Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

At the end of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist", Stephen Batchelor speaks briefly of the collage art he creates from found materials. This book is something of a collage, pieced together with three major themes, the whole forming a work that is complete and beautiful, with a wholly admirable integrity. The first theme is expressed as a memoir. Batchelor tells us, with just enough detail to bring the story to vivid life without distracting us from its narrative course, how he journeyed from a childhood in provincial England, raised without religious indoctrination by a single mother, through a classic '60s-style road trip, with plenty of drugs, little money and no clear end in mind, Eastward through Afghanistan and Pakistan to Daramsala, where the young Dalai Lama had recently settled with his community of exiled Tibetans, and where Batchelor first encountered the Buddhist thinking that would inform his life. He learned Tibetan, ordained as a monk in the Dalai Lama's Gelug tradition, and discovered the first of a series of teachers who would, through the next 30 years, conspire, albeit unknowingly, to form the person who has emerged as Stephen Batchelor, a very different person than any of them sought to form, but a person whose goodness and honesty would compel their admiration, being themselves good and honest people. In addition to Geshe Rabten, with whom Batchelor studied in India and later in Switzerland, those teachers included S.N. Goenka, from whom he learned the technique of mindfulness meditation (the fundamental practice of the Theravadin school of Buddhism), and Kusan Sunim, the Korean Zen master under whom Stephen practiced for seven years as a monk when his emerging doubts about the dogmatism of the Tibetan schools no longer allowed him, in good conscience, to stay with Geshe Rabten. Kusan Sunim, like Geshe Rabten, and like the Dalai Lama himself, with whom Batchelor was privileged to have close contact several times through those years, turned out to be attached to the rituals and texts of his particular tradition with an intensity that did not allow him to understand or accept the validity of the Dharma as Batchelor was increasingly coming to experience it. That first part of Batchelor's life ends with his decision to disrobe. He married Martine, a French woman whom he had met and come to love as the nun Songil at the monastery in Songgwangsa, and the two have been creating, ever since, a new way of being Buddhist teachers, without the protective authority of either a traditional sangha or an academic institution, but working from their continually deepening understanding of Buddhism, informed by meditative practice and far-ranging scholarship. The continuity of the memoir theme pretty much ends with Stephen and Martine's move back to the West. We learn some details of their life, the friends they've made, the work they do, and the influences they've felt, but the thrust of the book turns to the second and third themes: first Stephen's cogent articulation of what he has come to understand as the fundamental message of Buddhism and the urgent relevance of that message to our lives; and, second, his long and perceptive attempt to recreate the biography of Siddhattha Gotama, the wealthy and privileged son of a Sakiyan nobleman who Awakened as the Buddha. Each theme--memoir, Dharma teaching, and historical biography--is present from the beginning and throughout, but, as in a collage, as the book proceeds, each theme, in turn, assumes a dominance that completes it as a theme and gives the whole book structure and thrust. In " Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening ", Stephen Batchelor explained the Buddha's Dharma so simply, so persuasively, in such an approachable idiom, that it evoked my recognition that I was, in fact, a Buddhist, and no longer simply someone "interested in Buddhism" or "studying Buddhism". Now, in this book, the explanation is very much deeper, very much more tied to the phenomena we experience in the course of our noisy and surprising lives, but still clear, still free of jargon, even more persuasive. As the first book invited me to adopt it, this book invites me to reject the label "Buddhist", even as I realize that there is nothing to do, as each new surprise arrives and death comes every minute closer, but follow the Dharma that the Buddha elaborated with lively detail and remarkable subtlety in the teachings we find in the Pali Canon. In elaborating the theme within which his understanding of the Dharma is clarified, Batchelor explains his method for creating that understanding, which involves examining the canonical texts for elements which were part of Siddhattha Gotama's cultural environment, and those other elements, standing out from the rest of the texts, that could have been inserted later to justify the various orthodoxies that formed after the Buddha's death. Then, without necessarily rejecting those elements, we set them aside; what is left must be considered new and original, even radical. That is the Buddhadharma. Batchelor's method leads directly to the third major theme of the book, the author's story of the Buddha's life as an individual human being. Without understanding that, one cannot separate the extraordinary experience that the Buddha awakened to after deep examination from the experience that all other human beings of his time saw as ordinary, needing no examination. Recreating the Buddha's life is no simple task; much of what's been handed down is clearly myth, and the community of monks who remembered the Buddha's teachings with such deliberate effort, in such remarkable detail, and with such probable fidelity, were simply not interested either in the parts of the story that presented fairly the views of those with whom the Buddha held debate, or in any narration of events that we today would identify as "historical". So Batchelor is left to tease a plausible story from brief segments found here and there in the texts, from what we know about the men and women with whom the Buddha associated and whose way of life he shared, and from uncommonly well-informed guessing. The figure that Batchelor sculpts of the man Siddhattha Gotama looks real to me; that figure could very well be the man who delivered the teachings that have come to inform my life. It is certainly truer to that man than the fat happy Buddhas in Chinatown gift shops or the austere Hellenic statues in museum galleries. Beyond that, who can know? And that brings us to the essential message of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist": the impossibility of knowing, and the freedom we gain from that impossibility--the freedom to trust our experience and follow that to an understanding of the Dharma that works on our lives, the freedom to create those lives, the freedom to cultivate a path that allows me to awake tomorrow morning (barring the inevitable surprises) a better person than the person who woke this morning. This is an important book. Batchelor's writing style is the very model of "right speech", articulating the most subtle and difficult notions with wit and clarity. For those who think they know Buddhism, the book will illuminate that knowledge. For those who are coming fresh to the study of the Buddha and his teachings, this is a wonderful introduction, requiring no pre-requisite study, demanding nothing of the reader but diligent attention.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I'm reading it for the second time. Though "Confession" is a highly personal memoir, it is always interesting. I say this because I read a prominent review of the book that contended that the personal information was excessive and unnecessary. I strongly disagree. I find that the personal narratives add to the depth and completeness of the message it intends to share, and that perhaps that is so because so many readers will be able to relate to the feelings and thoughts, and intellectual turmoil, that Batchelor shares. My copy of this book has lots of asterisks, underlines, and "me too"s in the margins. Th memoir follows the author's search for meaning and authentic spirituality across decades, continents, monasteries and centuries of Buddhist literature. I found his search and struggle very similar to my own winding and zig-zag path on the relentless pursuit of the truth. Though I never had the luxury of studying in monasteries in India and Korea, I nonetheless related to his exhaustive religious studies and inquiry and eventual arrival at a non-thestic stance. What I absolutely love about this book, and what distinguishes it from so many atheist books, is that it delves then into what he did with his spiritual life once he arrived at that reality-- rather than simply rejecting religion and spirituality as unnecessary. I love his premise that the eightfold path still works in a modern and secular world. I also feel eternally grateful to Batchelor for doing the hard word of years of piecing together the essence of the Buddha's way, extracting it from the religious and social atmosphere from which it sprang. He discusses the work of several old and renowned Buddhist classics across many cultures and distills for the reader what he gathered from them -- often learned during years of painstaking translation. Priceless. He saved me years of searching. All I can say is I can't wait to read Buddhism Without Beliefs. I realize that book preceded this one, and many purchasing this book may have already read that, but it logically follows for me how he might outline the Eightfold Path for one without supernatural beliefs.

The title of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist" summarizes the three perspectives of his life that Stephen Batchelor wanted to share with his readers: his religiosity--confession is a statement of religious beliefs, his adhesion to the Buddha, and his atheism in the non-theism meaning of the word. The "confession" as such is a detailed record of his spiritual evolution, which takes him to an enlightenment of a nature quite different from "the `standard' mystical experiences of oneness with the universe". Batchelor's confession vividly describes the viability of embracing the religiosity of the Buddha's Teachings without the dogmas of Buddhism and without renouncing to the goodies and beauties of life The "ist" of the Buddhist that Batchelor became is much closer to the "ist" in those who play an instrument (pianist, violinist) than to the "ist" in the advocates of a doctrine (socialist, communist) or the fanatics of biased views (racist, chauvinist). You do not need sectarian opinions to play piano or violin, you just play; you don't need beliefs for being Buddhist because being Buddhist is an experience, a way of living. In this book, the author, an impressive scholar, narrates his personal evolution and reconstructs the Buddha's one; both journeys are described with abundant spiritual, historic and geographical detail. It is well known that there are no dates in the Pali Canon. Still the writer proposes a very interesting sequence of different events in the Buddha's life; this is the first time I read a proposal for such sequencing. Even though the task involves much analysis and knowledge, Stephen Batchelor is humble enough to say that the source of the raw data already existed in the "Dictionary of Pali Terms" and that his role was simply "the joining up of the dots". It was indeed much more than that. To describe his cosmological/theological views, Stephen Batchelor seems to prefer the term "atheism" (again as non-theism) to "agnosticism" (the impossibility to know the ultimate reality) and avoids (probably on purpose) the word "spirituality". I find the author's view quite close to the atheist spirituality that French philosopher André Comte-Sponville defines as "our openness and connection to the infinite, the eternal and the absolute." Either as non-theism or atheist spirituality, these renovated and renovating views, both Batchelor's and Comte-Sponsville's, are much needed in the modern, confusing world, which, though more secular every day, it does need spirituality. Such intellectual non-theisms imply the "tolerant radicalism" of Indian philosopher J. Krishnamurti (which Stephen Batchelor a kind of dislikes) and exclude the anti-theism of the "richarddawkinses" and "samharrises." There are quite a few interesting, historical events and anecdotes related in Batchelor's book running from the Buddha's time and life (which come from his knowledge and research) all the way to the Dalai Lama's modern era (which are the fruit of his experience and direct interactions). The author's enthusiasm for the beauty of the Teachings leads him to some overstatements. He says, for instance, that he has "yet to find a fragment of the Pali Canon that doesn't further illuminate the whole." (I find this exaggerated; many parts of the Canon are not only repetitive and boring but also obscure and with observations in contradiction with other sections.) These are minor spots that in no way reduce the quality of "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist." The book is an excellent reading not only for newcomers in search of non-affiliated view in the Teachings and for already faithful, open minded religious Buddhists but also an illuminating perspective for agnostics, atheists, pragmatics, skeptics and independent inquisitive minds of all kinds. Gustavo Estrada, Author of Hacia el Buda desde el occidente: Sus Ensenanzas sin mitos ni misterios (Spanish Edition)

Stephen Batchelor's latest book is a bit hard to classify. Part autobiography, part biography of the Buddha, it follows the path tread long ago by Shantideva, whose "Guide" Batchelor described as "an intensely personal account of a struggle to understand and practice the Dharma." This book, too, is personal, covering the author's discovery of Buddhism, study of Tibetan Buddhism in Dharamsala in the days when the Dalai Lama was not yet world famous; crises of conscience over his inability to believe all of what he was being taught -- and would be expected to teach, himself, as a monk; departure for Korea to study a different form of Buddhism; return to England where he became involved in the evolving Western Buddhist culture; and finally settling in France part time and travelling the rest of the time to speak and teach, and always to continue learning. Tales of his travels around India and descriptions of the landscape of the Buddha's world then and now are interwoven with tales of the Buddha's life that Batchelor uncovered on closer study of the Pali canon during his years as a monk and beyond. The book is not about the mythical Buddha of epic battles with gods and abilities to perform miracles that convert masses, but includes stories of the man known as Gotama whose bare feet kicked up dust in the emerging cities of India thousands of years ago. The stories told here help us see how this mortal man's efforts to spread his insight, and create a community that could keep on sharing that insight, played out against the politics of society and religion in his own time. There are many remarkable bits in this book, any one of which make it worth the time to read, but I'll not spoil the fun for you. But if you don't mind I'll have you look out for the point at which the author gets asked to write the book that becomes "Buddhism Without Beliefs" and the ways in which its effect on the Buddhist community was a surprise to its author. Funny, isn't it, how no matter what we intend, our ideas can take on a life of their own. If you enjoy autobiography, if you've been curious about the who the human who became known as the Buddha may have been, if you're interested in the directions Western Buddhism is taking, this book, smoothly written in plain English, is a pleasure to read.

I was introduced to Stephen Batchelor through his earlier book Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening, finding in him a person who relates to Buddhism much as I relate to Christianity: that is, he digs out the core of the liberating discoveries of the Buddha (or the Christ) and eliminates from his religious practice anything magical. I also share with Batchelor a deep appreciation of the Christian theologian, Paul Tillich, and of S.N. Goenka, who introduced both of us to Vipassana meditation. I also relate to his title Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. I confess to becoming a Christian atheist when I was 34, and only later returning to theism when I realized that I could relate to God as the fullness of reality, not an anthropomorphic being, and could use the word "God" as a devotional expression of my relation to the All That Is. So I read with fascination Batchelor's candid story of his journey: growing up in England; traveling to India at nineteen; meeting the Dalai Lama; becoming a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan tradition; learning Tibetan; becoming a teacher; becoming disillusioned with the dogmatism of the tradition; traveling to Korea and studying Zen; deciding he could not in good conscience remain a monk and disrobing after ten years; marrying a French nun (she also left her life as a nun) whom he had met, worked with, and come to love at the Zen monastery; becoming, with wife Martine, Buddhist teachers and authors who are respected around the world and who have no traditional or institutional authority, only the authority of their own authentic practice, scholarship, and personal integrity. So that is one part of this book. Another part, which might be called the quest for the historical Siddhartha Gotama, demythologizes the Buddha story. In telling the Buddha's story, Batchelor refers to the Pali Canon, the earliest writings of the Buddha's teaching, life, and the world he lived in. He thereby attempts to make the Buddha's story like Batchelor's own: seeing Gotama as an ordinary human being who, in this case, made an extraordinary discovery about living, put together understandings and practices around that new awareness, and led others in ways of living appropriately in this world. The third part of the book is Batchelor's simple, clear explanation of the Buddha's teaching, the Dharma, free of jargon, in all its radicality: its unequivocal embrace of contingency, its freedom related to embracing this contingency, its passion for this moment with its anguish and pain, its unsentimental love for all beings. Batchelor exemplifies in his life and in this book the final teaching of the Buddha: to trust our experience and follow it to an understanding of the Dharma that works on our lives. I admire Batchelor's integrity and dedication to seeking truth, his willingness to, over and over again, walk away from everything he has known, all that has made him comfortable, as his searching brings him to new conclusions. May we do likewise.

From Culadasa's website: "The autobiographical musings of a Westerner who first became a Tibetan monk, then a Korean Zen monk, and ended up as a secular Buddhist. This book is a very useful critique of the shortcomings of institutional and religious Buddhism. It, and his “Buddhism Without Beliefs,” enunciate an agnostic alternative to Buddhist religiosity that is well worth adopting. The author’s re-interpretation of the traditional story of the Buddha’s life is especially fascinating and helpful. There are many good reasons to read this book. It is an important work, and is very strongly recommended. But there is one important caveat: Batchelor’s disappointment and lack of personal fulfillment have led him to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Because he has not been able to achieve the ultimate goals of the Buddhadharma himself, he has seriously underestimated the validity and attainability of those goals. It does not occur to him that, not only have the Dharma teachings been grossly distorted through time, but so have the meditation practices that once led uncountable numbers to personal transformation and Awakening. A “Christian Atheist” is someone who accepts and values the teachings of Jesus, but doesn’t believe that Jesus is God or has the power of salvation. As a “Buddhist Atheist,” the author sees Buddha’s teachings as a valuable path to better living and social change, but not as a means to personal spiritual transformation or any transcendent Awakening. In the end, his disillusionment and cynicism show through quite clearly. This is a valuable, informative, entertaining and highly readable book, but despite the author’s seeming credentials, it is NOT authoritative on the subject of Buddhadharma."

This book is well written and thoughtful. But I felt the author had spent a lifetime studying how to be happy at the expense of those who give money to these monks. Then he discovered he didn't really believe what he was saying, studying and being taught. In other words. like all religions, Buddhism, while lacking a god per se, does teach reincarnation, karma and other dogmas. Is there proof of these? No. Like all mythologies, there is no proof because it was created by people to give them a sense of meaning. Buddhism teaches altruism --- being unselfish and putting others first. And yet, they accept all the help they can get from others so they can pursue what, to me, is a somewhat selfish indulgence. The first part of the book held my interest but the second half was rather a bore. To someone unfamiliar with Buddhism it would be enlightening, however. -- Susanna K. Hutcheson

I am torn between two viewpoints regarding this book. On the one hand, it is exactly the book I wanted to read. It is an interpretation of Buddhism that aims straight at the intelligent, Western-educated, 21st century person who seeks greater understanding of life and how to live it but who finds it difficult to accept the trappings of religion. It is about as clear, direct and simple, without being simplistic, as one can wish for when it comes to books on religion. It strips away the accretions from history, tradition and culture that have accumulated around the story of the historical Buddha and the Buddhist religion. It gives you actionable items to improve your life. The author focuses on the here and now, not the afterlife or some hoary notion of karma. Best of all you don't have to believe in any "difficult" things such as reincarnation or arcane metaphysics. In short, it gives you the benefits of religion without religion! But therein lies the problem. It seems a little too convenient and as the author basically admits it is his interpretation of Buddhism; he makes no claims on Truth with a capital T. Another reviewer complained that the memoir part of this book does not belong together with the historical Buddha part of this book. Actually, this reviewer misses the point. In order to understand where the author is going, you have to understand where he has been. He was a monk who became disillusioned with the orthodoxy imposed on him by religious authorities so he disrobed to find his own path. And when years later he dug deep into the Pali Canon to search for the historical Buddha hidden beneath all the legends, morality tales and tradition, lo and behold, he found the exact Buddha that he was looking for. In a rather remarkable passage of the book, he says critics have accused him of cherry-picking the Pali Canon to paint the portrait of the Buddha that he wanted to paint but he justifies it by saying everyone else does it too. In an even more remarkable passage of the book he likens Buddhism to a raft that one uses to float on the river of life. As long as the raft gets you to the destination, it doesn't matter what it is made of or how it works. If you were to interpret this a bit cynically, you could say that as long as I am content/happy/satisfied, whatever my philosophy/viewpoint/religion is, it is correct. The author seems to be saying, "My views worked for me so try and see if they work for you. And if they don't, then go find your own views." I am not sure how I should take these contrasting viewpoints. The book has brought up more questions than answers.