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Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
by
Stephen Batchelor
3.92 · Rating details · 3,716 ratings · 267 reviews
Written with the same brilliance and boldness that made Buddhism Without Beliefs a classic in its field, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist is Stephen Batchelor’s account of his journey through Buddhism, which culminates in a groundbreaking new portrait of the historical Buddha.
Stephen Batchelor grew up outside London and came of age in the 1960s. Like other seekers of his ...more
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Hardcover, 306 pages
Published March 2nd 2010 by Spiegel & Grau (first published 2010)
ISBN
0385527063 (ISBN13: 9780385527064)
Edition Language
English
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Apr 04, 2010Vegantrav rated it it was amazing
First, I should say a brief word about the title: Buddhism is an atheistic religion, so being a Buddhist atheist is not anything at all unusual. Now, granted, many sects of Buddhism believe in various deities and spirits; however, one of the key teachings of Siddhattha Gotama (Batchelor uses the Pali spellings) was his rejection of the theism--his rejection of the existence of Brahman and Atman: God, The Absolutle, the Self--of the Hindu culture in which he lived. Gotama's atheism, as Batchelor points out, was not an explicit argument against the existence of God but rather a recognition that the existence of God is not relevant to the human condition.
Batchelor's confession leads us down two intertwining paths: Batchelor's own personal spiritual journey and a biography of the life of Siddhattha Gotama.
Batchelor relates his initiation into Tibetan Buddhism and his life as a monk and his eventual "disrobing"--giving up the monastic life to become a lay Buddhist teacher. Despite belonging to a branch of Buddhism that retains many superstitious beliefs, Batchelor never had much, if any, affinity for the supernatural elements of that sect but rather sought the peace and truth to be discovered in meditation and in following Gotama's Dhamma (the Pali spelling of Dharma).
The real interest in this book, for me anyway, is Batchelor's quest for the historical Gotama, which is not unlike the quest for the historical Jesus in which biblical scholars are engaged. The Gotama whom Batchelor finds is a man who teaches some things that many Buddhists would find shocking: for example, Batchelor argues that Gotama rejected the belief in karma and reincarnation.
Batchelor's Gotama, though, is not terribly unlike other portraits of the Buddha (I am thinking here of Karen Armstrong's biography of the Buddha): Gotama is a wise and witty man who urges his followers to think for themselves, who urges them to take nothing on faith or on authority or even on his own word but to test all things for themselves. Yes, Gotama does think he has found the answer to salvation in this life, but nibbana (Pali for nirvana) is not some heavenly bliss or even just escape from samsara; rather, nibbana is the condition that is attained upon a recognition and acceptance of the contingency of one's existence and an acceptance of the suffering of life, an embracing of this suffering, and then a transcending of the suffering so that, despite its existence, there is a cessation (a blowing out: nibbana) of the effects of suffering and of one's contingent status upon one's life.
The biography of Gotama that Batchelor provides is drawn from the Pali Canon, and Batchelor uses many of the same critical methods that biblical scholars use in approaching the historical Jesus. Batchelor gives readers a great perspective on the political and social world in which Gotama lived. I am certainly no scholar of Buddhism or of the life of Siddhattha Gotama; however, it seems to me that Batchelor does a great job of providing an accurate portrayal of the life and times of Siddhattha Gotama, and he does so without trying to persuade anyone of any particular religious or philosophical beliefs.
Batchelor is simply telling us the story of the life of the Buddha, and for anyone interested in that story, I would highly recommend this book. The figure of Siddhattha Gotama who emerges in this book is one of who was far more of a philosopher than a religious figure, and Gotama was certainly not dogmatist and seems to have little interest at all in organized religion or in the supernatural elements (God, life after death, karma, spirits, etc.) with which many religions are deeply concerned.
What I found most attractive in this portrait of Gotama (and this feature is born out in other biographies of Gotama) was the emphasis on the individual finding truth for herself or himself. Gotama had attained enlightenment for himself, but he did not ask us to take anything that he taught on faith but rather to seek the truth for ourselves and even to put to the test the core teachings of his Dhamma. (less)
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Feb 01, 2013Rebecca Dobrinski rated it it was amazing
Atheism is NOT About You
Really, it’s not. It is not an affront to your existence. It is about science. It is about questioning and searching for answers. It is about thinking for oneself.
For the God-themed issue of Zen Dixie, I read three books on atheism. No, these books did not provide me with any life-changing realizations – it was more like, as “they” say, “preaching to the choir.”
Yes, I am an atheist. No, I do not believe in anyone else’s God. And, like I said in the opening paragraph, my atheism is not about anyone else but me.
After reading these books, I feel as though the world needs to be reminded that when someone realizes she is an atheist, it is not an attack on everyone else in the world that believes in God. This is the first striking lesson I learned from reading these books. People, even total strangers, take one’s atheism personally.
Next, I am still the same person you knew the minute before you read the words “I am an atheist.” Yep, still the same brunette with brown eyes, tattoos, and (multiple) degrees, who cares for her friends and volunteers for good causes. This is no different than if you never knew I had a cat.
This is another reminder the world needs after being told someone is an atheist. They are still the same person you liked, loved, and respected before you found out. Yes, you may be concerned that he will not be joining you in the afterlife, but he does not join you for dinner every night either. So, remember, it’s OK. The world will not end if your friend is an atheist.
And now, onto the show…
To start this themed review, I began with Seth Andrews’s Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason.
Seth Andrews is the founder of The Thinking Atheist (TTA) community. You can find TTA at the web site (www.thethinkingatheist.com) and on Facebook. Andrews has a number of volunteers who help with the web site and Facebook page. Before he founded TTA, Andrews led a very different life – he was a Christian radio broadcaster and one of the outspoken faithful.
Andrews likened announcing one’s atheism to “dipping yourself in jet fuel and showing up for a candlelight church service. The crowd is convinced you’re going up in flames, and they’re terrified that you’ll take others with you.”
Deconverted was the story of Andrews’s journey from believer to atheist. He chronicled the doubt and questioning, the frustration, and ultimately his desire to “expose the flaws in the very teachings I once held so dear.”
He admitted to writing it in what he calls “plain English,” making the tone and language very accessible. Andrews also provided some insight into what many Americans have experienced when “coming out” as an atheist. He questioned the indoctrination of children into religion before they are mature enough to make the decision on their own. He pointed out the misogyny in the bible as well as the contradictions from book to book. All of these were the little things that planted the seeds of doubt and pushed Andrews to seriously consider the role religion played in his life and in society as a whole.
All in all, Andrews offered the following advice both in Deconverted and at The Thinking Atheist: Assume nothing. Question everything. Challenge the Opposition. And start thinking.
From Deconverted, I picked up Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion.
Richard Dawkins came to atheism with the mind of science. Being a historian rather than a scientist, I admit that I found Dawkins to be somewhat dry in places. The God Delusion was an excellent book – and one I highly recommend – but, if you are like me, do not expect it to be a quick read.
Dawkins, much like Andrews, highlighted the many inconsistencies of the world’s religions. (Yes, I know that Dawkins wrote The God Delusion before Andrews wrote Deconverted, but I read Dawkins after Andrews – so, for me, this is an accurate statement.) He dove into the roots of religions and tackled the constant claim that “Hitler was an atheist.” (spoiler alert – he wasn’t)
Dawkins is one of the most widely read published atheists. Both believers and atheists read these books, which can be seen on the Amazon reviews. As I am sure you would expect, the reviews were either strongly for or against Dawkins’s book. The God Delusion is not geared toward converting those strongly attached to their faith, but it certainly reminds those questioning that they are not alone.
One of the parts that sticks with me most from Dawkins’s book is the “New Ten Commandments” he found on the ebonmusings.org web site. He calls them an expression of consensual ethics. Here are a few to ponder:
In all things, strive to cause no harm.
Live life with a sense of joy and wonder.
Always seek to be learning something new.
Question everything.
To these he added, along with three others, “Value the future on a timescale longer than your own.”
These commandments helped lead me to the third book, Stephen Batchelor’s Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.
I will admit, out of the three books this was the one I was most looking forward to reading. After being raised Catholic, I had more than a passing fancy for Buddhism. I read a lot and appreciated even more the ideals and guides for living that Buddhism provides.
Stephen Batchelor left his home in England and wound up in India, studying Buddhism where the exiled Dalai Lama resided. He became a monk and began working on translations of Buddhist texts into English. The more he learned, the more he taught others, especially westerners who were flocking to Buddhism in droves in the late 1960s.
Even before he made the decision to de-robe, Batchelor questioned the organization of Buddhism. He researched and read the ancient texts of Siddattha Gotama and learned that the way the Buddha taught was unlike the religion Buddhism had evolved into. As he explained, he wrote Confession of a Buddhist Atheist “from the perspective of a committed layperson who seeks to lead a life that embodies Buddhist values within the context of secularism and modernity.”
Batchelor was heavier on the Buddhism and lighter on the atheism, but that is not as bad a thing as I had originally thought. Upon finishing the book, I was somewhat disappointed that he devoted so much of the narrative to the history of Buddhism. After digesting the work for a day and pondering the ideas, I can see how the reader would need a greater understanding of the Buddha as Batchelor “knew” him.
Because of this, it is easier to not only grasp Batchelor’s de-robing, but to understand how and why he could not continue as a monk. It is also easier to understand that the Four Noble Truths and the eightfold path are not only tools of becoming enlightened, but are ways to creating a more civilized world and dealing with the pain and suffering of life.
With Buddhism, though, it is easier to grasp the transition from Buddhist monk to Atheist as early Buddhism is similar to the Ten Commandments Dawkins found.
There are some interesting observations to be made from these three books. On the surface, both Andrews and Batchelor were part of their respective clergy. Dawkins and Batchelor are both British. When broken down, each likely had similar paths of thinking that are quite compatible with each other.
This review (as a combination review/essay) originally appeared at Zen Dixie, http://www.zendixie.com/read.html (less)
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Apr 22, 2014Nandakishore Varma rated it liked it · review of another edition
This we may term the fundamental posture of the Buddhist mind. The serious commitment of the Occidental mind to the concerns and value of the living person is fundamentally dismissed, as it is in Jainism, and in the Sankhya too. However, the usual Oriental concern for the monad also is dismissed. There is no reincarnating hero-monad to be saved, released, or found. All life is sorrowful, and yet, there is no self, no being, no entity, in sorrow. There is no reason, consequently, to feel loathing, shock, or nausea, before the spectacle of the world: but, on the contrary, the only feeling appropriate is compassion (karuna), which is immediately felt, in fact, when the paradoxical, incommunicable truth is realized that all these suffering beings are in reality - no beings.
…
The main point of the doctrine is clear enough, however, which is, namely, that, since all things are without a self, no one has to attain extinction; everyone is, in fact, already extinct and has always been so. Ignorance, however, leads to the notion and therefore the experience of an entity in pain. And not disdain or loathing, but compassion is to be felt for all those suffering beings who, if they were only quit of their ego-notion, would know-and experience the fact-that there is no suffering person anywhere at all.
- Joseph Campbell, The Masks of God, Vol. III – Oriental Mythology
The above quote from Joseph Campbell (especially the highlighted portion) delineates the core concept of the philosophy propounded by Gautama Buddha – the non-existence of the soul. Here is where the Buddha takes off from the philosophies extant in India until that point of time, and takes the radical step of the killing off of the soul. Traditional Hindu thought posits the Atman, or individual soul, as an expression of the Brahman, the World Soul: the self and the Self. The aim of enlightenment is to realise that worldly existence is illusory: the “real” existence begins when one’s ego is extinguished and the oneness with the Brahman is known. This frees the soul from the cycle of karma, birth, rebirth and worldly existence.
The Buddha took this philosophy and stood it on its head. He agreed that suffering arises because of the attachment of the ego to the world – the basic illusory nature of the ego is to be understood, and let go. However, after this event, there is no unveiling of a beatific existence in an everlasting garden of the eternal bliss of oneness with the Brahman – because it doesn’t exist. In fact, nothing exists other than this fleeting moment, this here and the now. This is the liberation, the Nirvana.
On the practical front, the Hindu philosophies reinforced the existing political system. If one’s existence on this earth is illusory, it does not matter whether one is a Kshatriya king enjoying all the palace delights or a lowly untouchable scavenger carting away human excrement – the souls of both these people are parts of the same Brahman. In another life with different karma, they can be reversed until ultimately they merge with the world soul. The duty of the individual was to realise this and be a faithful cog in the machine, all the time trying to attain a higher plane of existence.
The Buddha did not question the fact that one is only a cog in the machine – however, by denying the existence of the soul, he proposed a different solution for the ending of pain: that of the cog to stop functioning as a cog. This was revolutionary in the sense that it threatened the existence of Indian society as one knew it at that point of time.
However, as Buddhism grew and spread as a religion, Gautama’s teachings were coloured and corrupted by the local beliefs wherever it reached. It seems that man’s need for transcendence proved stronger than his need for an earthly nirvana – the result is the religion which the world knows today as “Buddhism”, which is ridden with rituals and superstitions, and the very beliefs in karma and rebirth which the Buddha rejected. And in its birthplace in India, Buddhism was assimilated into Hinduism and the Buddha was transformed into an incarnation of Lord Vishnu!
In Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, internationally reputed Buddhist scholar and former monk Stephen Batchelor analyses this transformation. He does it as he recounts his career transformation from monk to layman; from his initiation into Buddhism under the Dalai Lama, to his loss of faith in its polytheistic worldview and subsequent shift to Zen Buddhism in Korea; his disenchantment with its worship of emptiness and hollow rituals which led to his eventual disrobing and marriage to a fellow bhikhuni (nun); his retracing of Siddhartha’s life journey geographically and historically while researching the Buddha’s discourses at the same time; and his ultimate realisation of its essential atheism.
The full review is available on my blog. (less)
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Feb 17, 2011Caitlin rated it it was amazing
Shelves: spirituality
Not since Chogyam Trungpa's "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" has an analysis of Buddhism had such a profound effect on me. Part spiritual autobiography, part scholarly text. Batchelor's monastic journey led to studies and work with many important teachers (the Dalai Lama, for one). But his quest became stymied by increasing unease, due to unquestioning allegiances, archaic conventions and, eventually, as he dug deeper into the Pali Canon (bless his patience), contradictions about the historical (romanticized) Buddha and what it appeared the Buddha was actually doing out there under that Bo Tree. It seems that Gautama, the existentialist, was caught in the midst of serious political struggles and cranky benefactors, never out to found a religion at all, but wishing to build community and share his prescription for removal of suffering (the Four Noble Truths). Only later, has the concept of enlightenment become synonymous with struggle and exclusivity, thanks to his vision having been hijacked and fractured by so many splintered schools of thought. That said, even Batchelor doesn't throw baby out with bathwater, and shows the utmost respect for different perspectives. In the end, though he doesn't remain convinced that there is anything beyond this life, he feels that Buddhism offers a tremendously sane and compassionate way to live, whether or not nirvana exists. Even if one doesn't agree with Batchelor, this is a highly important book on Buddhism, and should be read by all who practice Buddhism or wish to further understand this philosophy. (less)
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Apr 21, 2011James rated it it was ok
Shelves: buddhism
I gave up. He lost me when he ran out of stuff to say, but still had half the book left to write.
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Mar 20, 2010Jim Coughenour rated it did not like it
Recommends it for: fans of 1 star reviews
Shelves: memoir, spirituality
"I am glad I belong to a religion that worships a tree." No, this is not Jake Sully saluting the Na'vi in Avatar – it's Stephen Batchelor explaining his "Buddhist atheism." But in this case, 3D means dull, dispiriting and diffuse.
I enjoy confessions, especially when they involve spiritual conturbation: Mark Matousek's Sex, Death, Enlightenment; Andrew Harvey's The Sun at Midnight; even Frank Schaeffer's half-cocked Crazy for God. I also (if rarely) appreciate oblique approaches to spirituality, as in Jacob Needleman's Lost Christianity or Pankaj Mishra's An End to Suffering. What I don't enjoy or appreciate is a book by someone whose journey is as entropic as my own.
Batchelor (who, I have to say, sounds like a genuinely pleasant fellow) wanders through his story like a beggar with his bowl. He aims to recover the genuine teaching of the historical Buddha, but the closest he can get is the jumble of Pali palm-leaf manuscripts, compiled in Siam hundreds of years after Gotama's death. (By comparison the Christian Gospels are terse documentary footage.) He wants to purge Buddhist religiosity of its "supernatural" Hindu elements, yet the Dhammic tenets he retains are as generic and insipid as a fortune cookie.
"I think of myself as a secular Buddhist who is concerned entirely with the demands of this age (saeculum) no matter how inadequate and insignificant my responses to these demands might be. And if in the end there does turn out to be a heaven or nirvana somewhere else, I can see no better way to prepare for it." Astringent radicalism or cutting critique this is not, even with that pointless pinch of Latin.
Batchelor admits he assembles his books like a collage – his Confession bears him out. It's composed of aleatoric autobiography, theological deconstruction, sectarian reconstruction, pilgrimage/travelogue, and tortured, puerile affirmations. One night as he steps into the courtyard of the Lotus Nikko Hotel in Kushinagar, he reflects, "I will never see what Gotama saw, but I can listen to the descendants of the same cicadas he would have heard when night fell in Kusinara all those years ago." Like the Christian hymn "I walked today where Jesus walked," this is kitsch on the verge of nonsense.
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Dec 15, 2018Jenn "JR" rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: bio-memoir-essay
116 highlights
As an atheist, finding myself surrounded by ever increasing volume and number of voices espousing Buddhist beliefs, I was immediately drawn to this book.
I expected more discussion of atheism vs Buddhism but what I found was more detail about the fragmented schools of thought that make up Buddhism. Some of the stories after the mid-point of the book about all the politics of men seemed a bit "one too many' -- perhaps forming the basis of other reviewers critiques that the author ran out of interesting things to say.
In this case, it seems the author is passionately attached to the importance of these stories -- and definitely could have done a bit more editing down to turn some of the tales into boxed sidebars. There's a lot of discussion of politics between the Buddhist leaders and factions -- some of it seemed a bit much and silly to me (but people were willing to kill over the right to worship a deity, for example).
I want to acknowledge that the meditation and mindfulness are important -- as thousands of current books on emotional intelligence, leadership and management insist. However, meditation and mindfulness practice cannot stand alone without having a genuine interest in others and expanding that awareness to the commonality with others around us.
Whether you are adhering to the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Paths or some other similar structure -- simply meditating to clear your mind and being mindful of the world around you is akin to navel gazing. You must engage with the world around you and pay attention -- and it is this underlying recommendation toward activism that I appreciate most about the author's perspective.
Like the author, I have no interest in building up my record as pious so that I can have a good afterlife. I haven't had much evidence such a thing exists -- and if I can do good while I am living now, that should be credential enough.
I like his definition of atheism vs "anti-theism" -- I have been informed by people that atheism is a religion, but for me -- I just don't think about any specific deities. That's like claiming that the static you at a point on the tv or radio spectrum as a "station" when there's no broadcast.
Two things bother me about the research and the discussion around Buddhism. First -- the Pali text was written/transcribed from oral tradition about 400 years after Buddha died. The author spent a lot of time trying to find the authentic voice of Buddha -- cutting out bits that seemed to come from other traditions or sources. But - how do we even know that is close to accurate? We're talking about oral tradition -- while Ananda must have had a hell of a memory (apparently he was one of the memorizers), who were the others sitting at Buddha's feet to accurately mentally record his discussions word-for-word to pass them down (and how did they do that and to whom)?
While we're at it -- this is nearly entirely a discussion of MEN. True - there are a few women here and there, but even the author's life sounds like a largely male-oriented world. He mentions his mother, his wife, the "moon-faced Korean" women he encounters on a tour, the wife of the wealthy king and the nun who lay down her robes after losing a discussion following Buddha's death about who was the stronger apostle (Ananda or Kassapa).
Fortunately - the use of this framework is not gender specific. I like the concepts of accepting that we will suffer (that's our nature - happiness doesn't last), learning to appreciate the moment and accept that it is all finite/fallible, and don't take things for granted -- test them and observe them on your own.
Key to all of this is the concept that "Mindful awareness is not presented as a passive concentration on a single, steady object, but as a refined engagement with a shifting, complex world." This allows you to make choices based on curiosity not just reacting based on instinct or emotion. The "middle path" is one that doesn't swing to far to the asceticism or to the bacchanalian.
In sum, he says "Buddhism has become for me a philosophy of action and responsibility. It provides a framework of values, ideas, and practices that nurture my ability to create a path in life, to define myself as a person, to act, to take risks, to imagine things differently, to make art." (less)
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Aug 22, 2013Suzanne rated it it was ok
Shelves: buddhism
I'd give Part One, the autobiographical section, a four; my only criticism is that it is too short and lacks detail. Part Two, however, merits at most a two. It is the bulk of the work, and should really be called "In Search of the Historic Buddha." Other reviews have commented that they are not historians and so don't feel that they can judge. I, on the other hand, am an historian, and can and do judge it. This is not a work of history; it is, at best, a speculative work. It is a work written by someone who, while rejecting the supernatural origins of his religious belief, still wants historical authority for what he does believe.
His only source is the Pali canon, which is not a reliable, authentic, or valid historical source. I looked in vain for any objective evidence that there even was such a person as Siddhartha Gautama. His method is completely invalid; he decides a priori what the Buddha's authentic voice would have been, goes looking for it, and finds it. He dismisses any account that does not meet his preconceptions for no other reason than that it does not meet his preconceptions.
He also lacks an adequate understanding of the historical context. For instance, he goes to great lengths to speculate about why Gautama did not have a son until he was nearly 30, yet it never occurs to him that Gautama may have had daughters before that. The text, as he quotes it, says "a son," not "a child." And historically, it is not unlikely that daughters would not have been noted.
I haven't finished it, and doubt that I will. I find it a pointless exercise. Why does it matter whether the Buddha was an historic figure, and if so, exactly what his personality and biography were? Like Jesus, like King Arthur, like any number of saints and martyrs, there probably was a man around whom these legends and myths accrued and to whom these sayings were attributed. If I'm interested in anything in this area, it is in the history of the accumulation of those legends and myths and what they tell us about the societies and cultures that created them, and ultimately what they tell us about the human condition.
We live in a free society in a free age. Extract from those teachings and practices what works for you. There is no need to attempt to justify it by recreating a historical authority. Have the strength and courage of your convictions. (less)
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Jul 16, 2012David Teachout rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: spiritual, psychology, kindle
There are some reviews describing the book as a meandering and sometimes confusing foray into Buddhism and quote the author in his confession of taking on projects in an erstwhile and haphazard fashion. I won't go against the author in his self-description but I will note that the result is neither confusing nor meandering, if anything it achieves exactly what it declares itself to be, a journey of confession where searching for the man behind the myth, the Gotama behind the Buddha, becomes an ever-present shadow stemming from Batchelor's own life. The honesty and humility consistently exhibited here, combined with a deeply personal and committed understanding of the Buddhist experience and doctrine, is refreshing and deeply spiritual. There is never a sense in which the author fails to get to his point, any more than life is ever a failure for continuing. To dwell in the dhamma, to tread peacefully within the truth of uncertainty and take on the mentality of impermanence, this is precisely what is accomplished here and it is a journey that was a joy to walk with the author on. (less)
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Sep 22, 2011Frank Jude rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: Open-minded people.
Shelves: memoirs, cultural-history, buddhism, philosophy, skepticism
This is simply a wonderful book! The reaction to it from the more 'conservative' Buddhists (like B. Allan Wallace, from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and others from the Theravada) is all the evidence one would need to prove Batchelor's point: there are all too many Buddhists who praise the Buddha and the Buddhist traditions for it's rationality and critical questioning, but keep their questioning from reflecting back on the tradition. For such people, it's as though their understanding of what the Buddha is alleged to have taught is the limit of their imagination and curiosity!
And so, countless Buddhist teachers 'tow the party line,' repeating -- regurgitating -- pat formulas, including the dogma that what they are teaching is not dogma! And Batchelor speaks from his experience, and from his understanding and places all his cards on the table. He evidences more humility than many of his critics, and says up front that he is constructing an understanding of the Buddha that speaks to him -- and to those of us with a more secular temperament.
Such a 'secular religion' (and though Batchelor shies away from this term as a 'contradiction in terms -- which is just why I utilize it!) speaks to many today who reject the claustrophobic atmosphere of much religion, and will continue to do so as 'non-believers,' at least according to many recent polls, is the group growing at the fastest pace in the US. (less)
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May 15, 2010Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: non-fiction, buddhism, memoir, religion
While this book was a bit scattered, it was well worth reading.
Full review: http://bit.ly/ZGcl8E (less)
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Jul 10, 2011Lori rated it really liked it
Shelves: have-it, non-fiction
This is the first Stephen Batchelor book I have read, and it definitely won't be the last. It's exactly what I was looking for. The first half of the book describes his own experience as a Buddhist monk primarily in Tibet and Korea, up until he disrobed. The second half focuses on the Buddha's life and teachings, based on Batchelor's research of the Pali Canon and his own experience in Asia as a lay practitioner.
I think it's safe to say that Batchelor is a representative of Western Buddhism, which can be a controversial subject in and of itself. It was my most concrete introduction to Western Buddhism, of which I apparently associate with the most. I like that he puts some of the Asian cultural influences into context for the Western mind. In the past, I have struggled with some Buddhist concepts because of those cultural differences. Batchelor's teachings of Buddhism resonate with me more than any other author has thus far - it has sparked something within me, and I am now very anxious to get my hands on more of his books. (less)
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