Secular Buddhism Volume II of III

Practice, Ethics, and Buddhist TraditionsBy Richard Murdoch Montgomery, MD, PhD
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Length20h 47m

About this audiobook

A Treatise on Secular Buddhism, Volume II of III: Practice, Ethics, and Buddhist Traditions carries the inquiry from meditation into the practical and ethical life. Richard Murdoch Montgomery examines mindfulness of breathing, the four foundations of mindfulness, concentration and the jhānas, insight practice, loving-kindness, contemplative obstacles, adverse effects, and meditation safety. The volume then turns to ethics, speech, livelihood, sexuality, remorse, and moral repair before exploring Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, Chan and Zen, Pure Land, Vajrayāna, Buddhist modernism, and dialogue with Western philosophy. Scholarly yet accessible, it respects Buddhist traditions while distinguishing historical evidence, philosophical interpretation, contemplative experience, and modern scientific claims.

Audiobook details

GenrePhilosophy, Science and Nature
Length20 hrs 47 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 22, 2026
LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Copyright and Publication Information: Preface to Volume II
2Chapter 25 - Mindfulness of Breathing
325.1. The early textual foundations
425.2. Attention to the breath
525.3. Whole-body breathing: Applied example: from point to field
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625.4. Calming bodily formation
725.5. Distraction and return
825.6. Subtle breath and concentrated awareness
925.7. A progressive eight-week practice sequence: Worked case: revising the sequence
10Exercises
111. Text and modern use. Why is breathing practice not adequately described as a relaxation technique?
122. Choosing an anchor. The nostrils are too faint, but abdominal movement is clear. What should you do?
133. Control. You notice yourself manufacturing slow breaths. Resolve the problem.
144. Whole-body breathing. Distinguish whole-body breathing from imagining air in the limbs.
155. Calming. What does calming bodily formation mean operationally?
166. Distraction. You spend nine minutes planning and notice only in the final minute. Was the session useless?
177. Subtle breath. The breath becomes almost imperceptible and anxiety arises. What is the prudent response?
188. Eight-week course. You miss four days in week five. Must you repeat or compensate with a long sitting?
19Direction check
20Chapter 26 - The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
2126.1. Mindfulness of the body: Applied example: the body before the explanation
2226.2. Mindfulness of feeling tone
2326.3. Mindfulness of mind
2426.4. Mindfulness of phenomena
2526.5. Observation, interpretation, and reactivity
2626.6. Ardent, clearly knowing, and mindful
2726.7. Applying the four foundations in ordinary life
28Worked examples
29Exercises
301. Body. During an argument, you notice a clenched jaw. What does body mindfulness add?
312. Feeling tone. A pleasant notification arrives during work. How can feeling-tone mindfulness be practised?
323. Mind. You think, “I am an anxious person.” Reframe it.
334. Phenomena. What makes a category such as craving useful rather than merely labelling?
345. Interpretation. Someone does not answer your message. Separate event from inference.
356. Ardour and clarity. How can effort become unhelpful strain?
367. Ordinary life. Give a three-second practice for a difficult conversation.
378. Boundaries. Does understanding another person’s conditions require tolerating harm?
38Direction check
39Chapter 27 - Concentration and the Jhānas
4027.1. Collectedness of mind
4127.2. Access concentration
4227.3. The classical absorptions
4327.4. Pleasure, joy, equanimity, and unification
4427.5. Competing interpretations of jhāna
4527.6. Benefits and risks of intensive concentration
4627.7. A secular understanding of altered contemplative states
47Worked examples
48Exercises
491. Collectedness. What distinguishes collectedness from mere suppression of thought?
502. Access. Why should “access concentration” be used cautiously?

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