Secular Dharma and Ethical Living

This residential study retreat will explore through talks and dialogues how the dharma taught by the Buddha 2,500 years ago can help provide the ethical perspectives and practices needed to engage effectively with the various interconnected crises our world faces in the twenty-first century — economic, environmental, social, psychological and spiritual.

We will be presenting a secular approach to the dharma, which leaves aside the metaphysical beliefs of the Buddhist religion to focus entirely on how to respond to the sufferings of this world. Drawing on canonical Buddhist discourses as well as ancient and modern western philosophy, the teachers will consider the theoretical foundations of ethics as well as its practical applications here and now.
​In addition to talks and conversations between the teachers, the retreat will include periods of meditation as well as group discussions.

Those attending this study retreat in person will need to have an established meditation practice and some familiarity with Buddhist thought and doctrine. Links to pre-reading are provided below for those unfamiliar with secular dharma. 

We hope to be able to live-stream the retreat so other groups and individuals around the world can participate.