Rhetoric/debate

Is the Buddhist Path one of political engagement and activism, or one of disengagement and quietism? We'll look at some proponents of both views, then turn to how the early texts frame the issue.

How did the Buddha handle difficult discussions and debates? We will look at four ways he said we should respond to questions, as well as the key differences between skillful and unskillful discussion. Then we will turn to how we can make…

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…

We may have heard discussion of "mind moments" in Buddhism and how things last for only a moment and then are replaced. Did such ideas originate from the Buddha? We will look at their history, and what the Buddha had to say about time and…

The word for "mindfulness" in Pāli literally means "memory". Does memory play a role in mindfulness practice? Or is memory unimportant? I'll look at a recent debate between two scholars of the early material, Bryan Levman and Bhikkhu…

One early Buddhist sutta recounts a discussion the Buddha had with a young brahmin. The Buddha raises a number of important points about how we come to believe we have knowledge, particularly of spiritual matters. We will look at that…

What are the dangers in the arts of persuasion? We'll look to two great thinkers to decide. First we'll look to Plato, who inveighed against rhetoric in his dialogues. Then we'll turn to the Buddha, who had similar concerns with the ways…

Contemplating the impermanence of the elements helps us to understand their non-self nature. In one early Buddhist sutta, Sāriputta gives an argument as to how the four elements are impermanent. But it's a strange sutta, full of…

There seem to have been differences between Theravāda belief and practice and that found in early Buddhism, however figuring this all out is a matter of some debate and controversy. Translator and scholar Bhikkhu Sujato has written an…

Did the Buddha ever suggest there was a way to find a real sort of self? We'll look to the Poṭṭhapāda Sutta for an answer to this question. There we will see an interesting dialogue where the Buddha delves into a discussion of personal…

The second argument the Buddha uses in his Second Sermon on non-self involves impermanence. I'll look at his argument there and why it seems rather odd to our ears. I'll consider one potential subtext for the Buddha's argument, and what…

The Buddha's Second Sermon presents his first public argument for non-self. But it's an odd sermon, one that seems to leave out material that should be there. Why is this so? In this video I'll consider the first part of the sermon, what…

Is Buddhism nihilistic? We'll consider whether an early Buddhist argument for non-self implies there is "no anything", by looking at a short online critique by philosopher Rick Repetti.

A comment I get from time to time is that the name of this channel should be "Doug's Dhamma". This opens up an interesting discussion about some of the earliest languages of Buddhism and how their use reflects upon modern-day issues of…

A book purporting to translate poetry of the first Buddhist women was released last year to great fanfare. More recently discussion has arisen as to whether what the book presents is actually a translation, and whether instead it erases…

YouTuber Casey Neistat and physicist Albert Einstein had contrasting ideas of what might constitute the good life. We'll look at both of them and compare them with some ideas from Aristotle and early Buddhism.

Recent events, particularly those involving the Rohingya in Burma and the role of nuns in Theravāda Buddhism, raise the question as to what constitutes Buddhist fundamentalism, and whether and how it might be different from its Western…

Buddhism and Stoicism are in many ways allied philosophies. However in this video we will look at five ways that they differ. We will be looking in specific at early Buddhism and Stoicism as reflected in its Classical Greek and Roman…

Buddhism and Stoicism are in many ways allied philosophies. In this video we will look at five ways that they overlap. We will be looking in specific at early Buddhism and Stoicism as reflected in its Classical Greek and Roman texts, and…

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…

Folks interested in a secular approach to Buddhism will find many forms of Buddhism congenial. Why is early Buddhism particularly so? We will look at the Kevaddha Sutta (DN 11) and some material from Richard Gombrich, eminent scholar of…