For those drawn to a non-deity-based path grounded in Eastern ideas, the most natural places to look are certain streams of Buddhist practice. Insight Meditation and Vipassanā communities, as well as many Zen centers, often emphasize meditation, ethics, and direct investigation of experience without requiring belief in gods or supernatural beings. Organizations such as the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Gaia House, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies are examples of this general orientation, and many local “Insight Meditation” or “Vipassana” sanghas share a similar ethos. The Triratna Buddhist Community also explicitly presents itself as non-theistic and non-sectarian, with centers in various regions and online. In these settings, practice typically takes precedence over doctrine, and any talk of devas, bodhisattvas, or similar figures is often treated as optional or metaphorical rather than as objects of worship.

Alongside these, there are communities that might be called “Buddhist-adjacent” or secular contemplative. Secular Buddhist groups, including those inspired by authors who speak of “Buddhism without beliefs” or “Buddhist atheism,” tend to frame the teachings as a practical philosophy and path of inquiry rather than a religion. Mindfulness-based programs such as MBSR and related approaches draw heavily on Buddhist mindfulness, yet present it in a non-theistic, often therapeutic, idiom; while not always overtly “spiritual,” they can serve as gateways into a deeper, deity-free contemplative life. University-based contemplative studies, Buddhist studies courses, and meditation groups frequently adopt a similar stance, exploring early Buddhism or “contemplative science” without demanding adherence to religious belief.

Non-theistic currents can also be found in some yoga and Vedānta-influenced contexts. Certain yoga studios and retreats emphasize the philosophical and experiential dimensions of practice rather than devotional worship, drawing on strands of yoga and non-dual inquiry that focus on awareness, self-inquiry, and ethical living. Some Advaita- or nonduality-inspired groups and satsangs orient themselves around direct investigation of consciousness rather than the veneration of deities, though it is wise to clarify each group’s orientation, since devotional and non-devotional forms often coexist under similar labels. In all of these environments, the shared thread is an emphasis on practice—meditation, mindfulness, ethical refinement, and contemplative study—over metaphysical commitment.

Practically speaking, several avenues can help in locating such communities. Online platforms and directories, including Meetup-style listings, often host groups under terms such as “Secular Buddhism,” “Insight Meditation,” “Zen,” “Nondual,” “Mindfulness,” or “Meditation – secular.” Many meditation centers, hospitals, universities, community colleges, and even community centers or libraries now offer mindfulness and meditation programs that are explicitly non-religious, some of which grow into ongoing sanghas or study circles. Online resources such as Dharma talks, guided meditations, and virtual sanghas associated with Insight Meditation and secular mindfulness teachers can also provide a sense of the landscape and connect practitioners with like-minded communities. A careful reading of how a group describes itself—secular, agnostic, non-theistic, or “not requiring belief”—combined with direct inquiry about its stance on deities and doctrine, helps ensure alignment with a genuinely nontheist spiritual orientation.