Stephen Batchelor
British writer and teacher of secular Buddhism, a former Tibetan and Zen Buddhist monk; author of Buddhism Without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist and Buddha, Socrates, and Us.
Stephen Batchelor did not write this page.
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Their wordsIn so doing, we fail to recognize the spiritual aspirations that are seeking expression and fulfilment in this way. We likewise ignore the harsh fact that this society has lost the ability to address the religious feelings of a considerable section of its young.
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Their wordsBefore we can even begin to have a serious discussion about the use and abuse of drugs in contemporary society, there needs to be an acceptance of at least the possibility that certain currently illegal drugs can produce life and performance enhancing effects.
- 14 months earlier
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Their wordsWhile he encourages mutual tolerance and on-going dialogue between these faiths, the Dalai Lama seems unwilling to challenge the status quo.
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Their wordsThose who adopt Buddhist ideas, values and practices today in the West are not necessarily interested in joining another religious institution. They find the Buddha’s “test it and see” approach to be perfectly compatible with a healthy scepticism.
- 3 years earlier
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Their wordsThis passage shows quite clearly both the pragmatic nature of the Buddha's teaching, as well as its agnostic bent.
↗The Agnostic Buddhist: A Secular Vision of Dharma Practiceweb.archive.org 1st of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsBut if we look at Buddhism historically, we'll see that it has continuously tended to lose this agnostic dimension through becoming institutionalised as a religion, with all of the usual dogmatic belief systems that religions tend to have.
↗The Agnostic Buddhist: A Secular Vision of Dharma Practiceweb.archive.org 2nd of 3 in this piece
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Their wordsThe very term "Buddhism," a word for which there is no exact equivalent in an Asian language, is largely an invention of Western scholars. It suggests a creed to be lined up alongside other creeds; another set of beliefs about the nature of reality that we cannot know by other means than through faith.
↗The Agnostic Buddhist: A Secular Vision of Dharma Practiceweb.archive.org 3rd of 3 in this piece