Early Buddhism · Secular practice

Hello, I'm Doug Smith.

An independent scholar sharing the teachings of early Buddhism and contemporary philosophy of mind, through videos, essays, and a book.

Doug Smith
About

My path

I created Doug's Dharma on YouTube in 2017 to introduce the teachings of early Buddhism to a wide audience. I also founded the Online Dharma Institute to provide longer-form courses on early Buddhist themes.

I have a PhD in Philosophy of Mind, several scholarly publications in Buddhist Studies, and many years of practice in the Zen and Theravāda traditions. I also completed the yearlong Integrated Study and Practice Program with the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the New York Insight Meditation Center in 2013.

I pursue a secular practice orientation — though I welcome traditional approaches, and discuss them in my videos.

Doug's Dharma · YouTube

Videos on early Buddhism

My interest is in illuminating key aspects of the dharma of early Buddhism, particularly highlighting its unique character in ways that resonate with contemporary life.

Watch on Doug's Dharma

New videos out regularly, for anyone interested in how early Buddhist philosophy and practice relates to our lives today.

Complete Video Index

Hundreds of videos, organized by theme.

Online Dharma Institute

Longer-form courses

Self-paced courses that go deeper than the videos — working carefully through the early texts and the path of practice.

A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom — book cover
My book

A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom

The Path of the Mahāmaṅgala Sutta

A guide through one of the best-loved discourses in the Pāli Canon — the Buddha's teaching on a life of good fortune. Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi.

Find the book
Podcast

Diggin' the Dharma

Buddhist meditation teacher Jon Aaron and I ran a podcast called Diggin' the Dharma for several years. Search it out for relaxed discussions of Buddhisty themes.

Listen
Writing & research

Essays and scholarship

Substack

Essays

Longer written reflections on early Buddhism and its relation to contemporary questions of personal identity, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and related themes.

Read on Substack
Academia.edu

Journal articles

Scholarly journal articles in Buddhist Studies are available to read and download.

Go to academia.edu
Patreon

Consider supporting my work

My work wouldn't be possible without your continued support. Join me on Patreon for occasional exclusive livestreams, ad-free and audio-only versions of my videos, along with detailed show notes and other perks.

Join on Patreon