In this episode, Stuart starts with a short interview of Ian Lawton, documentary film maker, and they look at his latest project The Dharma Bum. We then get stuck into a discussion of the academic world of Buddhist Studies and Secular Buddhism, exploring the role academia can play in informing Buddhist practice. We also look at the potential limitations of Secular Buddhism in its guise as Protestant Buddhism and end by making recommendations on where to go next in order to be enlightened by the more accessible academics. It probably sounds less fun than it actually is bu in the process Matthew invents some wacky theories and Stuart finally sounds professional, so that has to be a plus. Episode 5.2 will feature an interview with Jayarava, self-defined feral scholar, as a follow up and hopefully he will set us both straight on the role of academia in enlightening Buddhists. 

Matthew O'Connell is a life coach and the host of the The Imperfect Buddha podcast. You can find The Imperfect Buddha on Facebook and Twitter (@imperfectbuddha).

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