Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

De: Stephen Batchelor

Narrado por: Stephen Batchelor

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 audiences. 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 listening for anyone interested in Buddhism.

©2010 Stephen Batchelor (P)2022 Tantor

Smart!

A fascinating, thoroughly researched and respectfully presented treatise on life as a secular Buddhist. This, I believe, is a valuable resource for those drawn to Buddhist ideas but not drawn to religious idealism.

Interesting

It was well written, but the only issue I had with it was that it was too monotone. I hope you don’t take it offensively but normally I do listen to everyone out running. It really gave me the history of Buddha Buddhism. I am a secular, not agnostic but a secularlist.

Nice well crafted legal thriller

I enjoy Mr Staggs stories. Well crafted legal thrillers with nice pacing. Not breaking any literary ground here just executing a genre exceptionally well. The narrator is very good, the story just flows. I find once I start one of his books I will binge it straight through.

Magnificent

I really loved how he told his story alongside a recounting of the Buddha’s life which included a lot I had never heard before. Gave me new perspective on Buddha as a real person.

Different and PHENOMENAL!

Such a different perspective than I’m used to. The author was concise and eloquent in using his life experience to convey his final statement!

Beautiful reading of a moving book

Batchelor swept me off my feet with a sometimes romantic, sometimes tragic, informative, heartfelt, and, importantly, engaging story of his journey. He connects key moments of his life to legendary moments of Gautama and followers, simultaneously exposing the utter humanity of what Buddhism is at its roots. There were moments where I identified so strongly with his experience it brought me to tears, and others where I felt like a voyeur to a life completely other to me. Thank you Mr Batchelor for this book.

I got the audio book, I listened to it on my 900mi

I got the audio book, I listened to it on my 900 mile trip and couldn’t stop listening to it. I love it so much....keep going!

Interesting life story

Interesting life story. However seemed to oscillate between his life and more general historical accounts.

Would have liked more personal in-depth narrower timelines

Listen at 1.2x speed

I’m so grateful for Stephen Batchelor’s books. He has single-handedly lifted so many of the barriers that prevent most Western minds (mine, at least) from accessing the Buddha’s path.

This book is an extraordinarily frank autobiography interwoven with a biography of the Buddha and an exploration of Buddhist ideas from many ages, cultures and lineages. In it, one meets only flawed human beings (including Gautama himself), struggling to find solid ground in this life of dukha. The Buddha showed a path, and Batchelor has broadened and cultivated it for a new generation of seekers.

A wanderer’s journey

Both mentally and materially, mostly mentally. No de-tour untaken.

Narration is fair and better to play at 2.25 speed