- Buddhist Training Is Meant to End
Doug asks when Buddhist training is supposed to end, and how anyone would know. Working from the simile of the raft and the Buddha's refusal to appoint a successor — telling the sangha instead to be islands unto themselves — he traces…
- What I Got Wrong About Buddhism (And What Changed Everything)
Doug reflects on five key lessons he wishes he had understood earlier in his Buddhist practice: misconceptions about meditation, the importance of testing teachings rather than accepting them on faith, treating the Dhamma as tools rather…
- Generative AI and the Vagueness of Sentience: A Dharmic View
Is AI sentient? I argue the question may not have a clear yes-or-no answer — and that this tells us something profound about the nature of personhood itself. Drawing on the ancient "sorites" paradox, philosopher Derek Parfit's work on…
- How Karma Works (Even if You Don't Believe in Rebirth)
Karma can be understood as a this-life, psychological process. It can also be understood as deeply involved in the process of rebirth into other lifetimes. We'll consider both ways of approaching karma, and what the Buddha had to say…
- Avoiding the Trap of the 'Intelligent Fool' in Buddhism
The Buddha gave us a way to know about the world, but knowledge can become a trap without wisdom. How do we avoid becoming intelligent fools?
- Who’s Really Enlightened? The Buddha’s Surprising Take
How can we know who's really enlightened? It's not a simple question. We'll take a look at various early suttas that show even back in the Buddha's day it was not considered at all straightforward, but rather required a lot of time and…
- What Did the Buddha Say About the Nature of Reality?
What really exists? It's an old question, and one that the Buddha approached in a unique way. We'll look at the Buddha's practical approach to questions of reality.
- Doubt as Hindrance and Teacher in Buddhism
What did the Buddha have to say about doubt? We'll look at the ways it can be a hindrance to our progress along the path, as well as a stepping stone to advancement. We'll consider ways that doubt can be overcome, and look at two key…
- Is there a "Buddhist Bible"? Key Buddhist Texts
Is there a "Buddhist Bible"? We'll consider some key Buddhist texts, by analogy with the Old and New Testaments. What are they, and how do they relate to one another? NB: This is not intended to be an exhaustive list — I only barely…
- Early Buddhist Theory of Knowledge
How do we come to know anything, by the lights of early Buddhist dharma? We will look at this key philosophical problem, illuminated by words from one key sutta, and a more recent, deep work of 20th century commentarial analysis.
- Buddhist Rebirth as Symbol and Metaphor
How do you approach the concept of Buddhist rebirth? Traditionally it's understood literally, which is how the Buddha saw it. But there is another option open to us, which is to take it as a resonant metaphor for the changeable nature of…
- Lay Meditation in Early Buddhism: Innovation or Revival?
Did laypeople practice meditation in the Buddha's day? We'll look to a recent paper by Anālayo to answer the question of whether lay meditation is a recent innovation in Buddhist practice, or a revival of something that went on in early…
- Asking Questions of Buddhism
Buddhist practice is all about learning how we cling to things, views, and ideas. In this video I want to ask a number of questions for you to contemplate, about some of the heart of Buddhist belief and practice. What if it isn't so?…
- Early Buddhism's Spirit of Inquiry: Bhikkhu Sujato's Point
One of the highlights of the early Buddhist teachings is their relative openness to investigation and inquiry. This is a point made in a recent paper by scholar and monastic Bhikkhu Sujato. I'll discuss the point with reference to a few…
- The Buddha on "Magic"
The Buddha had a nuanced view on magic and the supernatural. We'll look at one crucial aspect of that view, corresponding to what we might term "conversion magic" or magical means used to convince and convert. Recorded before our house…
- Overcome Your Doubts Through Science (Coronavirus Dharma Practice)
Many of us have doubts about how to act or proceed in difficult circumstances such as these. We'll see how the Buddha recommended we find the right way forward, and how his suggestions can be updated to take account of the information…
- Ethical Dilemmas in Early Buddhism?
We'll look at ethical dilemmas and their role in western systems of ethics, then turn to Buddhism and ask whether such dilemmas play any role at all. Then we'll turn to some classic dilemmas and ask how they might be treated in an early…
- Real Buddha Quotes!
Are you looking for Buddha quotes? Then this is the video for you! I'll have ten pithy and interesting quotes from the canonical words of the Buddha. For all you nitpickers out there, yes I'm also one of you. There is no way to know…
- The Kālāma Sutta: the Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry
The Buddha's discourse to the Kālāmas outlines a charter of free inquiry. It strikes us today as expressing a very modern approach to the world. We'll look at how that is, and its down-to-earth take on ethics and knowledge.
- One Way the Dharma Can Bite Us
If we misuse the dharma it can come back to bite us: this is the upshot of one famous sutta. We will look at this sutta and consider some of its implications for our approach to the Buddha's teachings both online and in person.
- Why Read Early Buddhist Texts?
Why and how should we read the early Buddhist texts? We'll go through three reasons to read them, and outline three strategies to use when approaching them.
- What Might the Buddha Say About Secular Buddhism?
What might the Buddha have thought about secular approaches to Buddhism? We will take a look at arguments found in a couple of early texts, the Apaṇṇaka and Sandaka Suttas, as jumping-off points. Our trip will take us through perhaps the…