Books
Early Buddhist Hedonism: The Role of Spiritual Pleasure in the Pali Discourses.
Contesting common perceptions of Buddhism as gloomy and emotionally restrained, I argue that the ancient path to liberation is centred on feeling good, and that it uses our tendency to avoid the unpleasant and seek pleasure, rather than combat it. This monograph based on my PhD uncovers an underlying hedonic curve shared across many models: the jhānas, the awakening factors, mindfulness of breathing, satipaṭṭhāna, and more. Read a preview of the book here.
Living life on life’s terms: Turning the wheel of secular dharma.
In 2021-22, I had the honour of teaching a year-long course alongside Stephen & Martine Batchelor. This book is a selection of 18 talks from that course, transcribed and edited. It’s organised in four parts corresponding to the Four Great Tasks—Embrace life, Let reactivity be, See reactivity stop, and Actualise a path—each with an introduction by Cathryn Jacobs, a course participant turned editor. Free taster here.
Articles in English
- The Doubting Disease – Tricycle Magazine, 2025
- Berni’s dharma (ongoing blog/newsletter)
- The New Tradition of early Buddhism – Tricycle Magazine, 2021
- The Facebook Sutta – Bodhi College newsletter, 2017
- Posts on the Secular Buddhist Network
Academic papers
- Do Buddhists Have Emotions? The Mysterious Case of Vedanā – Buddhist Studies Review 24 (1), 2025
- Is joy (pīti) a feeling (vedanā)? Perspectives from early Buddhism – Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, 2024
En español
- Blog budismosecular.org (2013–2025)
- Traducción del Vedanā Saṃyutta: Discursos conectados sobre la sensación
- Caminando con el despertar – Tricycle Magazine, 2023
- Budismo ¿secular? – Buddhistdoor, 2020
