Set in a monastery in Korea,Faith to Doubt recounts the author's training in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism ,and reflects on the challenges of bringing Buddhism to the West.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
This is a spiritual autobiography and meditative journal of the author's three-year stay in a Korean Zen monastery. What makes the account even more interesting is that this Englishman had previously had eight years of training in Tibetan Buddhism and was an ordained monk who then came, as a result of a retreat in the Burmese meditation tradition, to doubt the Tibetan claims. Batchelor's experiences of mindfulness and of mystical illumination become the basis for doubt, for questioning, and for reflection on Buddhist text and traditional teachings, as well as on technique, on cultural forms, and on self. While a personal account, this book also contains real scholarship: those studying Buddhism academically as well as personally will find it of interest.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
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
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reflections for the lone traveler,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty (Paperback)
Its title alone is a deep meditation. For me, the central significance of this book is that it tries to show how easily the path can lead into the trap of dogma. It also brings us to consider how culture and language obscure that which is already known to all of us. Stephen Batchelor has endeavoured to show that teachings are at their very best only a rough guide to enlightenment, and that we have to avoid using them as a specific map. As soon as we think a certain teaching or method is 'the right way', we limit our chances of awakening. We have to anticipate awakening without the limitations of knowledge and expectation, even without anticipation!If you are a struggling on your own, then you should read this book. But it is also a challenge for established paths.
38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent, thoughtful treatment of buddhist meditation,
By A Customer
This review is from: Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty (Paperback)
While my reviews almost never make it on to amazon.com (I don't know why, to my knowledge I've never used an obscenity in one!)I suppose hope springs eternal and I will try again.This is a wonderful book. Mr. Batchelor is a seriously good writer on the psychological and spiritual aspects of buddhist practice, and this book is no exception. One story in this collection is particularly riveting - "Light in Your Eyes" is the story of Batchelor's experience in a Korean monastery concurrent with the death of its most influential monk. Extremely evocative and well done. Highly recommended!
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reflections for the lone awakener,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Faith to Doubt: Glimpses of Buddhist Uncertainty (Paperback)
Its title alone is a deep meditation. For me, the central significance of this book is that it tries to show how easily the path can lead into the trap of dogma. It also brings us to consider how culture and language obscure that which is already known to all of us. Stephen Batchelor has endeavoured to show that teachings are at their very best only a rough guide to enlightenment, and that we have to avoid using them as a specific map. As soon as we think a certain teaching or method is 'the right way', we limit our chances of awakening. We have to anticipate awakening without the limitations of knowledge and expectation, even without anticipation!If you are a lone struggler, then you should read this book. But it is also a challenge for established paths.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
