Building a Treasure House in the Mind
Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch humanist who lived from 1466 to 1536. He thought that it’s vital to build a treasure house in the mind, stocked from a wide range of sources. You can find more about him in the first talk in the series.
In this series of ten sessions Vaddhaka tells us about some of the people and sources found in his personal treasure house.
For each talk there is a transcript and a recording.
01 Introduction with the Humanist Desiderius Erasmus, the Historian of Religion Elaine Pagels, and Musician Nick Cave
What connects Nick Cave and Elaine Pagels? There’s music and a rebellious nature. But what connects them most is a deep spiritual search for meaning in life, born of personal suffering.
02 David Loy and Bhikkhu Bodhi, Western Buddhists and Political Activists
David Loy and Bhikkhu Bodhi are famous western Buddhists. Coming from the different Buddhist traditions of Zen and Theravada, they are both actively involved in Engaged Buddhism. They each re-envision the teachings of the Buddha Dharma to meet what they see as urgent present-day concerns.
03 David Graeber, Anthropologist and Anarchist
What connects David Graeber, anthropologist and anarchist, Sangharakshita, founder of the Triratna Buddhist Order and Community, bodhisattvas, and pirates? Vaddhaka explains why the answer is play.
04 John Hick, Religious Philosopher and Renegade Christian
Professor John Hick was one of the most influential philosophers of religion of the twentieth century and a practising Christian who moved easily in the company of people from other world faiths, including Buddhism. He was a renegade, challenging several orthodox Christian beliefs, including the belief in heaven and hell, preferring instead to place his faith in the Buddhist notion of rebirth.
05 Sherwin B. Nuland and Jose Saramago: Writers on Death and Dying
The Buddha gave us five reflections on life and death. Two very different books by Sherwin B. Nuland (“How We Die”) and Jose Saramago (“Death With Interruptions”) (“Death At Intervals” in the UK) add nicely to the Buddha’s five reflections.
06 Finding Buddhist Teachings in Star Trek
Stories, myth and fantasy can offer insights into the nature of reality, and they can also be fun. Vaddhaka explores two episodes from Star Trek: Next Generation for the light they throw on Buddhist teachings and practices.
07 Rita Gross, Buddhist Feminist and Freethinker
A disciple of Vajrayana Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa, Rita Gross was most well-known as the author of “Buddhism After Patriarchy”. But she was also the author of many essays on wide-ranging Buddhist topics that displayed an independent mind, and that refused to be bound by expectations of her as a Vajrayana and feminist Buddhist.
08 Jan Nattier: Explorer of the Mahayana and the Bodhisattva Way
Jan Nattier is an American Buddhist Studies scholar. She traces the evolution of the Bodhisattva Way from its origins in early Buddhism through to its later manifestation in the Lotus Sutra.
09 Stepping Out of the Bubble of Views: Arlie Hochschild and Rosa Brooks
The Buddha teaches that it is attachment to our views that makes it so hard to let go of them. It requires courage to step outside of our bubble of views to learn and understand other viewpoints. Both self-avowed left-wingers, Americans Arlie Hochschild and Rosa Brooks did just that; Hochschild to live amongst right-wing Republican supporters, Brooks to work as a reserve policewoman.
10 Stepping Out of the Bubble of Views: Jonathan Haidt
American Jonathan Haidt is a well-known social commentator. Like the “Heterodox Academy” he helped to establish in the Unites States, he believes in open inquiry, allowing a diversity of viewpoints, and ‘constructive disagreement’. Jonathan Haidt’s work, as does an important essay by Vishvapani of the Triratna Buddhist Order, helps explain the connections between our ‘feelings’ and views, how we form our political convictions, and how we should engage with others from different political persuasions.