A TREATISE ON SECULAR BUDDHISM VOLUME I OF III

Philosophy, Practice, Psychology, Ethics, and the Art of Living without Metaphysical CertaintyBy Richard Murdoch Montgomery
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Length9h 31m

About this audiobook

A Treatise on Secular Buddhism is a rigorous, accessible exploration of Buddhist philosophy for readers who value evidence, intellectual honesty, and practical wisdom. Richard Murdoch Montgomery examines the historical Buddha, the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, impermanence, not-self, karma, rebirth, meditation, ethics, psychology, and the modern secular reconstruction of Buddhist thought. Respectful of traditional Buddhism without requiring metaphysical certainty, the work distinguishes historical claims, personal experience, scientific evidence, and philosophical interpretation. Volume I of III establishes the foundations of the complete treatise, guiding readers from the human problem and early Buddhist history to mind, emotion, consciousness, and sustainable contemplative practice.

Audiobook details

GenrePhilosophy, Health and Wellness
Length9 hrs 31 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 20, 2026
LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Introduction
2Copyright and Publication Information
3Preface: Why Secular Buddhism Requires a Treatise
4Editorial correction: lineage, secularisation, and evidence
5Preface to Volume I
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6Acknowledgements
7Note on Names, Languages, and Transliteration
8Note on the Use of Buddhist Texts
9Chronological Table
10Introduction: Buddhism after Belief
11PART I: Before Buddhism: The Human Problem
12Chapter 1 - Why Buddhism, and Why Secular?
13The contemporary attraction of Buddhism
14Religion, philosophy, psychology, and practice
15What “secular” can and cannot mean
16Secularism, naturalism, agnosticism, and atheism
17The danger of reducing Buddhism to relaxation
18The danger of treating antiquity as infallible
19A provisional definition of secular Buddhism
20How to use this treatise
21A first experiment in attention
22Examples
23Example 1 — Is a workplace mindfulness session secular Buddhism?
24Example 2 — A practitioner suspends judgement about rebirth
25Exercises with full resolutions
26Exercise 1 — Classification without simplification
27Exercise 2 — Distinguishing four secular positions
28Exercise 3 — Detecting reduction
29Exercise 4 — Testing antiquity
30Exercise 5 — Applying the provisional definition
31Exercise 6 — The three-minute observation
32End-of-chapter direction check
33Chapter 2 - The Problem of Being Human
34Pleasure, pain, dissatisfaction, and instability
35The wish for permanence in an impermanent world
36Identity and the fear of dissolution
37Habit, craving, and self-deception
38The conflict between experience and expectation
39Why intelligence does not abolish suffering
40Existential, psychological, and social forms of distress
41Examples
42Example 1 — The promotion that became ordinary
43Example 2 — Pain, interpretation, and justice
44Exercises with full resolutions
45Exercise 1 — Pleasure without indictment
46Exercise 2 — Permanence and responsibility
47Exercise 3 — Identity as function
48Exercise 4 — Mapping a habit
49Exercise 5 — Expectation or value?
50Exercise 6 — Why explanation is insufficient

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