Secular Buddhism

Until relatively recently, Buddhism was a specialist interest in
the west. Now, secular forms of Buddhism, in the shape of
mindfulness meditation, are even available on the NHS. One of the
leading advocates of secular forms of Buddhism, Stephen
Batchelor, is in search of the historical Buddha, arguing that
many of the beliefs of traditional Buddhists, such as
reincarnation, are unnecessary accretions. In this Science Set
Free discussion, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon ask what is
lost when Buddhism is stripped of its devotional and metaphysical
elements? Might the historical Buddha be found? And can there
really be a materialist form of Buddhism, which is nothing if not
a training in that most materially inexplicable feature of
existence, consciousness?