A day of quiet reflection, talks and discussion that will focus on the challenge of understanding and interpreting the Buddha’s dharma in the contemporary world. Rather than simply modifying certain teachings and practices of traditional Buddhism, Stephen will propose that we may need a more radical re-evaluation of the dharma in order to enable its teachings to speak directly and clearly to the needs of modernity.
A day of quiet reflection, talks and discussion that will focus on the challenge of understanding and interpreting the Buddha’s dharma in the contemporary world. Rather than simply modifying certain teachings and practices of traditional Buddhism, Stephen will propose that we may need a more radical re-evaluation of the dharma in order to enable its teachings to speak directly and clearly to the needs of modernity.
Based on an examination of early discourses found in the Buddhist Pali Canon, we explore the question: "What did the Buddha teach that was distinctively and originally his own?" By differentiating the Buddha's Dhamma from the ideas of Indian religion and metaphysics that prevailed at his time we seek to uncover a clearer sense of the Buddha's message and then consider what relevance it still has for people living in the modern world.
Stephen’s new book, "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist", tells the story of his thirty-seven-year quest to understand the meaning of Buddhism. It recounts his life as a monk in India and Korea and concludes with his search to discover the historical Buddha. Stephen talks about the writing of the book and reads selected passages.
