Progressive/Reformed Buddhism

Integrating Vimalaramsi, Nichiren, and Batchelor

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash

Vimalaramsi’s Idea of Suttavada

Bhante Vimalaramsi is a modern Buddhist reformer known for his unique approach to meditation and his emphasis on returning to the original teachings of the Buddha as found in the suttas (discourses of the Buddha). His methodology revolves around Suttavāda, which means “adherence to the suttas,” highlighting his approach of direct engagement with the earliest texts of Buddhism. Vimalaramsi’s teachings make a departure from later commentarial traditions like the Abhidhamma and Visuddhimagga, arguing that they introduce concepts not present in the original teachings. In this sense, Vimalaramsi’s Suttavada movement represents a sort of ressourcement (a return to the original sources of Buddhist doctrine) and can be viewed as a sort of reformed Buddhism.

A cornerstone of Bhante Vimalaramsi’s teaching is TWIM, or “Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation.” This approach integrates Samatha (calm abiding) and Vipassana (insight) into a unified meditative practice. The technique is based on the Six Rs framework, a systematic method of observing and releasing distractions during meditation. These steps — Recognize, Release, Relax, Re-smile, Return, and Repeat — help practitioners cultivate mindfulness and tranquility while fostering deeper insights into impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

Central to TWIM is the concept of Right Effort, which involves letting go of unwholesome states and cultivating wholesome ones. Bhante Vimalaramsi’s focus on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and the Brahmavihāras (loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) encourages a gentle yet profound engagement with meditation. This method stands in contrast to more forceful or effort-driven approaches often associated with traditional Theravāda meditation.

In essence, Bhante Vimalaramsi advocates for a return to simplicity and clarity by focusing on the Buddha’s original teachings, allowing meditators to experience both tranquility and insight without having to engage in more extreme forms of asceticism or concentration. This is consistent with the Buddha’s teaching of a “middle way” between the extremes of asceticism and hedonism.

In addition to the work of Bhante Vimalaramsi, we should mention the works of Bhikkhu Sujato and Bhikkhu Analayo. Their works are particularly of interest to those who want to return to the suttas. Analayo’s work, in particular, uses textual criticism to compare the different manuscript traditions of the Buddha’s discourses in order to uncover what is most likely to be the Buddha’s original teaching.

Nichiren’s Practice of Chanting Daimoku

Nichiren Daishonin was a 13th Century Japanese Buddhist reformer. Central to Nichiren’s teaching was his emphasis on the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching of Buddhism, asserting that it contains the direct path to enlightenment. The core message of the Lotus Sutra is the universality of buddhaness. All living beings have a “buddha nature” (tathagatagarbha) and, hence, the innate potential for buddhahood.

Central to Nichiren’s practice is chanting the Daimoku, the title of the Lotus Sutra as a mantra, “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Chanting is both a meditative and transformative practice, believed to activate one’s inner potential, harmonize with the natural law, and bring about profound personal and societal change.

Nichiren also stressed the importance of actively engaging with others to propagate these teachings, cultivating a life of courage, compassion, and wisdom to overcome life’s challenges and contribute to the betterment of society. His philosophy combines deep spiritual insight with a practical approach to everyday life.

Expanding the Canon: Mahayana Sutras as Deuterocanonical Texts

Synthesizing the ideas of Vimalaramsi and Nichiren may seem impossible at first, since Vimalaramsi’s notion of Suttavada emphasizes using the authentic discourses of the Buddha as the ultimate authority, whereas Nichiren’s teachings are largely based on the Lotus, Nirvana, and Vimalakirti Sutras, sutras that were written centuries after the Buddha’s time. However, I believe that we can stay true to the original discourses of the Buddha and still find a place for the Mahayana Sutras.

To bridge Bhante Vimalaramsi’s Suttavada and Nichiren’s focus on the Lotus Sutra, we can adopt a framework where the Mahayana Sutras are treated as deutero-canonical texts — important, inspiring, and philosophically enriching, but not necessarily the original words of the historical Buddha. This approach recognizes the Mahayana Sutras as literary and doctrinal expansions on the ideas in the Pali Canon, rather than competing sources of ultimate authority.

The Mahayana Sutras, much like the existentialist novels of Sartre or Camus, use narrative and philosophical dialogue to explore profound truths about existence, suffering, and liberation. These texts, while not literal accounts of the Buddha’s teachings, serve as creative commentaries that develop and elaborate upon the foundational insights found in the Pali suttas. For instance, there are several Mahayana ideas that can be found, at least in seminal form, in the Pali Canon:

Universality of Enlightenment: The Mahayana emphasis on universal Buddhahood aligns with the Pali Canon’s assertion that anyone can attain nibbana (nirvana). In the suttas, the Buddha repeatedly states that liberation can be achieved in as little as seven days by following his path. This idea resonates with the Mahayana concept of innate buddha-nature, which holds that all beings possess the capacity for awakening.

Compassion as a Core Practice: The Mahayana focus on the bodhisattva ideal can be seen as an expansion of the Brahmavihara teachings in the Pali Canon. Loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), and equanimity (upekkha) are central to both traditions, emphasizing the importance of ethical conduct and concern for others on the path to liberation.

Philosophical Refinement: The Mahayana Sutras often delve into metaphysical discussions, such as the nature of emptiness (sunyata), which can be viewed as an extension of the Pali teachings on non-self (anatta) and impermanence (anicca). These texts push the boundaries of Buddhist thought, encouraging deeper contemplation and a broader philosophical perspective.

By adopting this perspective, we can integrate the narrative richness and philosophical sophistication of the Mahayana Sutras into a practice grounded in the Buddha’s earliest discourses. These sutras can act as tools for interpretation and application, helping practitioners navigate the complexities of modern life while remaining faithful to the essence of the Buddha’s teachings.

A Coherent Synthesis

By combining Vimalaramsi’s insistence on the primacy of the Pali Canon with Nichiren’s transformative and socially engaged approach, we can create a reformed Buddhism that is both authentic to the Buddha’s original vision and adaptable to contemporary needs. The chanting of the Daimoku, for example, can be reinterpreted as a practical tool for mindfulness and focus, drawing on the power of verbal repetition found in the Pali Canon’s meditative practices.

Similarly, Nichiren’s emphasis on engaging with society aligns with the Buddha’s teachings on right speech, right action, and right livelihood. When combined with Vimalaramsi’s practical meditative techniques, this synthesis offers a path that is accessible, profound, and transformative — one that remains true to the Buddha’s original vision while embracing the creativity and insights of later Buddhist traditions.

The Utility of Nichirenist Practice

While the joint vipassana-samatha meditation technique, as taught by Bhante Vimalaramsi, provides a clear and effective core practice for cultivating mindfulness and insight, Nichiren Buddhist practices, such as gongyo and shodaigyo, offer complementary methods that can enrich daily life.

Shodaigyo, the chanting of Daimoku (“Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”), is particularly valuable because it can seamlessly integrate into a wide range of activities. Unlike seated meditation, chanting can be practiced silently while walking, working, shopping, or cooking. This flexibility allows practitioners to maintain a state of mindfulness and connection to the Dharma throughout the day, transforming ordinary tasks into opportunities for spiritual practice. The repetitive nature of chanting helps keep the mind centered and focused, preventing distraction and fostering a sense of inner peace and purpose.

Gongyo, the recitation of sutra passages, complements meditation by reinforcing core teachings and grounding practitioners in the wisdom of the Dharma. Together, these practices create a dynamic synergy: seated vipassana-samatha develops deep mindfulness and tranquility, while chanting and recitation help extend this clarity and focus into everyday life.

By incorporating Nichiren Buddhist practices into a framework grounded in the Buddha’s original teachings, we can create a well-rounded approach to practice — one that is meditative at its core yet adaptable and integrated into the flow of daily living. This integration ensures that the Dharma is not confined to the meditation cushion but becomes a constant presence in one’s life, fostering both insight and compassionate engagement with the world.

Stephen Batchelor’s Secular Buddhism

Stephen Batchelor has emerged as a pivotal figure in the development of Secular Buddhism, a form of Buddhism that eschews supernatural beliefs while focusing on practical and ethical applications of the Buddha’s teachings. A former Tibetan Buddhist monk, Batchelor transitioned to a secular approach after years of study and practice in both Tibetan and Zen traditions. His key works, Buddhism Without Beliefs and Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, articulate his vision of a Buddhism that aligns with contemporary secular and humanist values.

Central to Batchelor’s philosophy is a reconfiguration of early Buddhist teachings for the modern world. Rather than seeking metaphysical transcendence or rebirth, he interprets the Dharma as a framework for human flourishing within this lifetime. Drawing on the historical and cultural context of the Buddha’s era, Batchelor emphasizes an agnostic stance toward doctrines such as karma and rebirth, suggesting that these elements need not be central to the practice of mindfulness, ethical living, and community engagement.

A notable feature of Batchelor’s secular approach is its alignment with critical inquiry and individual autonomy. He champions a pragmatic interpretation of the Eightfold Path, emphasizing its potential to address the complexities of contemporary life without reliance on hierarchical or doctrinal authority. This philosophy resonates with movements like the Insight Meditation tradition, which similarly adopts a non-sectarian and inclusive ethos.

Moreover, Batchelor’s exploration of Buddhism’s intersection with Hellenistic philosophy, particularly Pyrrhonism, provides an intellectual bridge between Eastern and Western traditions of skepticism and inquiry. By presenting the Buddha as a figure whose teachings arose from a specific cultural moment rather than as a divine or prophetic entity, Batchelor reframes Buddhism as a dynamic and adaptable philosophy.

Through his work, Batchelor has fostered a version of Buddhism that remains grounded in the essential values of the Dharma — compassion, mindfulness, and wisdom — while engaging critically with its historical evolution. His contributions challenge practitioners to reimagine Buddhist practice in ways that prioritize ethical action and personal insight over dogmatic adherence to traditional beliefs.

Progressive Reformed Buddhism

I am here proposing a mixture of progressive, modernist Buddhism and reformed Buddhism, something that simultaneously goes back to the original sources and tries to uncover the authentic teachings of the Buddha but also realizes the utility of more recently developed Buddhist practices and ideas. This new approach to Buddhism is reformed and traditional in a lot of ways but, at the same time, is very non-dogmatic. It is progressive in the sense of being open-minded and forward-looking. It encourages us to look at how Buddhism can be applied today and also encourages us to be skeptical of things we cannot verify for ourselves, even if those things are part of our own Buddhist tradition.

This proposed approach embraces the pragmatism of Secular Buddhism while honoring the rich heritage of traditional Buddhist practices. It calls for a synthesis that respects the historical Buddha’s teachings as preserved in early Buddhist texts while remaining adaptable to the needs of modern practitioners. Such a path avoids rigid adherence to orthodoxy, favoring instead an ethos of inquiry, personal experience, and ethical application.

At its core, this synthesis rejects the false dichotomy between tradition and modernity. It recognizes that ancient teachings, such as mindfulness, compassion, and the Eightfold Path, remain profoundly relevant. At the same time, it appreciates that many contemporary practices, like mindfulness-based stress reduction or the socially engaged Buddhism of figures like Thich Nhat Hanh, provide accessible avenues for bringing Buddhist principles into everyday life.

Key to this approach is the emphasis on verification through experience. Like Stephen Batchelor’s Secular Buddhism, it encourages practitioners to critically engage with Buddhist doctrines, questioning and testing them in light of personal insight and contemporary knowledge. This mindset aligns with the Buddha’s own encouragement in the Kalama Sutta: to investigate teachings and accept only what is directly beneficial and verifiable.

Additionally, this hybrid Buddhism is inclusive and pluralistic. It values the narrative richness of Mahayana sutras, the practical techniques of Theravada and Zen meditation, and even the socially active ideals found in some Western interpretations of the Dharma. Contemporary practices like mantra recitation and TWIM meditation are not discarded but are integrated as tools for different needs and contexts.

This approach also embraces progressivism in its emphasis on ethical responsibility and social action. As the world faces global challenges, from climate change to systemic inequality, a progressive reformed Buddhism can provide a framework for compassionate engagement. It invites practitioners to apply Buddhist principles not only in individual transformation but also in collective efforts to reduce suffering on a societal scale.

By blending reverence for tradition with openness to innovation, this reformed and modernist Buddhism creates a path that is both timeless and timely. It allows practitioners to honor their spiritual heritage while navigating the complexities of contemporary life, offering a practice that is authentic, accessible, and profoundly transformative.