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A review by jrc2011
Confession of a Buddhist Atheist by Stephen Batchelor
4.0
As an atheist, finding myself surrounded by ever increasing volume and number of voices espousing Buddhist beliefs, I was immediately drawn to this book.
I expected more discussion of atheism vs Buddhism but what I found was more detail about the fragmented schools of thought that make up Buddhism. Some of the stories after the mid-point of the book about all the politics of men seemed a bit "one too many' -- perhaps forming the basis of other reviewers critiques that the author ran out of interesting things to say.
In this case, it seems the author is passionately attached to the importance of these stories -- and definitely could have done a bit more editing down to turn some of the tales into boxed sidebars. There's a lot of discussion of politics between the Buddhist leaders and factions -- some of it seemed a bit much and silly to me (but people were willing to kill over the right to worship a deity, for example).
I want to acknowledge that the meditation and mindfulness are important -- as thousands of current books on emotional intelligence, leadership and management insist. However, meditation and mindfulness practice cannot stand alone without having a genuine interest in others and expanding that awareness to the commonality with others around us.
Whether you are adhering to the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Paths or some other similar structure -- simply meditating to clear your mind and being mindful of the world around you is akin to navel gazing. You must engage with the world around you and pay attention -- and it is this underlying recommendation toward activism that I appreciate most about the author's perspective.
Like the author, I have no interest in building up my record as pious so that I can have a good afterlife. I haven't had much evidence such a thing exists -- and if I can do good while I am living now, that should be credential enough.
I like his definition of atheism vs "anti-theism" -- I have been informed by people that atheism is a religion, but for me -- I just don't think about any specific deities. That's like claiming that the static you at a point on the tv or radio spectrum as a "station" when there's no broadcast.
Two things bother me about the research and the discussion around Buddhism. First -- the Pali text was written/transcribed from oral tradition about 400 years after Buddha died. The author spent a lot of time trying to find the authentic voice of Buddha -- cutting out bits that seemed to come from other traditions or sources. But - how do we even know that is close to accurate? We're talking about oral tradition -- while Ananda must have had a hell of a memory (apparently he was one of the memorizers), who were the others sitting at Buddha's feet to accurately mentally record his discussions word-for-word to pass them down (and how did they do that and to whom)?
While we're at it -- this is nearly entirely a discussion of MEN. True - there are a few women here and there, but even the author's life sounds like a largely male-oriented world. He mentions his mother, his wife, the "moon-faced Korean" women he encounters on a tour, the wife of the wealthy king and the nun who lay down her robes after losing a discussion following Buddha's death about who was the stronger apostle (Ananda or Kassapa).
Fortunately - the use of this framework is not gender specific. I like the concepts of accepting that we will suffer (that's our nature - happiness doesn't last), learning to appreciate the moment and accept that it is all finite/fallible, and don't take things for granted -- test them and observe them on your own.
Key to all of this is the concept that "Mindful awareness is not presented as a passive concentration on a single, steady object, but as a refined engagement with a shifting, complex world." This allows you to make choices based on curiosity not just reacting based on instinct or emotion. The "middle path" is one that doesn't swing to far to the asceticism or to the bacchanalian.
In sum, he says "Buddhism has become for me a philosophy of action and responsibility. It provides a framework of values, ideas, and practices that nurture my ability to create a path in life, to define myself as a person, to act, to take risks, to imagine things differently, to make art."
I expected more discussion of atheism vs Buddhism but what I found was more detail about the fragmented schools of thought that make up Buddhism. Some of the stories after the mid-point of the book about all the politics of men seemed a bit "one too many' -- perhaps forming the basis of other reviewers critiques that the author ran out of interesting things to say.
In this case, it seems the author is passionately attached to the importance of these stories -- and definitely could have done a bit more editing down to turn some of the tales into boxed sidebars. There's a lot of discussion of politics between the Buddhist leaders and factions -- some of it seemed a bit much and silly to me (but people were willing to kill over the right to worship a deity, for example).
I want to acknowledge that the meditation and mindfulness are important -- as thousands of current books on emotional intelligence, leadership and management insist. However, meditation and mindfulness practice cannot stand alone without having a genuine interest in others and expanding that awareness to the commonality with others around us.
Whether you are adhering to the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Paths or some other similar structure -- simply meditating to clear your mind and being mindful of the world around you is akin to navel gazing. You must engage with the world around you and pay attention -- and it is this underlying recommendation toward activism that I appreciate most about the author's perspective.
Like the author, I have no interest in building up my record as pious so that I can have a good afterlife. I haven't had much evidence such a thing exists -- and if I can do good while I am living now, that should be credential enough.
I like his definition of atheism vs "anti-theism" -- I have been informed by people that atheism is a religion, but for me -- I just don't think about any specific deities. That's like claiming that the static you at a point on the tv or radio spectrum as a "station" when there's no broadcast.
Two things bother me about the research and the discussion around Buddhism. First -- the Pali text was written/transcribed from oral tradition about 400 years after Buddha died. The author spent a lot of time trying to find the authentic voice of Buddha -- cutting out bits that seemed to come from other traditions or sources. But - how do we even know that is close to accurate? We're talking about oral tradition -- while Ananda must have had a hell of a memory (apparently he was one of the memorizers), who were the others sitting at Buddha's feet to accurately mentally record his discussions word-for-word to pass them down (and how did they do that and to whom)?
While we're at it -- this is nearly entirely a discussion of MEN. True - there are a few women here and there, but even the author's life sounds like a largely male-oriented world. He mentions his mother, his wife, the "moon-faced Korean" women he encounters on a tour, the wife of the wealthy king and the nun who lay down her robes after losing a discussion following Buddha's death about who was the stronger apostle (Ananda or Kassapa).
Fortunately - the use of this framework is not gender specific. I like the concepts of accepting that we will suffer (that's our nature - happiness doesn't last), learning to appreciate the moment and accept that it is all finite/fallible, and don't take things for granted -- test them and observe them on your own.
Key to all of this is the concept that "Mindful awareness is not presented as a passive concentration on a single, steady object, but as a refined engagement with a shifting, complex world." This allows you to make choices based on curiosity not just reacting based on instinct or emotion. The "middle path" is one that doesn't swing to far to the asceticism or to the bacchanalian.
In sum, he says "Buddhism has become for me a philosophy of action and responsibility. It provides a framework of values, ideas, and practices that nurture my ability to create a path in life, to define myself as a person, to act, to take risks, to imagine things differently, to make art."