all things, even the unpleasant ones. Gratitude develops patience and patience is an antidote to the...
11.21.2021
159 - When Things Fall Apart
The nature of reality is that things come together and things fall apart and then things come together and things fall apart and that cycle goes on and on. Instead of running from the difficulties and the pain, the Buddhist...
10.31.2021
158 - I See You Mara
Mara is "the personification of the forces antagonistic to enlightenment." Mara wants to be feared. We tend to run from the things that we fear, but what happens when we stop running and we look at Mara and say "I...
10.25.2021
157 - This Is Because That Is
Dependent Origination is a Buddhist notion that is common among all schools of Buddhism. It's the doctrine that states that all phenomena arise in dependence upon other phenomena. In other words, "this is because that is and this is not...
10.11.2021
156 - Circle Of Skills
Within any given discipline, we all have a circle of skills. In order to grow the circle of skills, we need to do things that are just outside the circle and once we master a new skill, that circle grows....
09.22.2021
155 - The First Meditation
In this episode, I will talk about "The First Meditation" a story about an experience that Siddhartha (the Buddha) had when he was 9 years old. I believe this experience shaped his understanding of the importance of experiential vs intellectual...
08.23.2021
154 - Taking The Long View
It can be easy to get caught up "in the thick of thin things" when our perspective is too narrow or zoomed in. When we take the long view, we learn to zoom out and see things from a different...
08.06.2021
153 - The Beauty Of Not Knowing
Zen Master Seung Sahn said "I do not teach Buddhism. I only teach don't know." The beauty of not knowing arises when we understand that reality is unknowable as a complete picture. First, because it's always changing, and second, we...
07.07.2021
152 - A Liberated State Of Mind
Liberation is not a destination we strive to reach, it's a state of mind that is available to us right here and right now. When we fully understand the reality of emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness, we become liberated from the...
05.22.2021
151 - Observation and Action
Observation in Buddhist practice is an active thing, it's not passive and it's not a form of resignation. The skilled observer, observes precisely in order to be able to act more skillfully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
04.21.2021
150 - Buddha Nature
In this podcast episode, I share my thoughts about "Buddha nature" and what it means to me. I also share the story of the little rock in my backyard that had a Buddha painted on the rock. When the paint...
03.31.2021
149 - Firsts And Lasts
Every moment that arises is simultaneously the first time and last time that moment exists. I used to value moments based on their pleasantness or unpleasantness but now I see the beauty of the uniqueness of each moment. In this...
03.04.2021
148 - The Dance Of Life
I love thinking about life as a great song, with high notes and low notes and quiet pauses in between each note. I like to think of my relationship to this song as the dance of life. In this episode,...
02.18.2021
147 - Dharma Cat
Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons even amidst circumstances or events that we don't particularly find to be pleasant. In this episode, I will share the story of how we ended up with a 3-legged cat as...
02.03.2021
146 - The Freedom To Be You
In this episode, I will talk about the idea of "branding". The story we have about ourselves is our personal brand and we do a lot to influence the way others perceive us. Practicing non-attachment to our brand may allow...
12.22.2020
145 - The Quest For Answers
In our search for answers to life's big questions, what if the question is actually more important than the answer? In this episode, I will talk about the quest for answers and how it may be more beneficial to focus...
11.23.2020
144 - The Game Of Emotions
In this podcast episode, I will share some thoughts around the idea that we can change our relationship to our emotions by pretending that we're playing a game where the goal is to experience the full range of possible emotions....
10.21.2020
143 - Eye Of The Beholder
In this episode, I will talk about perception and the role it plays in how we experience our reality. Reality is in the eye of the beholder. “Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises...The meeting of the three is...
10.13.2020
142 - Wisdom and Fear
"Some see something to fear where there is nothing to fear, and some see nothing to fear where there is something to fear." In this episode, I will talk about fear from a Buddhist perspective. Fear is universal but there...
09.30.2020
141 - Smarter Not Harder
I'm sure you've heard the expression "work smarter, not harder". In this episode, I will share my throughs regarding Skillful Effort of the Eightfold Path and how it pertains to not only mindfulness practice but to everything we do in...
09.15.2020
140 - Mindfulness For Everyday Life
ANNOUNCEMENT...I’m excited to present a new online workshop called "Mindfulness for Everyday Life" available exclusively through Himalaya Learning.Himalaya Learning is a new educational audio platform specializing in audio courses that focus on lifelong learning, business, personal development, and more, featuring...
09.01.2020
139 - Mindfulness Interview With Dr Sarah Shaw
I recently had the opportunity of interviewing Dr Sarah Shaw about her new book "Mindfulness: Where it comes from and what it means". I hope you enjoy the conversation. To learn more about her book, visit: https://www.shambhala.com/buddhist-mindfulness.html Hosted on Acast....
08.19.2020
138 - Sticky Hair Monster
In this podcast episode, I will talk about the Buddhist story of Sticky Hair Monster and the prince who tried to battle him. This story points to the battle that often takes place in our minds against our own thoughts,...

What's Secular Buddhism about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Secular Buddhism episodes:

187 - The Unseen Teachers

186 - Renunciation: Gaining Through Letting Go

185 - Weathering the Storms Within

184 - Emotional Equanimity and Antifragility

183 - Six Words of Advice

182 - Unraveling Suffering: The Four Noble Truths Explained

181 - Redefining Kindness

180 - Meditation: The Pause Button for Habitual Reactivity

179 - Notice Your Thoughts

178 - The Four Investigations

177 - 10,000 Heroes Podcast Interview

176 - Working with our Propensities

175 - The Two Truths

174 - Be Whatever You Already Are

173 - The Causes Of Unsatisfactoriness

172 - Practicing Acceptance

171 - How To Feel Whole And Complete

170 - The Five Remembrances

169 - 84000 Gates

168 - Signlessness

167 - Aimlessness

166 - Welcoming The Unwanted

165 - Unlearning

164 - Thrown Out Of The Nest

163 - Sticks And Stones

162 - The Games We Play

161 - The Backwards Law

160 - Gratitude And Patience

159 - When Things Fall Apart

158 - I See You Mara

157 - This Is Because That Is

156 - Circle Of Skills

155 - The First Meditation

154 - Taking The Long View

153 - The Beauty Of Not Knowing

152 - A Liberated State Of Mind

151 - Observation and Action

150 - Buddha Nature

149 - Firsts And Lasts

148 - The Dance Of Life

147 - Dharma Cat

146 - The Freedom To Be You

145 - The Quest For Answers

144 - The Game Of Emotions

143 - Eye Of The Beholder

142 - Wisdom and Fear

141 - Smarter Not Harder

140 - Mindfulness For Everyday Life

139 - Mindfulness Interview With Dr Sarah Shaw

138 - Sticky Hair Monster