Living with the Devil, Stephen Batchelor
Living with the Devil, Stephen Batchelor
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Living with the Devil
A Meditation on Good and Evil

Author: Stephen Batchelor

Narrator: Stephen Batchelor

Unabridged: 6 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/30/2019

Synopsis

Stephen Batchelor's seminal work on humanity's struggle between good and evil In the national bestseller Living with the Devil, Batchelor traces the trajectory from the words of the Buddha and Christ, through the writings of Shantideva, Milton, and Pascal, to the poetry of Baudelaire, the fiction of Kafka, and the findings of modern physics and evolutionary biology to examine who we really are and to rest in the uncertainty that we may never know. Like his previous bestseller, Buddhism without Beliefs, Living with the Devil is also an introduction to Buddhism that encourages listeners to nourish their "buddha nature" and make peace with the devils that haunt human life. He tells a poetic and provocative tale about living with life's contradictions that will challenge you to live your life as an existence imbued with purpose, freedom, and compassion—rather than habitual self-interest and fear.

About Stephen Batchelor

Stephen Batchelor is former Buddhist monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions. A writer, translator, and artist, his most recent publications are After Buddhism, Secular Buddhism, and The Art of Solitude. He is a contributing editor of Tricycle magazine, and cofounder of Bodhi College, where he teaches Secular Dharma. He lives in southwest France and lectures and conducts meditation retreats worldwide.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tom on January 03, 2022

"Each time something contingent and impermanent is raised to the status of something necessary and permanent, a devil is created.” In other words an idol is created, a false god. “Whether it be an ego, a nation-state, or a religious belief, the result is the same.” All of these are contingent, imper......more

Goodreads review by Steve on August 14, 2014

When we begin the journey along the Path that is opened to us by the Buddha's teaching, it seems that for many there is a period of heady realization and a sense of having found the Way. While that may be a fact, the predisposition of most is that the "self" moves in and takes it over and turns it i......more

Goodreads review by rachel on November 06, 2007

i adore this book. it's buddhism for bookish anti-socialites. it's a constant reminder of where we're all at in a ridiculous universe. it's beauty, truth & now all at once. i reread it constantly. (in the interest of full disclosure i also constantly reread harry potter, madeleine l'engle & the brid......more

Goodreads review by Shawn on June 16, 2013

Stephen Batchelor is the Buddhist author for the secular Buddhist! Highly recommended.......more

Goodreads review by Gor “Gorki” on October 11, 2021

First class stuff from Mr Batchelor Another finished read but one I'll return to. Another penetrating and intelligent work from a sane and rational voice of our time. A study on how polarised, crystallised thinking and ego driven reactivity towards "anything at all" outside of what we "want" to hear......more

Quotes

“A revolutionary text, a classic, and a must-read.” Joan Halifax, author of Shamanic Voices

“Demonstrates how the anguish associated with the transient nature of life has preoccupied humans for centuries…[His] genuine concern and desire for a better world come through clearly.” Publishers Weekly

“It’s fantastic. Magnificent even. What an achievement! This is an astonishing work, one that I will recommend over and over again. It is a rare treat to be offered such thoughtful, engaging, lucid, and clarifying prose.” Mark Epstein, MD, author of Thoughts without a Thinker

“Opens doors of understanding we might not even have known were closed…an illuminating read.” Joseph Goldstein author of Our Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

“A moving and timely study of the problem of evil from a Buddhist perspective…Highly illuminating.” Library Journal

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