That final response of gratitude from Stephen makes me so happy. I literally have listened to Stephen Batchelor's talks and read his books daily for the last couple of years. Thank you, Noah, for this podcast.

Exactly after 3 years and at 6066 views, i listened to this podcast!

Thank you for providing this for us. I am at the very beginning of my Buddhism learning and leaning toward secular Buddhism but enjoy learning about all sects. Time for more books!

Thank you so much for putting this info out there. I have been listening to your podcast the past few weeks and it has impacted my life deeply. I wish I can attend one of your live seminars. If you are ever in Texas please let me know!

Thank you for sharing St. Batchelor's insider's experience of Buddhism and his carefully researched, nuanced, operational proposition of an appeasing and ethical way of life

Thank you Noah and thank you Batchelor. After listening to many Buddhist, gurus, etc. at last found SECULAR Buddhist fellows. As Noah said, the teching have change my life.

An intelligent tolerant approach. Thumbs up.

wonderful wonderful!!

“You have a right to be confused. This is a confusing situation. Do not take anything on trust merely because it has passed down through tradition, or because your teachers say it, or because your elders have taught you, or because it’s written in some famous scripture. When you have seen it and experienced it for yourself to be right and true, then you can accept it.”

that is also the way in which, that what later were called, the Ten Commandments started: this was/were ethics as well, just like the Buddha had meant his 4 Noble Truths... told us what was helpful for humans to lead a fulfilling and peaceful life... It is what so often happens, that people grasp it and make dogma’s of it, build churches and institutes and doctrines upon it, generalize.. and then 🐓🦚 say MY, and MINE. forgetting it is life, filled with nuances, colors, greys, So perhaps also in religion there might be more of ✨😇🤓😎 life to discover too :))

Stephen should add the Frozen song to his opera. Am I right?

Secular Buddhism seems to me like saying you want Dhamma without the Buddha, or the Buddha without the Dhamma. Either way, the result is atheism… with incense and pillow-sitting. It is quite possible to recreate the core ideas of the Buddha through the oldest writings in the Pali Canon. In those original teachings, rebirth is at the core. Discard it, and the entire structure of the Buddha’s teachings begins to unravel. What is left is very little of substance - something no less or more helpful than acupuncture, deep-tissue massage, self-help woo, and the arts. Why use Buddhism to describe it? Just call it secularism. Such a complex road to get to everyday secularism seems to me very unnecessary.

This man has never understood Buddhism. He is an insult. It has nothing to do with any 'global movement' or being constipated by 'ethics' or any socio-political matters or simply to be 'happy'. That is not Buddhism. Buddhism is a complete path and has been for a long time and is beyond the grasp of this man. The dharma has already been adapted in countless ways, always has been, but the core is always the same, all compounded things are impermanent, all emotions are suffering. He cannot seem to stand up without his 'Buddhism' crutch.

I don't trust this Butchelor after hearing several of his talks and knowing his history and his Bodhi College website. He don't really believe the Buddha's teachings or know much about Buddhism. The Buddha's teachings are never filled with "might, maybe or perhaps". The Buddha's teachings are all clear and specific. Butchelor even misquoted the 4 Noble Truths as 4 tasks. He is just trying to make money using Buddhism, I discovered it from his Bodhi College website after registeration for a bogus course.