Background
Stephen Batchelor was born on April 7, 1953, in Dundee City, United Kingdom.
Rickmansworth Rd, Watford WD18 7JF, UK
Stephen Batchelor graduated from Watford Grammar School in 1972.
Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh 176215, India
Stephen Batchelor studied with Geshe Ngawang Dhargyev at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Dharamsala, India from 1972 to 1975.
South Korea, Jeollanam-do, Suncheon-si, Songgwang-myeon, Sinpyeong-ri, 12
Stephen Batchelor's last educational institution was Songgwangsa Monastery in South Korea, where he studied Zen Buddhism with Kusan Sunim from 1981 to 1984.
Wildbergstrasse 10, 8486 Zell, Switzerland
Stephen Batchelor studied with Geshe Rabten at Tibet Institute Rikon in Switzerland from 1975 to 1979.
Chemin du Dérochoz 2, 1801 Le Mont-Pèlerin, Switzerland
Stephen Batchelor studied with Geshe Rabten at Le Mont-Pèlerin in Switzerland from 1975 to 1979.
(This uniquely contemporary guide to understanding the tim...)
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', which the author translated into English, the oral instructions of living Buddhist masters, Heidegger's classic 'Being and Time', and the writings of the Christian theologians Paul Tillich and John MacQuarrie. 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', which the author translated into English, the oral instructions of living Buddhist masters, Heidegger's classic 'Being and Time', and the writings of the Christian theologians Paul Tillich and John MacQuarrie.
https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Others-Existential-Philosophy-Literature/dp/0802151272/?tag=2022091-20
1994
(A national bestseller and acclaimed guide to Buddhism for...)
A national bestseller and acclaimed guide to Buddhism for beginners and practitioners alike In this simple but important volume, Stephen Batchelor reminds us that the Buddha was not a mystic who claimed privileged, esoteric knowledge of the universe, but a man who challenged us to understand the nature of anguish, let go of its origins, and bring into being a way of life that is available to us all. The concepts and practices of Buddhism, Batchelor says, are not something to believe in but something to do - and as he explains clearly and compellingly, it is a practice that we can engage in, regardless of our background or beliefs, as we live every day on the path to spiritual enlightenment.
https://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Without-Beliefs-Contemporary-Awakening/dp/1573226564/?tag=2022091-20
1998
(Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara holds a unique place...)
Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara holds a unique place in Mahayana Buddhism akin to that of the Dhammapada in Hinayana Buddhism and the Bhagavadgita in Hinduism. In combining those rare qualities of scholastic precision, spiritual depth, and poetical beauty, its appeal extends to a wide audience of Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Composed in India during the 8th century of the Christian era, it has since been an inspiration to millions of people throughout the world. A new and precise verse rendition of one of Mahayana Buddhism's finest poetic treatise concerning the bodhisattva's practice and training. The translation by Stephen Batchelor is based upon a commentary by the 14th century Tibetan saint Thogme Zangpo.
https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Bodhisattvas-Way-Life-Santideva/dp/8185102597/?tag=2022091-20
1999
(The understanding of the nature of reality is the insight...)
The understanding of the nature of reality is the insight upon which the Buddha was able to achieve his own enlightenment. This vision of the sublime is the source of all that is enigmatic and paradoxical about Buddhism. In Verses from the Center, Stephen Batchelor explores the history of this concept and provides readers with translations of the most important poems ever written on the subject, the poems of 2nd-century philosopher Nagarjuna.
https://www.amazon.com/Verses-Center-Buddhist-Vision-Sublime-ebook/dp/B00J352768/?tag=2022091-20
2001
(Stephen Batchelor's seminal work on humanity's struggle b...)
Stephen Batchelor's seminal work on humanity's struggle between good and evil In the national bestseller Living with the Devil, Batchelor traces the trajectory from the words of the Buddha and Christ, through the writings of Shantideva, Milton, and Pascal, to the poetry of Baudelaire, the fiction of Kafka, and the findings of modern physics and evolutionary biology to examine who we really are, and to rest in the uncertainty that we may never know. Like his previous bestseller, Buddhism without Beliefs, Living with the Devil is also an introduction to Buddhism that encourages readers to nourish their "buddha nature" and make peace with the devils that haunt human life. He tells a poetic and provocative tale about living with life's contradictions that will challenge you to live your life as an existence imbued with purpose, freedom, and compassion - rather than habitual self-interest and fear.
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Devil-Meditation-Good-Evil/dp/1594480877/?tag=2022091-20
2005
(Does Buddhism require faith? Can an atheist or agnostic f...)
Does Buddhism require faith? Can an atheist or agnostic follow the Buddha’s teachings without believing in reincarnation or organized religion? This is one man’s confession. In his classic Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor offered a profound, secular approach to the teachings of the Buddha that struck an emotional chord with Western readers. Now, with the same brilliance and boldness of thought, he paints a groundbreaking portrait of the historical Buddha - told from the author’s unique perspective as a former Buddhist monk and modern seeker. Drawing from the original Pali Canon, the seminal collection of Buddhist discourses compiled after the Buddha’s death by his followers, Batchelor shows us the Buddha as a flesh-and-blood man who looked at life in a radically new way. Batchelor also reveals the everyday challenges and doubts of his own devotional journey - from meeting the Dalai Lama in India, to training as a Zen monk in Korea, to finding his path as a lay teacher of Buddhism living in France. Both controversial and deeply personal, Stephen Batchelor’s refreshingly doctrine-free, life-informed account is essential reading for anyone interested in Buddhism.
https://www.amazon.com/Confession-Buddhist-Atheist-Stephen-Batchelor/dp/0385527071/?tag=2022091-20
2011
(The Awakening of the West is an insightful and elegantly ...)
The Awakening of the West is an insightful and elegantly written history chronicling the developing relationship between Buddhism and Western culture. As anyone familiar with the work of Stephen Batchelor (best-selling author of Buddhism Without Beliefs) would expect, The Awakening of the West is presented in a fresh and lively way and backed by thorough research. Using the innovative approach of starting with the present and working back in time, Batchelor makes it easy to connect familiar contemporary Buddhist teachers to their historical roots. He breathes life into history by capturing the personalities and times of famous and lesser-known but important Buddhist figures. After absorbing these stories and their context, readers will not only have a greater appreciation of Buddhism as a religion but can gain insights that can help them develop their own discerning wisdom. The Awakening of the West is a unique, engaging and important book for anyone seeking a greater understanding of Buddhism.
https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-West-Encounter-Buddhism-Western/dp/0963878441/?tag=2022091-20
2011
("What is this? Ancient questions for modern minds" presen...)
"What is this? Ancient questions for modern minds" presents talks given by Martine and Stephen Batchelor during a Sŏn (Chan/Zen) retreat in England in 2016. Leading us through the practice of radical questioning at the heart of this Korean Buddhist tradition, the authors show how anyone at all can benefit from this form of radical inquiry today. These talks demonstrate clearly how a practice with origins in China a thousand years ago can meld with insights from the natural sciences, classical and modern western philosophy, Romantic poetry, and early Buddhism.
https://www.amazon.com/What-this-Ancient-questions-modern/dp/0473474972/?tag=2022091-20
2019
Photographer teacher translator writer
Stephen Batchelor was born on April 7, 1953, in Dundee City, United Kingdom.
Stephen Batchelor graduated from Watford Grammar School in 1972. Later he studied with Geshe Ngawang Dhargyev at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Dharamsala, India from 1972 to 1975. After that, he studied with Geshe Rabten at Tibet Institute Rikon and Le Mont-Pèlerin in Switzerland from 1975 to 1979. His last educational institution was Songgwangsa Monastery in South Korea, where he studied Zen Buddhism with Kusan Sunim from 1981 to 1984.
Stephen Batchelor is a writer, photographer, translator, teacher, and leader of Buddhist retreats. Born in Scotland and raised in England, Stephen Batchelor left home at age eighteen to travel to India and study Tibetan Buddhism. He was a Buddhist monk from 1978 to 1985, when he married a former Buddhist nun. Batchelor has become an important voice of Buddhism in the West, both as a writer and as an editor of the magazine Tricycle: The Buddhist Review since 1992. He is also the author of several popular books on Buddhism, including The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture, Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening, Verses from the Center: A Buddhist Vision of the Sublime, and Living with the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil.
In The Awakening of the West, Batchelor “provides a clear overview," as Wesley Palmer noted in the Whole Earth Review, of the meeting of Buddhism and European civilization. Batchelor's treatment presents “the interconnectedness of the historical, psychological, and evolutionary changes in this fascinating but obscure relationship." Palmer further commented. Writing in the Contemporary Review. Chris Arthur called The Awakening o f the West a “wide-ranging, thoughtful and well-informed account," and went on to observe that it is an “engaging book, written in an easy, accessible style, pleasingly unencumbered by technical vocabulary or distracting scholarly apparatus." In Palmer's opinion, “Batchelor is particularly adept at creating eye-catching cameo scenes which offer fascinating snapshots of Buddhism's Western presence and forcefully claim the reader's attention."
Batchelor's Buddhism without Beliefs explores, as a reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted, “the practical fundamentals of Buddhism and how they can be relevant to both religious and secular-minded Westerners." According to the same reviewer, Batchelor “deliberately eschews elitist, monastic Buddhist traditions," and makes the Buddhist tradition accessible to Westerners. With Verses from the Center he translates the verses of the second-century Indian philosopher and monk Nagarjuna, and makes extensive comments on them.
In his 2004 title. Living with the Devil, Batchelor explores the Buddhist concept of evil. Library Journal critic Graham Christian noted that the author “draws deeply on traditional Buddhist insights as well as stories from the legends surrounding the Buddha's life" in this “moving and timely study." Similarly, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly felt that “Batchelor's genuine concern and desire for a better world come through clearly." For this work. Batchelor surveys not just Buddhist literature, but also Western texts, examining the struggles of the Biblical Job and of the French philosopher Pascal as they dealt with the reconciliation of the ego in the face of certain death.
Batchelor has also put his intimate knowledge of southern Asia to use in The Tibet Guide, first published in 1987 and brought out again in 1998. Harold M. Otness, writing in Library Journal, thought that Batchelor “goes far beyond conventional guidebooks" in this work, serving up chapters on history and religion and including a highly detailed description of Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet. Otness concluded that “this is a guide for serious travelers and is also an excellent reference source.”
Stephen also worked as a translator for Geshe Thubten Ngawang at Tibetisches Institut in Germany. In the Gaia House, Devon, England, he worked as a guiding teacher from 1990 to 2000. Since 1992 he is a coordinator at the Sharpham Trust, Devon, England. Batchelor also works at the Sharpham College for Buddhist Studies and Contemporary Equity, as a co-founder, beginning 1996.
(Stephen Batchelor's seminal work on humanity's struggle b...)
2005(This uniquely contemporary guide to understanding the tim...)
1994(A national bestseller and acclaimed guide to Buddhism for...)
1998(Does Buddhism require faith? Can an atheist or agnostic f...)
2011(Shantideva's Bodhisattvacharyavatara holds a unique place...)
1999("What is this? Ancient questions for modern minds" presen...)
2019(The Awakening of the West is an insightful and elegantly ...)
2011(The understanding of the nature of reality is the insight...)
2001Stephen Batchelor is noted as a secular Buddhist or agnostic Buddhist.
Quotes from others about the person
“A celebrity, albeit a somewhat controversial one. His skeptical views on karma and reincarnation, in particular, have been viewed with alarm." - Kennedy Fraser.
"Batchelor is known as a translator of sacred texts and is steeped in the Buddhist tradition. He respects history and lineage. He thinks that some popular American Buddhist centers may be in danger of trivializing the dharma and replacing spiritual inquiry with meditation and psychotherapy." - Kennedy Fraser.
Stephen Batchelor married Martine Fages in 1985.