Episode 5 — Martin Aylward: Does Buddhism Matter?

Stephen Schettini speaks with Martin Aylward about the pragmatic side of Buddhism, as opposed to its ideas or beliefs. They compare Buddhism with other contemplative traditions and ask whether contemplativeness is entering the mainstream. They look at American and other emerging forms of Buddhism. They talk about monastic life and samadhi versus the engaged life, about evolved as opposed to pathological mystical experience, about atheists and the concerns of modern culture and about whether consciousness is necessarily destined to evolve.