Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World

by Stephen Batchelor

An essential collection of Stephen Batchelor’s most probing and important work on secular Buddhism

As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream Western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition? Is there an ethical framework that can underpin and contextualize these practices in a rapidly changing world?
 
In this collected volume of Stephen Batchelor’s writings on these themes, the author explores the complex implications of Buddhism’s secularization. Ranging widely—from reincarnation, religious belief, and agnosticism to the role of the arts in Buddhist practice—he offers a detailed picture of contemporary Buddhism and its attempt to find a voice in the modern world.

Genres: Buddhism, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Audiobook, Psychology

285 pages, Hardcover

Published February 21, 2017

Reviews

[Shelley Schanfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batchelor continues his exploration from other books (Buddhism without beliefs and Confession of a Buddhist atheist) on how to make the ancient system of Buddhist thought practical in the modern world. He is skilled at whittling the Buddha's teachings down to their essence and removing the 'religiosity' that sometimes obscures its utter usefulness.

In earlier books, he documents his doubts about teachings on karma and rebirth in the Tibetan and Korean monastic traditions. He touches on them here only to say that despite his doubts, he found Buddhist practices such as generosity, tolerance, compassion, and so forth, were not only compatible with his "post-modern secular worldview" but enhanced it.

A favorite quote that resonates with my own insights during meditation:
"Meditation on impermanence, suffering and no-self, for example, did not—as the Buddha insisted it would —lead me to disenchantment, dispassion, and a resolve not to be born again but to an ever -deepening awareness of life's infinitely poignant beauty..." (p. 157)

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved his essay on Buddhism 2.0. The title seems to imply a disregard or need to cast off some of the current/past forms of Buddhism but his approach was not that, merely he suggests a framework for a secular Buddhism.

His insight in that essay is looking at the four noble truths from the traditional:

1. Existence is suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is craving.
3. The cessation of suffering is nirvana.
4. The noble eightfold path is the way that leads to the cessation of suffering

to something like

1. Embrace suffering, i.e., experience it fully
2. Let go of the grasping/craving that arises in an attempt to overcome suffering
3. Stop reacting to suffering
4. Act unconditioned by reactivity (by following the eightfold path)

There is more in that essay as well, and it is excellent.

The rest of the essays and interviews seemed uneven and though it was a series of essays and interviews, I didn't follow a thematic thread. I like Batchelor a lot and recommend maybe Buddhism Without Beliefs if you are new to him. This would be a better book later, and allow the reader to skip around to topics of interest (which he does not recommend in the intro).

[Albert]

Batchelor's essays were just the tonic I needed at this juncture in what was becoming a somewhat lapsing practice. I think his notion that study can be a sustaining palliative to sitting is something I needed to hear, and his framing from the perspective of western culture clarifies some subtleties I might have missed or forgotten along the way.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough collection of Philosophical Musings, but, like in the case of most “Religions” it derives its value from its ability to offer its Wisdom to contemporary practitioners. Whether or not the Wisdom of the Buddha is congruent with the needs of 21st Century Reader is less dependent on how well it fits to his terminology than how it meets the challenges of his or her Life.

Some good points well stated. Three Stars. ***

[Lachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was perhaps a little disappointed by the brevity of this collection (~250 pages) it was wonderful to see Batchelor develop his secular vision of the Dhamma, and engaging to follow his interests and influences through interviews and research.

[Kamakana · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like this review i now have website: www.michaelkamakana.com

review

if you want more: Wisdom Beyond Words: The Buddhist Vision of Ultimate Reality
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
more technical:
The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way: Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā
more:
Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming Against the Stream
Women in the Footsteps of the Buddha: Struggle for Liberation in the Therigatha
Gender Equality in Buddhism
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
Buddhism: A Philosophical Approach
What the Buddha Thought
Nietzsche and Buddhist Philosophy
Buddhist Philosophy: A Historical Analysis
Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction
Ethics Embodied: Rethinking Selfhood Through Continental, Japanese, and Feminist Philosophies
After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age
What the Buddha Thought
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
Buddhist Philosophy: Essential Readings
Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction
Self, No Self?: Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions
After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age
Philosophers of Nothingness: An Essay on the Kyoto School
The Kyoto School
Nishida And Western Philosophy
Buddhism: A Philosophical Approach
What the Buddha Thought
Wisdom Beyond Words: The Buddhist Vision of Ultimate Reality
Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction
An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy
Why I Am Not a Buddhist
Why I Am a Buddhist: No-Nonsense Buddhism with Red Meat and Whiskey
Indian Buddhist Philosophy: Metaphysics as Ethics

[Stevie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't go wrong with Stephen Batchelor -- always interesting insights into creating a positive practice.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 2 out of 5]

the search for meaning by the author is mildly interesting, but his interpretations are still a bit underwhelming. It's worth looking into to see his own biases, distortions and definitions have him trying to squirm out of dilemmas, just like others have tried a bit less successfully in the past.

Happens when you're a little too attached to the doctrine, but it's fascinating in how some people
'latch onto certain doctrines' and dismiss other viewpoints.

And then you have another writer with their own 'pet doctrines' and 'dismissals' of other prickly issues.

And you get to see different flavors of Kool-Aid drinkers battle it out for 'clarity' in their murky muddled ways.

84% of the time it always seems that most Buddhists with their ways of non-attachment, are always quite 'attached' to their doctrine, and they pick and choose their way out of defending their sacred cows.

It's a bit like everyone believing that pigs can fly, but they have pointed sticks and fight to the death in buddhism, saying everyone else is wrong, but they have their own 'interpretation' of doctrine and how they have the 'better interpretation' of flying pigs.

..........

Yeats was particularly drawn to Zen Buddhism, especially through the writings of D.T. Suzuki. He appreciated the koan "If a Buddha stand in his way he will cut him down" and used it to illustrate a path of liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Yeats also drew inspiration from the Upanishads, which share Buddhist ideas about eliminating desires to perfect the self.

'Outlined in A Vision is Yeats's rather esoteric artistic philosophy, detailing how one struggles between what one is and what one wants to be.'

'Yeats's later poetry, written during his later years, takes up the challenge of trying to reconcile the Self and the not-Self.'

...........

a really interesting review, with their own interesting biases

Stephen Batchelor’s Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World is a continuation of the line of constructive and critical thinking about the Buddhist tradition he began with Alone with Others (Grove Press, 1983) and that includes The Faith to Doubt (Parallax Press, 1990), Buddhism without Beliefs (Riverhead, 1997), Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist (Spiegel & Grau, 2010), and After Buddhism (Yale University Press, 2015).

The book contains an introduction and five sections, each with several chapters.

The first section, “In Search of Ñāṇavīra,” explores the spiritual journey of the English-born Theravāda Buddhist monk Ñāṇavīra Thera (1920–1965, b. Harold Edward Musson) that began with his encounter with the fascist mystic Julius Evola’s The Doctrine of Awakening (1943) and concluded with his suicide in the jungles of Sri Lanka while still robed at the age of forty-five.

The second section, “Buddhism 2.0,” includes a single essay—“A Secular Buddhism”—a version of which appeared six years prior under the same title in the Journal of Global Buddhism.

The third section, “Thinking Out Loud,” presents in its chapters a series of meditations on issues for Buddhists living in a secularized world such as the doctrines of karma and rebirth, the place of the monastic saṇgha, the legacy of the European Enlightenment in and for the present, and the virtues and vices of agnosticism.

The fourth section, “Conversations,” contains three brief interviews: one that Batchelor conducts with the Christian theologian Don Cupit, and two in which Batchelor is interviewed by the meditation teacher Jeff Hardin and editor of Insight Journal Chris Talbott respectively.

The fifth section, “Art and Imagination” first considers the unforeseeable murder of Petra Kelly at the hands of her partner Gert Bastian, then moves to discuss the place of imaginative thinking in the development of the Buddhist tradition as well as the place of aesthetics in understanding concepts such as mindfulness and emptiness.

The whole of the book is written in a spirit of searching. It offers more opportunities for reflection than it does prescriptions, and engages with a variety of figures in Western philosophy such as Augustine, Immanuel Kant, Ludwig Feuerbach, and Martin Heidegger as well as Buddhist philosophers such as Nāgārjuna, Śāntideva, Dōgen Zenji, and Tsongkhapa.

Though it can be rather philosophical at times, stylistically speaking Batchelor’s book is quite accessible. I found myself rather engaged with the personal anecdotes peppered throughout the book, which range from his translation of Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra from Tibetan to English (4-10) to his chance encounters with pieces of weather-beaten refuse and vibrantly-colored paper envelopes (233-36) that serve as springboards for his thinking.

Arguably, at the core of Batchelor’s book is a distinction he makes between Buddhism as a religion and Buddhism as a pragmatic path.

The former he refers to as “Buddhism 1.0,” and it is characterized by dogmatic belief in the metaphysical claims present in ancient Indian cosmology, that is, karma and rebirth (80).

The latter, “Buddhism 2.0,” is based on secular values, which Batchelor understands in a threefold sense: (1) as without reference to the religious or the supernatural; (2) as the values of this saeculumor “century”; and, (3) as characterized by the dwindling influence of religious institutions over aspects of everyday life and the assumption of that influence by various apparatuses of the modern state (77-78).

Batchelor relates that he was prompted to construct such a secular Buddhism through his encounter with participants in his courses on mindfulness meditation who had been introduced to the practice through the British National Health Service (NHS) in order to relieve, in one example, pain induced by severe burns, and decided to continue practicing it in more overtly Buddhist spaces.

The fact that even when secularized, mindfulness meditation had positive outcomes for those who practiced it challenged Batchelor to consider whether or not the traditional—which is to say cosmological and metaphysical—trappings of the practice were necessary at all. Of course, Batchelor believes they are not—he would not have much of a book otherwise!

While I think there is much of value in Batchelor’s book for practitioners and scholars alike, the distinction he makes between Buddhism as a religion and Buddhism as a pragmatic path appears to be based on a definition of “religion” that is presented throughout the book without any critical examination or reflection.

Batchelor assumes that “religion” is characterized by dogmatic belief in metaphysical truths and that the realization of such truths, in the case of Buddhism, is the goal of all religious practice.

This narrow way of defining “religion” for Batchelor is advantageous insofar as it allows him to retrieve what he takes to be the more “original,” pragmatic message of the Buddha’s teachings which itself was covered over by centuries of “religious” accretions (85).

This of course is not new in modern interpretations of Buddhism.

Even the French philologist Eugène Burnouf (1801–1852), today considered the founder of the field of Buddhist studies, believed similar things of the Buddha’s teachings, claiming them to be ethical rather than metaphysical in character and that the Buddhist tradition had over time made a “religion” of them, with the Buddha as its more-than-human founder.

That being said, Batchelor does display an awareness that claims regarding the original teachings of the Buddha—whether they are presented by adherents to Buddhism 1.0 or by himself for his Buddhism 2.0 à venir—are today met with due skepticism and as such are rhetorically impotent (80-81).

Moreover, Batchelor is aware of his own temptation to be taken in by his own message and interpretation, to lose sight of the fact that it is nonethelessone interpretation among others (81). This is to say that he is more careful than his predecessors to have a more ironic relation to his claims.

While I recommend this book for both practitioners looking for new ways to think about the Buddha’s teachings and their meaning for the present as well as for scholars who are interested in the ongoing transformation of Buddhism in its encounter with Western tradition, I caution readers to consider carefully as they go through the book Batchelor’s rhetorical strategy of parsing the “religious” and metaphysical from the “pragmatic” and ethical.

Thomas Calobrisi is a doctoral student in Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA.

[Erik Steevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still reading Stephen Batchelor's "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist" but today i bought this latests published book. I might say and hope that Stephen's approach is doing a good job for Buddhism.
Or to put it more like this, it might be a fine thing that eventually the coming of Buddhism to the West has in the end an healing effect, so that the original intentions of Gautama Siddharta will rise again as a lotus flower growing out of the mud. And the works (books) of Stephen Batchelor are constructing this new path in an excellent manner.

[Viriyavaṃsa Bhikkhu · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one point, the author admits he cherry-picks from the Pali Canon and that is fair criticism. The problem isn't just that, it's that he misinterprets even the suttas he does pick. I appreciate anyone trying to understand the early Buddhist texts, but what he does here is intellectually dishonest.

+1 star for the Nanavira essay that has some good original research behind it.

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow.

I received an advance electronic copy of this book via NetGalley, courtesy of publisher Yale University Press, in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

[Yolanda Blanch Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone interested in a buddhism without religion!!! A masterpiece of thought imho!!!!

[Alex]

It was great to read this book by Stephen Batchelor as it highlighted to me the dynamics of translating from one language into another, and the difficulties in doing this; namely in relation to capturing the full essence/meaning of a word originally written in Pali or Sanskrit. It has really made me respect the fact that 'all translation is interpretation'. I suppose Batchelor uses this reasoning (amongst others) to justify his presented version of a secular Buddhism which reconfigures the Four Truths for the Nobel and the Eightfold Path.
A rewarding aspect of reading this book was his explanation for agnosticism towards certain ideas found within Buddhism, namely reincarnation. I feel that I was committing to an 'either or' before, but now having understood the agnostic position, and how it can help one focus more on practicing Buddhist methods (namely mindfulness), I am more comfortable in loosening my grip on what reincarnation. This has brought me some relief though I sometimes have to remind myself of the agnostic attitude and that it doesn't mean I can't hope that something is true. I guess belief is faith whilst knowing is experience.
I found the later part of the book, where Batchelor goes into detail about his collage art interesting but at times felt like he should perhaps write a separate whole other book on the topic given his very apparent enthusiasm. Nevertheless, I resonated with his art in that I often like to pay attention to objects that I think the world completely overlooks. It does feel like a gift sometimes, perhaps this is because you feel like you're the only one who is doing the act of paying attention. Like being the only person on top of Everest, no one else in the entire world has your perspective in the moment you're up there. But come to think of it, we have these moments everyday without any deliberate effort I think.
I understand that Batchelors desire is to present Buddhism as a practice above anything else, and to inform people that the reincarnation ideas were a product of the time the Buddha was in and the world in which he grew up.

[Bohdan Pechenyak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinatingly relatable, for me personally, and wonderfully fresh synthesis by Stephen Batchelor, building on his previous efforts to formulate a “secular Buddhist” approach to practice and living. An attempt to modernise Buddhism, to adapt it to the challenges and needs of contemporary Western society, and, in so doing, to go back to the basic, stripped-down teachings of the Buddha. A collection of essays and articles written earlier plus several new chapters, this book examines how life, art, and meditation practices all fit seamlessly together into something he calls “Buddhism 2.0”.

Some key themes include the story of Nanavira Thera and his life in the Sri Lankan jungle, immersed in translating and adapting Buddhist texts into English; Buddhist agnosticism and it’s limits; what a mindful nation might look like; discussions of what comes “after Buddhism” - secular Buddhism? Buddhism 2.0? Something else entirely?; and how art and imagination are similar with and different from meditation practices; closing the book on the consideration of an “aesthetics of emptiness”.

[Eduardo Santiago · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious, exasperating, with a few gems embedded. Batchelor seems like a wonderful person, smart and compassionate and well grounded, but omg so pompous and so scattered.

Most of the essays assume a preexisting deep knowledge of Buddhist thought, like knowing the "First Discourse", and lots of names and terms. If you're coming at this with little or no knowledge of Buddhism, find something else. And if you're annoyed by language games, by a twentieth-century Anglo trying to wrest meaning from translations-of-translations of 2500-year-old texts and a cultural context that is impossible for us to imagine, give this a skip.

Good little nuggets about agnosticism, the (religionless!) ethical framework of the Buddha's teachings, and history, but for the most part this is just impenetrable handwaving. The essays are not ordered chronologically, or even in any meaningful order, so concepts he dismisses in an early essay (four "noble truths", religious aspects of Buddhism) are spoken of unquestioningly in later ones.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I won’t finish this. It’s fascinating, and I learned a lot about what a secular Buddhism might look like, and I like it. I’m very attracted to Buddhism. But I’ve lived my entire life in a Christian world. I think it will be more fruitful for me to begin working on what my version of a secular Christianity might look like, rather than try to jump ship to an entirely foreign practice system. I will find a way to incorporate mindfulness work into my secular Christianity, though, for sure. Maybe it will be my version of prayer? Anyone have any suggestions on where I might start reading about secular Christianity? Or maybe it’s for me to construct for myself. Weirdly, Quakerism probably comes close, especially those Quakers who do not consider themselves Christian. But right now, I’m in a position in which it’s not possible for me to attend Meeting. 😣

[Sami Quadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever been curious about Buddhism but felt turned off by the religious or mystical stuff, this is the book for you. Batchelor strips it all back to the basics—mindfulness, ethics and how to live a meaningful life—without the dogma.

What I loved most is how practical it is. It’s not about chanting or reincarnation; it’s about dealing with real-life stuff like stress, relationships and finding purpose. Batchelor’s writing is clear and relatable, and he doesn’t shy away from questioning traditional beliefs. It’s like Buddhism for sceptics, which I totally vibe with.

That said, if you’re super into the spiritual side of Buddhism, this might feel a bit too stripped-down. But for someone like me who’s just trying to navigate modern life without losing my mind, it’s a solid 4/5.

[Kevin Maness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t actually read the whole thing, but I did find it helpful. After a while, I started to realize that, as much as I admire Buddhism, I’ve grown up Christian, and that’s my culture, more or less. Although I’ve become increasingly secular in my understanding, I still appreciate the core values of Christianity and know that they have shaped my own defining values. I also realized the obvious: that my current placement in Quakerism is ideal because it freely borrows from the practices of Buddhism while being based in Christian mythology. It’s my ideal spiritual home. If only I could attend Meeting for Worship!

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Batchelor has been writing the same book over and over again, where he tries to formulate a version of Buddhism without any religious belief requirements (such as belief in karma and samsara), and each time he gets closer, but I don't know if he'll ever get there. This time he goes to Sanskrit tok view the Four Noble Truths as four noble actions to take, but it strips away so much of Buddhism that there might not be much there at the end that people could use as a system to deal with life.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting perspective

I found much to contemplate within this book. I've never considered myself a student of any particular flavor of Buddhism because there was always one thing or another about them that didn't make sense in the worldview of my western upbringing. Mr. Bachelor has convinced me that I'm not alone. I don't particularly like the term Buddhism 2.0, but I do like his argument for change.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy all of Batchelor's work, but this read more like a collection of unrelated essays than a coherent vision about the author's journey first into Buddhism and then into a secular version of it. That said, it was worthwhile to witness aspects of that journey in the individual essays, but I would only recommend this to someone who has already read and deeply enjoyed Batchelor's other work on secular Buddhism.

[Kristin Topping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good read. You can feel the authors struggle to reconcile his desire for communal, spiritually-based living and his non-belief of several key tenets of the traditional Buddhist faith (namely, reincarnation, karma and the attainment of enlightenment) from start to finish. Secular Buddhism is the way the west will be won - mindfulness through a science-based reality, and an encoded philosophy, ethics and values that has enduring for decades

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selected writings by a man who is interested in helping to define a new "Western" approach to Buddhism. He's serious, knowledgeable, and writes well, but some of his ideas give this Buddhist pause; I think there may be quite a bit of baby in the bathwater he wants to throw out. The collection ranges over a wide field and is not really unified around a single theme.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the essays went over my head, but many of them blew my mind and were right what I needed. Thinking of Buddhism in a purely secular sense and reframing the Four Noble Truths as the Four Great Tasks appeals to me. I will also be reading other books by Stephen Batchelor, like Buddhism Without Beliefs.

[Jenny Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not begin here if you are new to Stephen Batchelor. Mostly because as a volume of collected essays not composed together, it’s uneven and potentially disorienting. That said, the piece on Nanavira asks some important questions regarding how the West sees Buddhism in a particular way, and how it’s possible to develop sound readings that lead practitioners in the complete opposite direction.

[Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compendium, but not the place to start

I found almost all of these essays illuminating, but I don’t think this book is the place to go to understand Batchelor’s interpretation of Buddhist thought.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of essays representing Stephen Batchelor's philosophical journey from traditional Buddhist practice (he trained as a monk for many years) to a form of secular Buddhist practice.

[Edward Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Batchelor has always gotten my attention with his clear, concise, and human explanations of what Buddism is (a philosophy) and what it is not (a religion)

[Valerie Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful discourse that's usually practical, sometimes academic, but that's probably what you'd expect from an adorable British guy who used to be a Buddhist monk and now makes collages and meditates in southern France.

[Ihor Kolesnyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ця книга не містить особливо нових ідей від Стівена Бетчелора. Кілька есеїв у збірці є радше передруком вже існуючих (наприклад буддизм 2.0). Може бути цікавою для читача його мозаїка у історіях і людях.
Для чіткішого розуміння секулярного буддизму у версії СБ рекомендую інші книги автора.