Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism [Paperback]

Stephen Batchelor (Author), John Eaton Calthorpe Blofeld (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 1994

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (February 8, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802151272
• ISBN-13: 978-0802151278
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #281,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Batchelor is a former monk in the Tibetan and Zen traditions. He has translated Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life and is the author of Alone with Others, The Faith to Doubt, The Tibet Guide, The Awakening of the West, Buddhism without Beliefs, and Verses from the Center. He is a contributing editor of Tricycle magazine, a guiding teacher at Gaia House Retreat Centre, and cofounder of Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Inquiry in Devon, England. He lives in southwest France and lectures and conducts meditation retreats worldwide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, intriguing and extremely engaging., May 30, 2006

By 

Patrick D. Goonan "see profile for URL" (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism (Paperback)

I found this book of approximately 130 pages absolutely fascinating. While it is very non-traditional, it provides a bridge that helps the modern person to relate some of the most important concepts of Buddhism through the bridge provided by Western existentialist thought.

This book is very well written and Stephen Batchelor is very credible as an author having spent considerable time in Asia and having been a monk for 10 years in both the Tibetan and Zen traditions. While the book is largely his own perspective, it is a valuable one given his life experience and ability to convey complex topics in easy to understand terms. It certainly got my attention!

If you are looking to read your first book on Buddhism or Existentialism, this is probably not for you. However, if you are familiar to one or both of these topics and/or are looking to understand the human condition more deeply, then you will not be disappointed at the ideas presented here.

For me, this was a two sitting book that completely engaged me. I have read many books on Buddhism and Existentialism and thought this had a lot to offer a modern person in terms of making Buddhism relevant to modern contexts. I also found it a useful and sensitive exploration of the nature of loneliness and the limitations of the human condition. Among other things, it poignantly expressed how loneliness and the reality of our ultimate death could help us deepen our experience of reality through relationship and fuller engagement with life.

68 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Existentialist buddhism, or modernist zen trend?, May 13, 2003

By 

EMV (Nancy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism (Paperback)

I sense the author is just pushing his own view on buddhism (or... existentialism) through this book: this is not a study of the crossroads between buddhism and existentialism, but the author's own view on buddhism expressed in the terms of existential thinking.
St. Batchelor in this book holds a view about buddhism very much close to that of contemporary Vietnamese zen buddhism. They see the world as manyfold manifestations all sprung from one unique universal 'tank' ('alaya vijnana'); consequently they hold the view that all things and beings in this universe are linked together in complete solidarity. This is one view: but this is not really essential either to buddhism or to existentialism. It also seems to me somewhat oversimplified as a moral and as a cosmic hypothesis. Personal responsability and gratuitous compassion are closer to ancient, theravada buddhism.
Anyway, I much preferred--and would recommend--the same author's "Buddhism without belief" as a contemporary, 'modernist' approach to the ageless and visionary wisdom of buddhism!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling synthesis on Buddhism, July 29, 2010

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fotochop - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Alone with Others: An Existential Approach to Buddhism (Paperback)

I've read this book three times and each time I get more out of the reading. The author is able to break down, explain, and connect the various Buddhist approaches with insight and clarity. Sometimes the language and references can be challenging (there's a glossary in the back) but his take on the commonalities of Buddhism and Christianity are some of the best and they are motivating me to read Paul Tillich, John MacQuarrie, and Martin Heidegger just to find out more. Highly recommended reading.