Buddhism Without Beliefs

A Contemporary Guide to Awakening

By: Stephen Batchelor

Narrated by: Stephen Batchelor

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Before it was a religion, a culture, or even a system of meditation, what was Buddhism? On Buddhism Without Beliefs, celebrated teacher, translator, and former Buddhist monk Stephen Batchelor takes us back to the first years after the Buddha's awakening to reveal the root insights of Buddhism hidden beneath centuries of history and interpretation.

In eight compelling sessions of self-inquiry - including many fascinating exercises and practices - we learn how to awaken and refine our senses, introduce the essential spirit of curiosity into the practice of awareness, and comprehend with both our hearts and our minds the Buddha's astonishing (and often misunderstood) revelations on emptiness, compassion, and the self. Before he died, the Buddha did not appoint a successor. He simply remarked that each of us must be responsible for our own freedom.

Buddhism without Beliefs is an invitation to hear what the Buddha taught - and to trust yourself on your own path to liberation.

©1997 Stephen Batchelor (P)2013 Sounds True

This deserves 20 stars, it is amazing.

Stephen starts out with the basics and proceeds to elaborate on emptiness in a very digestible way. This concept can be confusing and he breaks it down with grace. I really can't say enough good things to do this work justice so I HIGHLY recommend experiencing it for yourself.

Bedtime for Bonzes

Calm and thoughtful discussion of what Buddhist practices can do in our lives. well suited to listening in bed. This is a westernized. Buddhism stripped of reincarnation, karma, or literal celestial or infernal beings. Would appeal to secular or atheist readers, though I as a Christian found it delightful. I will listen to it again.

Excellent, but NOT THE BOOK

I bought this believing it to be the book Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor. I was disappointed to discover that is not that. Instead, this is a short set of (excellent) lectures by the same author, which confusingly has been given the exact same title. I wish audible would make it clear what it is in the description.

A tip for listening: the reader speaks I N C R E D I B L Y slowly. I found that listening at 1.5x speed resulted in a normal listening experience.

Great instruction on meditation

Batchelor gives us a great reimagining of Buddhism that may be its next form through the evolution that form takes.

made so much sense!

I loved it. will listen again, as I missed some parts with my mind wandering.

I Will Be Revisiting!

I appreciate Batchelor's way of dismantling dogma, and instead providing points to consider. He doesn't assert that you must convert or be strictly Buddhism to practice and learn about the core of Buddha's teachings and philosophy. His approach is not sectarian and beginner friendly. It's not the most exciting book in the world. You'll have to consume in pieces, at least I did. In tends to drag on a bit. I will be revisiting and taking more notes.

Wonderful!

Any additional comments?

I am not a buddhist, even though I'm interested in buddhist "themes": impermanence, emptiness, mindfulness, loving kindness, death and dying, etc. I've read a number of authors of many different traditions (Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, etc.), and Stephen Batchelor was the only one I felt wasn't speaking in riddles or trying to convey a sense of mystery that I never felt was necessary. And here I don't mean, for instance, Zen koans or Zen stories - I mean the convoluted and pasteurized speech of some Western buddhist teachers.
As an atheist, this is as close as I'll ever get to a real experience of spirituality. Wonderful book.

What you wondered about but were afraid to ask ...

Stephen Batchelors guide is truly educational. I found his breakdown of Buddhism to be so simple and inspiring. I was concerned that Buddhism would be a complicated thing to understand. Immediately my mind was put to rest as Stephen speaks with authority and expertise. Buddhism as a belief system (it is not a religion for those who may not know) is all that I hoped it would be. I've listened through twice and plan on sharing it with other interested parties. So if you too may be wondering what this thing called Buddhism is all about but are afraid it's too complex, I highly recommend Buddhism Without Beliefs.

Gets to the heart of why Buddhist teaching matter

Cuts through it all and helps reader make sense of teachings and practice just about better than anything I have read so far.

A great place to start

This book is a great place to start. It explains what Buddhism is about and dives into some of the core concepts. It is not an end to learning of Buddhism but a beginning. I was able to listen to this on my commutes to and from work.