After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma from the Ground Up

Description

Returning to the Indian context out of which the Buddha emerged, Stephen Batchelor synthesizes over four decades of study in the Tibetan, Zen, and Theravada Culture to offer a radical and unorthodox interpretation of foundational Buddhist texts and doctrines. In recovering the tradition s earliest strata, he aims to establish a foundation from which to rethink the practice of Buddhism today.

Combining critical readings of the earliest, canonical texts with narrative accounts of five members of the Buddha s inner circle, Batchelor examines teachings that do not appear to be derived from the preexisting context of Indian culture. In particular, he looks at the Four Noble Truths, arguing that this doctrine may have originated as a series of tasks to be recognized, performed, and accomplished rather than as a set of truth-claims to be believed, understood, and realized. From this perspective, the way of the Buddha is revealed as task-based ethics rather than truth-based metaphysics, thereby freeing it from the need to conform to any sectarian Buddhist orthodoxy.

By articulating a broad vision of Buddhist theory and practice, After Buddhismpresents a framework for understanding the spread of Buddhism in today s globalized world.