Further reading

Books are good. Everybody should read them. Here is a few to get you started.

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist

Stephen Batchelor

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist is a personal account of the author’s thirty-eight year engagement with Buddhism. The first part of the book (Monk) follows the author’s journey from his departure from England at the age of 18, his first meeting with the Dalai Lama in 1972, his six years training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, his disillusion with the Tibetan tradition and departure for a three year Zen training as a monk in South Korea. The second part (Layman) recounts the author’s return to lay life in Europe and focuses on his quest to find out who was Siddhattha Gotama, the historic Buddha, and discover what is truly distinctive in his teaching. This quest interweaves reflections on early Buddhist doctrine, a journey through modern India to visit the sacred sites of Buddhism, and a detailed reconstruction of the Buddha’s life on the basis of the Pali Canon.

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Buddhism Without Beliefs

Stephen Batchelor

Batchelor proposes a profound and passionate agnosticism as an authentic approach to dharma, as historically Buddhism has tended to lose its agnostic dimension through becoming institutionalised as a religion.

His critical examination of Buddhism strips it bare and demystifies it for the modern Western reader, without jargon or obscure terminology. He claims that the Buddha was not a mystic and his awakening not a shattering revelation that revealed the mysteries of the universe – what the Buddha taught was not something to believe in, but something to do. The Buddha challenged people to understand the nature of anguish, let go of its origins, realize its cessation and create a certain way of life and awakening. This awakening is available to all of us, and Batchelor shows how to work realistically towards it, and how to practise and live it every day.

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Alone with Others

An Existential Approach to Buddhism

Stphhen Batchelor

This uniquely contemporary guide to understanding the timeless message of Buddhism, and in particular its relevance in actual human relations, was inspired by Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life”, the oral instructions of living Buddhist masters, Martin Heidegger’s classic Being and Time, and the writings of Christian theologians Paul Tillich and John MacQuarrie.

“The text is written with unusual clarity of style, making difficult matters readily accessible. It fills a serious gap in the dialogue beyween East and West, and does so in the most sensitive, most intelligent, and most careful way. The use of phenomenology and existentialism is not only judicious, but pioneering; yet, the vocabulary of these disciplines is never allowed to get in the way of an authentic encounter with a tradition that is radically different. Batchelor’s strategy – to use the Western disciplines in order to make Buddhism accessible to the Westerner – is, I think, highly successful. This book makes a fine introduction.” Professor David Michael Levin.

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Meditation for Life

Martine Batchelor

Meditation for Life, from Martine Batchelor with vivid full-color photographs by Stephen Batchelor, is simply one of the best meditation books around. It’s well written, informative, and comprehensive, and is without a doubt the most beautiful meditation book on the market.

Stephen Batchelor’s evocative photography invites even the most seasoned practitioner to see with new eyes. Martine Batchelor’s writing—through a mix of anecdote, humor, and practical instruction—brings to bear her considerable experience as a meditation teacher as she explains the techniques of three major Buddhist traditions (Theravada, Tibetan, and Zen).

Meditation for Life shows that Buddhist meditation is not just for Buddhists, but for everyone with a desire to live life more fully. No matter who you are or what your goal-whether you want to start meditating, to revitalize your practice, or to find the perfect gift to share the joys of meditation with others—this splendid book is right for you. Each chapter contains a time-honored guided meditation on such themes as loving-kindness, equanimity, death—and even cooking! And nearly every page presents an evocative photograph from Stephen Batchelor, inviting us to see the world around us with new eyes.

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Let Go

A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits
Martine Batchelor

When we break free from the habits that limit us, a new world of possibilities opens up. In Let Go, Martine Batchelor leads the way there.

Negative patterns of mind may manifest as fear, avoidance, depression, addiction, judgment of self or other-and any of a host of other physical, mental, or psychological forms. Let Goaims at understanding what really lies at the root of these behaviors so we can reclaim their control. Each chapter concludes with an exercise or guided meditation as a tool for the reader to work with negative habits in a new and creative way. You don’t have to be a Buddhist for them to work. You just need to want to move on.

Helpful exercises and guided meditations—designed to build understanding of our negative habits, as well as the confidence and skill needed to instead embrace our greatest qualities—appear throughout the book.

Batchelor also looks at Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression, Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz’s use of meditation to deal with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), successful combinations of meditation and Twelve-Step programs, and offers her own innovations.

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Loving Kindness

The Revolutionary Art of Happiness

Sharon Salzberg

Drawing on basic Buddhist teachings, wisdom stories from different spiritual traditions and her own personal experience from 25 years of Buddhist practice, Salzberg has written an inspirational book on how to cultivate true happiness in ourselves and generate real compassion for others.

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The Trouble with Buddhism