Before it was a religion, a culture, or even a system of meditation ­ what was Buddhism? Gautama Siddhartha, the historical Buddha, did not offer mystical revelations about the nature of the universe. He was not interested in questions about God or an afterlife. And he did not present his "awakening" as a lofty or distant goal. What he did profess was a way out of the anguish and dissatisfaction of the unexamined life ­ not through a religion of blind faith, but through a practice that was meant to be tested and used.

On Buddhism without Beliefs, celebrated teacher, translator, and former Buddhist monk Stephen Batchelor takes us back to the first years after the Buddha's awakening to reveal the root insights of Buddhism hidden beneath centuries of history and interpretation. In eight compelling sessions of self-inquiry ­ including many fascinating exercises and practices ­ you will learn how to awaken and refine your senses, introduce the essential spirit of curiosity into the practice of awareness, and comprehend with both your heart and mind the Buddha's astonishing (and often misunderstood) revelations on emptiness, compassion, and the self.

Before he died, the Buddha did not appoint a successor. He simply remarked that each of us must be responsible for our own freedom. Buddhism without Beliefs is an invitation to hear what he taught ­ and then, to trust yourself on your own path to liberation.

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.

4 CASSETTES

5 HOURS

1-56455-932-7

Stephen Batchelor was trained as a monk in the Tibetan and Korean Zen traditions, and currently serves as Director of Studies at Sharpham College in Devon, England. He has authored Alone with Others; The Faith to Doubt; The Awakening of the West, and has translated a number of Buddhist texts from Tibetan.