This talk reflects on how I position myself (now) as a “Buddhist” and how the Ordinary Mind School fits into Buddhism. Joko never described herself as a secular Buddhist, but she did dispense with several religious aspects of practice such as disrobing. And, although Barry Magid doesn’t describe himself as a secular Buddhist, Barry has dropped non-scientific Buddhist beliefs such as reincarnation and has been instrumental in promoting lay practice. So, I think the lineage I belong to as several affinities with secular Buddhism, although I think it is important maybe to redefine what we mean by a religion in this secular age. What is secular Buddhism? According to Stephen Batchelor: Secular as distinct from religious: so, styles of dress and rituals are secularised. From the Latin, saeculum, which means this age, these times, this world. This world we live in is not the world of ancient India. We have more of a naturalistic bent and are accepting of the discipline of science – therefore metaphysical beliefs such as reincarnation and the law of karma are jettisoned. Finally, secular as the transfer of authority over certain domains from religion to the state.

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