In this extended episode, I explore some of the ideas and values that inform and animate the work of the sixteenth-century French thinker, Michel de Montaigne, and the twentieth-century writer and playwright, Samuel Beckett. I suggest that in the work of both of these figures we find echoes of the ideas and values of earlier sceptics – particularly Pyrrho of Elis and Sextus Empiricus. If you haven’t already done so, it may be as well to listen to Episode 17 of this podcast before you embark o...
In this episode I talk about my many years of Zen meditation practice and relate my experience to the development of a sceptical, secular Zen that is rooted in contemporary western culture – with an emphasis on empirical investigation, naturalism rather than supernaturalism, and minimal ritual. I relate this development to the twin functions of teaching and learning - that is, transmission and transformation – as first suggested by the Brazilian philosopher of education, Paolo Freire. I sugge...
In this episode I talk about the relationship between body, mind and world from the perspective of someone who has been practicing zazen, a form of mindful meditation, since 1965. Zazen is a very simple practice but not always easy. It consists of sitting quietly, paying attention to whatever arises in my embodied mind and in the world immediately around me – without comment or judgment - expanding awareness outwards from my breath to encompass all that happens while I’m sitting - simply bein...
In this episode I suggest that the current neo-liberal forms of capitalism are unsustainable insofar as they are damaging to our planet and its life-supporting atmosphere, and as they generate, in the human realm, divisive and deeply inequitable social structures. I argue that we need to develop more beneficial modes of living, working and doing business, grounded in what I think of as mindful ethics – an ethics of compassion, clear-sightedness and sustainability.
We each have to find, or maybe construct, a dharma road upon which we can walk in peace with care and attention – cultivating wellbeing and living a good life. The many forms of Buddhism offer possible dharma roads but there are also other routes that may be just as beneficial. The diversity of world religions and philosophies are testament to the variety of paths that have been, and are being, taken by dharma travellers. In this episode I am going to explore some of the ideas and beliefs esp...
In this episode I share some thoughts about impermanence, clinging and the value of non-attachment. I also reflect on what it means to be here – the miraculous nature of being alive and conscious. I go on to say something about interdependence and the ways in which mindful meditation can help us to appreciate our daily lives and to learn how to let go rather than to hang on.
In this episode I trace some parallels between Buddhist and ecological views of the world. We live in a universe of interwoven and interactive processes and energies – a universe in which things are actually events, with no fixed essences or identities. Everything is in flux, merging and mingling in changing patterns of dynamic kinship. We are relational beings in a relational universe. It is these characteristics of connectedness, intercommunication and change that form the focus of this epi...
In this episode I explore the relationship between poetry and paying attention – the ways in which poets are mindful - noticing things that often get missed in the merry-go-round of life. In the act of making poems, poets practice a kind of mindful attention – taking notice of what is happening in, and around, themselves in a clear-sighted yet caring and compassionate way. One of the primary purposes of poetry is to celebrate and share these acts of acute attentiveness as concisely and memora...
In this episode I offer a few personal thoughts on what might be called a ‘sceptical approach to Zen Buddhism,’ or, perhaps more accurately, a worldview rooted in the ideas and practices of both Zen Buddhism and the sceptical philosophy established by the ancient Greek thinker, Pyrrho of Elis – who lived from around 360 – 270 BCE. I relate these thoughts to the practice of mindful meditation and suggest ways of being a mindful sceptic.
In this extended episode I explore some of the ideas and works of the American multi-disciplinary artist, John Cage – who was born in 1912 and died in 1992 – particularly noting parallels with the practice of zazen and mindful meditation. In 1950, Cage met D.T. Suzuki and began to learn from him about Zen. Cage was never a Zen practitioner, in the usual sense, but his understanding of Zen ideas, along with his study of Daoism and Vedanta philosophy, had an enormous impact on his work as compo...
There are many sources of wisdom and advice about how to live a ‘good life.’ Buddhist teachers have much to say about how to minimise suffering and maximise wellbeing. But we can extend what is called ‘dharma’ - the body of Buddhist wisdom and advice - to include many other non-Buddhist sources. In Western philosophy, other religions and indigenous cultures there are many teachers from whom we can learn. In this episode I take a look at one such teacher - the Dutch philosopher, Baruch Spinoza...
As always with these talks, I am offering my thoughts in order to prompt reflection and discussion. The theme of this episode, race, class and identity, is a huge and complex topic and I can only on touch on a few aspects. I highlight what I see as a Buddhist perspective on these matters. In some ways, this talk follows on from Episode 12 on ‘Truth, delusion and usefulness’ – particularly the point that was made about the Buddha questioning any claim to truth that was grounded in greed, anger...
In this episode I offer a few reflections on some of the things I have learnt from Zen practice and how it has come to be so central to my life. I suggest that zazen, Zen meditation, is an art that enables the practitioner to gain insights into the chattering and acquisitive self and to discover another way of being that draws on the boundless creative energy of the mind – Beginner’s Mind or Zen Mind. Anyone can learn this art and encounter the peace and unity that it can bring.
In this episode I discuss some of the meanings of the term, ‘truth,’ and explore the ways in which different concepts of truth affect how we see the world and how we relate to each other. I go on to suggest that it may be more beneficial to human wellbeing to think in terms of what is ‘useful’ rather than what is ‘true.’ This talk may seem more abstract and theoretical than many of the others, but I hope that it will clarify some of the thinking around notions of truth and be helpful in estab...
In this episode I talk about anger – how we think about it, manage and make use of it, and how we can learn to let go of it. I then discuss how feelings of anger are often associated with making judgments – how the judgments we make can too easily give rise to feelings of injustice, resentment and anger. I then consider some of the reasons why suspending judgment is considered to be important by many Buddhist teachers and by many philosophers in the Western sceptical tradition.
In this episode I talk about cultivating equanimity and composure, even as we experience joy and happiness. I suggest that changing our relationship with experiences, to take account of the transient nature of everything we think and feel, is a crucial aspect of developing wisdom and peace of mind. This leads to some thoughts on hope and despair, optimism and pessimism. I hope you will find it to be of interest.
This talk is about mindful meditation, what it is and how it is described in the literature of Buddhism - with a particular focus on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness as described in the Satipatthana Sutra. I also discuss the practice of ‘bare attention’ – an approach to mindful meditation associated particularly with Zen Buddhism.
In this talk I describe how the development, in an individual, of the skills outlined in the Buddha's 'Eightfold Path,' can become the ethical values for a whole society – a ‘culture of awakening?’ I also explore some of the connections between Buddhist ideas and practices and what we might call an ecological worldview.
In this episode I discuss the Eightfold Path – a well-known and important outline of how the Four Noble Truths or Tasks are to be developed and realised. These are set out in the Dhammacakkappavattana sutra, usually referred to in English as Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dharma – an account of one of the Buddha’s first teachings. I go on to briefly explore the concepts of dukkha (suffering) and sukha (wellbeing). I also share some thoughts on how it may be useful to think of the Eightfol...
In this talk, I briefly discuss the Pali Canon, the early texts of Buddhism, and also say a little more about how suffering arises from our struggle to deal with the impermanent and interdependent nature of existence. I also introduce and describe three important Buddhist terms: metta – ‘loving kindness,’ karuna – ‘compassion’ and ahimsa – ‘non-violence.’