Overview
He also reveals the challenges of his own devotional journey - from meeting the Dalai Lama in India, to training as a monk in South Korea, to finding his path as a lay teacher of Buddhism. Charting his journey from hippie to monk to lay practitioner, teacher and interpreter of Buddhist thought, Batchelor reconstructs the historical Buddha's life, locating him within the social and political context of his world. In examining the ancient texts of the Pali Canon, the earliest record of the Buddha's life and teachings, Batchelor argues that the Buddha was more interested in the question of how human beings should live in this world than in notions of karma and the afterlife. Both controversial and deeply personal, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist is a fascinating exploration of a religion that continues to engage the West.
Full Product Details
Author: Stephen Batchelor
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Imprint: HarperCollins India
Dimensions:
Width: 12.90cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 19.80cm
Weight: 0.307kg
ISBN: 9789350291719
ISBN 10: 9350291711
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 16 November 2011
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
"""The human thirst for the transcendent, the numinous--even the ecstatic--is too universal and too important to be entrusted to the cultish and the archaic and the superstitious. In this honest and serious book of self-examination and critical scrutiny, Stephen Batchelor adds the universe of Buddhism to the many fields in which received truth and blind faith are now giving way to ethical and scientific humanism, in which lies our only real hope.""--Christopher Hitchens"
The human thirst for the transcendent, the numinous--even the ecstatic--is too universal and too important to be entrusted to the cultish and the archaic and the superstitious. In this honest and serious book of self-examination and critical scrutiny, Stephen Batchelor adds the universe of Buddhism to the many fields in which received truth and blind faith are now giving way to ethical and scientific humanism, in which lies our only real hope. --Christopher Hitchens
""The human thirst for the transcendent, the numinous--even the ecstatic--is too universal and too important to be entrusted to the cultish and the archaic and the superstitious. In this honest and serious book of self-examination and critical scrutiny, Stephen Batchelor adds the universe of Buddhism to the many fields in which received truth and blind faith are now giving way to ethical and scientific humanism, in which lies our only real hope.""--Christopher Hitchens
Author Information
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.
