Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor
Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor
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Buddhism Without Beliefs
A Contemporary Guide to Awakening

Author: Stephen Batchelor

Narrator: Stephen Batchelor

Unabridged: 4 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/27/2009

Synopsis

Before it was a religion, a culture, or even a system of meditation, what was Buddhism? On Buddhism Without Beliefs, celebrated teacher, translator, and former Buddhist monk Stephen Batchelor takes us back to the first years after the Buddha's awakening to reveal the root insights of Buddhism hidden beneath centuries of history and interpretation.

In eight compelling sessions of self-inquiry—including many fascinating exercises and practices—we learn how to awaken and refine our senses, introduce the essential spirit of curiosity into the practice of awareness, and comprehend with both our hearts and our minds the Buddha's astonishing (and often misunderstood) revelations on emptiness, compassion, and the self. Before he died, the Buddha did not appoint a successor. He simply remarked that each of us must be responsible for our own freedom.

Buddhism Without Beliefs is an invitation to hear what the Buddha taught—and to trust yourself on your own path to liberation.

About Stephen Batchelor

Stephen Batchelor is a former monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions and the author of books including Alone with Others, The Faith to Doubt, The Awakening of the West, Buddhism Without Beliefs, and Living with the Devil. He lives with his wife, Martine, in southwestern France, and lectures and conducts meditation retreats throughout the world.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Greg on June 01, 2010

In my personal and soon to be trademarked ethical system, Don't be an Asshole, this book would garner a thumbs up and I'd recommend it as a guidebook for not being an asshole, with Meditation! Or if that is grammatically suspect using meditation to not be an asshole. Not how to use meditation in an......more

Goodreads review by Kat on June 09, 2008

Batchelor is not pro-Buddhism as a religion, or pro-religion at all. He advocates gently but incisively for a "passionate agnosticism"--admitting that you don't know and probably never can, but that this doesn't let you off the hook, since the attempt to find out is necessary to your mental/spiritua......more

Goodreads review by Adrian on June 08, 2008

As this gem of a book points out, "Buddhism without beliefs" is a redundancy. Batchelor cuts to the heart of what sets Buddhism apart from other world religious traditions: It encourages practitioners to question, to penetrate, to rigorously examine everything -- even the Buddha's teachings themselv......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on January 28, 2013

It's long been a cause of great frustration that my attempts to investigate the Buddhist philosophy have repeatedly plunged me into the supernatural. Over the centuries, and in different ways in different areas, Buddhism has become a religion, collecting various ideas on the after-life, reincarnatio......more

Goodreads review by DJ on May 17, 2010

Reading this book was a bit like listening to my grandpa rant about LBJ's foreign policy decisions - he's probably right, but without the background to appreciate his frustrations, all I can do is listen and squirm awkwardly in my chair. Batchelor's book is a polemic against the modern transformation......more

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