Author : Stephen Batchelor
Total Page : 320
Publisher : Spiegel Grau
Publication Date : 2010 03 02
Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
>> insightful
a real person story of skepticism faith and the journey into and through Buddhism a hard read at times but well worth it
>> Riveting
This is one of the liveliest and most thought provoking books on Buddhism published in recent years Apart from addressing the perennial perplexities of karma and rebirth for a Western audience Stephen Batchelor provides a fascinating account of the historical Buddha the society and politics in which he lived and some intriguing stories of his post enlightenment life as a teacher It provides controversial material about the author s own encounters with different forms of Buddhism practices and teachers
Among my favourite lines from the book Gotama did for the self what Copernicus did for the earth he put it in its rightful place despite its continuing to appear just as it did before Gotama no more rejected the existence of the self than Copernicus rejected the existence of the earth Instead rather than regarding it as a fixed non contingent point around which everything else turned he recognized that each self was a fluid contingent process just like everything else
This is a book that will have Tibetan Buddhists debating for years to come A great contribution to Western thought on the Dharma
>> A Must Read for Every Buddhist
Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist by well known Buddhist author Stephen Batchelor is an eye opening must read book for every Buddhist from those contemplating becoming Buddhist to His Holiness The Dalai Lama Batchelor captures the true essence of Buddhism and how much of the writings and beliefs were already in practice in India and the Buddha incorporated these ideas to placate the Indian religious authorities as much as anything For example Batchelor points out that the cycle of birth and rebirth was not first proposed by the Buddha but was already well established in Indian religions I have always had trouble believing in the birth/rebirth concept and it is nice to read from such a highly esteemed and educated Buddhist that this is not a part of real Buddhism Batchelor goes back to the Pali Canon the oldest record of the Buddha s beliefs and teachings to get to some of the fundamental truths of Buddhism If you are open to new ideas and do not accept Buddhist teachings as the ultimate word and even if you do you must read this book