A renowned Buddhist teacher’s magnum opus, based on his fresh reading of the tradition’s earliest texts Some twenty-five centuries after the Buddha started teaching, his message continues to inspire people across the globe, including those living in predominantly secular societies. What does it mean to adapt religious practices to secular contexts? Stephen Batchelor, an internationally known author and teacher, is committed to a secularized version of the Buddha’s teachings. The time has come, he feels, to articulate a coherent ethical, contemplative, and philosophical vision of Buddhism for our age. After Buddhism, the culmination of four decades of study and practice in the Tibetan, Zen, and Theravada traditions, is his attempt to set the record straight about who the Buddha was and what he was trying to teach. Combining critical readings of the earliest canonical texts with narrative accounts of five members of the Buddha’s inner circle, Batchelor depicts the Buddha as a pragmatic ethicist rather than a dogmatic metaphysician. He envisions Buddhism as a constantly evolving culture of awakening whose long survival is due to its capacity to reinvent itself and interact creatively with each society it encounters. This original and provocative book presents a new framework for understanding the remarkable spread of Buddhism in today’s globalized world. It also reminds us of what was so startling about the Buddha’s vision of human flourishing.

After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age

Religion & Spirituality

BATCHELOR, STEPHEN

Buddhism

Yale University Press

An essential collection of Stephen Batchelor’s most probing and important work on secular Buddhism As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition? Is there an ethical framework that can underpin and contextualize these practices in a rapidly changing world? In this collected volume of Stephen Batchelor’s writings on these themes, the author explores the complex implications of Buddhism’s secularization. Ranging widely—from reincarnation, religious belief, and agnosticism to the role of the arts in Buddhist practice—he offers a detailed picture of contemporary Buddhism and its attempt to find a voice in the modern world.

Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World

The Art of Solitude

A moving and wide-ranging meditation on being alone with others in this world When world renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor turned sixty, he took a sabbatical from his teaching and turned his attention to solitude, a practice integral to the meditative traditions he has long studied and taught. He aimed to venture more deeply into solitude, discovering its full extent and depth. This beautiful literary collage documents his multifaceted explorations. Spending time in remote places, appreciating and making art, practicing meditation and participating in retreats, drinking peyote and ayahuasca, and training himself to keep an open, questioning mind have all contributed to Batchelor’s ability to be simultaneously alone and at ease. Mixed in with his personal narrative are inspiring stories from solitude’s devoted practitioners, from the Buddha to Montaigne, and from Vermeer to Agnes Martin. In a hyperconnected world that is at the same time plagued by social isolation, this book shows how to enjoy the inescapable solitude that is at the heart of human life.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Alternative Medicine

<div>In a time of social distancing and isolation, a meditation on the beauty of solitude from renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor "Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it. A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life."--Kirkus Reviews "Elegant and formally ingenious."--Geoff Wisner, Wall Street Journal &nbsp;&nbsp; When world renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor turned sixty, he took a sabbatical from his teaching and turned his attention to solitude, a practice integral to the meditative traditions he has long studied and taught. He aimed to venture more deeply into solitude, discovering its full extent and depth. &nbsp; This beautiful literary collage documents his multifaceted explorations. Spending time in remote places, appreciating and making art, practicing meditation and participating in retreats, drinking peyote and ayahuasca, and training himself to keep an open, questioning mind have all contributed to Batchelor's ability to be simultaneously alone and at ease. Mixed in with his personal narrative are inspiring stories from solitude's devoted practitioners, from the Buddha to Montaigne, from Vermeer to Agnes Martin. &nbsp; In a hyperconnected world that is at the same time plagued by social isolation, this book shows how to enjoy the inescapable solitude that is at the heart of human life.</div>

Mental Health

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 time, instead of going to college he set off to explore the world. Settling in India, he eventually became a Buddhist monk in Dharamsala, the Tibetan capital-in-exile, and entered the inner circle of monks around the Dalai Lama. He later moved to a monastery in South Korea to pursue intensive training in Zen Buddhism. Yet the more Batchelor read about the Buddha, the more he came to believe that the way Buddhism was being taught and practiced was at odds with the actual teachings of the Buddha himself. 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 a man who looked at human life in a radically new way for his time, more interested in the question of how human beings should live in this world than in notions of karma and the afterlife. According to Batchelor, the outlook of the Buddha was far removed from the piety and religiosity that has come to define much of Buddhism as we know it today. Both controversial and deeply personal, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist is a fascinating exploration of a religion that continues to engage the West. Batchelor’s insightful, deeply knowledgeable, and persuasive account will be an essential book for anyone interested in Buddhism.

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Spiegel & Grau

Does Buddhism require faith? Can an atheist or agnostic follow the Buddha’s teachings without believing in reincarnation or organized religion? This is one man’s confession. In his classic Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor offered a profound, secular approach to the teachings of the Buddha that struck an emotional chord with Western readers. Now, with the same brilliance and boldness of thought, he paints a groundbreaking portrait of the historical Buddha—told from the author’s unique perspective as a former Buddhist monk and modern seeker. Drawing from the original Pali Canon, the seminal collection of Buddhist discourses compiled after the Buddha’s death by his followers, Batchelor shows us the Buddha as a flesh-and-blood man who looked at life in a radically new way. Batchelor also reveals the everyday challenges and doubts of his own devotional journey—from meeting the Dalai Lama in India, to training as a Zen monk in Korea, to finding his path as a lay teacher of Buddhism living in France. Both controversial and deeply personal, Stephen Batchelor’s refreshingly doctrine-free, life-informed account is essential reading for anyone interested in Buddhism.

Random House]

Looks at loneliness, death, acquisition and loss, and the meaning of life in terms of Buddhist teachings

Alone With Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism

Grove Pr

Is your knowledge of The Crusades less than tip-top? Maybe you're curious about Columbus, or you're desperate to read about the Black Death in all its gory detail? Whatever your starting point, this expert guide has it all - from kings, knights and anti-Popes, to invasion, famine, the Magna Carta and Joan of Arc (and a few rebellious peasants thrown in for good measure!). Get ready for a rip-roaring ride through the political, religious and cultural life of the Middle Ages, one of the most talked-about periods in history. Medieval History for Dummies includes: Part I: The Early Middle Ages Chapter 1: The Middle Ages: When, Where, What, Who? Chapter 2: The end of Rome and the not so ‘Dark Ages'. Chapter 3: Angles, Saxons and Feudalism. Chapter 4: The Carolingians grab their chance. Chapter 5: Charlemagne - A new empire is born. Part II: The Making of Europe Chapter 6: The (Holy Roman) Empire Strikes Back. Chapter 7: East Meets West: Islam in the Western Mediterranean. Chapter 8: The Vikings: A threat from the north. Chapter 9: Schism: The Church splits itself in two. Chapter 10: The Normans: The ‘real' Middle Ages begin. Part III: ‘Holy War': Crusading at home and abroad. Chapter 11: Crusade: A call to arms. Chapter 12: The First Crusade Chapter 13: England vs France &amp; Pope vs Emperor Chapter 14: The Second Crusade &amp; The ‘Crusades at Home' Chapter 15: Richard vs Saladin: The Third Crusade Chapter 16: The later Crusades and other failures. Part IV: Parliament, Priories, Provisions &amp; Plague Chapter 17: John, Henry, Rudolf &amp; Edward. Chapter 18: Monks &amp; Merchants: The new power brokers Chapter 19: The Papacy on Tour: Avignon and the Anti-Popes Chapter 20: ‘God's Judgement?': The Black Death Part V: The End of the Middle and the start of discovery. Chapter 21: One Hundred Years of War Chapter 22: The Peasants are Revolting Chapter 23: Agincourt, Joan of Arc &amp; the French recovery Chapter 24: Columbus &amp; The New World Part VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 25: Ten Rubbish Kings Chapter 26: Ten Curious Medieval Pastimes Chapter 27: Ten Great Castles Chapter 28: Ten People Who Changed The World Chapter 29: Ten Great Books (To read next)

Medieval History for Dummies

History

Europe

For Dummies

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BATCHELOR, STEPHEN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by BATCHELOR, STEPHEN

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BATCHELOR, STEPHEN. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age

Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World

After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age

Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World

The Art of Solitude

The Art of Solitude

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

Alone With Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism

Medieval History for Dummies