Secular Buddhism: An Introduction

Secular Buddhism is not a religion, but a wisdom path centered in practice. It is skeptical of any teachings that are not supported by scientific and psychological evidence.

There is no scientific proof of rebirth. There are rational explanations, but they all rest on unprovable assumptions. Hence, secular Buddhists don’t believe in a literal rebirth after death or the supernatural (such as heavens and hells). It views the Sutras as a mix of tradition and authentic teachings of the Buddha, and should be studied critically.

Secular Buddhism is one way to think about the Buddhist way of life beyond the confines of traditional Buddhist religion. I believe that the Buddha Dharma is evolving and adapting itself to modern secular culture. The new emerging face of the Dharma is secular Buddhism, the fourth vehicle of Buddhism.

"There are many books out today that are touching on a secular approach to the tradition. Some are very pragmatic and deeply rooted in practice, others are more scholarly conjecture. But few have taken the step of using the term 'Secular Buddhism' explicitly in the title." - Ted Meissner, Secular Buddhist Association.