Secular Buddhism: Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World

What if the aim of Buddhism was not nirvana—release from the cycle of rebirth—but thriving in the day-to-day grind of human life within a broader Buddhist ethical framework? In this collection of Batchelor’s writings on Buddhist practice, readers get an overview of his perspectives on practicing Buddhism without its religious sensibilities. Exploring ancient texts and a cast of characters from Buddhist history, Batchelor tries to recover the historical Buddha and provide a renewed “Buddhist vision for our times,” The goal of this “Buddhism 2.0” is doing something, not believing in something. At times, Batchelor (Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist) comes off as condescending toward popular approaches to Buddhism or religion in general, and he admittedly co-opts Buddhism’s historical sources, plunders its practical ethics, and appropriates its philosophical premises for his own purposes. In the broader context of increasingly numerous secular approaches to religion (or religious approaches to secularism), Batchelor’s work will undoubtedly appeal to many “spiritual, but not religious” readers. (Feb.)