“I want to suggest, to all of my colleagues in the art of deep listening, that in order to withstand the difficulties of our work and the ups and downs of its valuation in the marketplace, we require a powerful inoculation. And in my experience, the best inoculation is the capacity to envision our work as that of a healer, as part of a long and honorable lineage – to view it as a path of service, a calling as well as a business – and to sincerely offer up this work to the good of all beings.” Mindful Therapy (Bien 2006:5)
Category Archives: Books
Craving and Anguish as the Root of Pain – Stephen Batchelor
Consistent with Buddha’s first Noble Truth, Stephen Batchelor clarifies “suffering”, discussing this concept as “anguish”:
“Anguish emerges from craving for life to be other than it is. In the face of a changing world, such craving seeks consolation in something permanent and reliable, in a self that is in control of things, in a God who is in charge of destiny. The irony of this strategy is that it turns out to be the cause of what it seeks to dispel. In yearning for anguish to be assuaged in such ways, we reinforce what creates anguish in the first place: the craving for life to be other than it is. We find ourselves spinning in a vicious circle. The more acute the anguish, the more we want to be rid of it, but the more we want to be rid of it, the more acute it gets.”
(Stephen Batchelor in “Buddhism Without Beliefs”, p 41)
Stephen Bachelor’s “Buddhism Without Beliefs” – A Preliminary Response
Following is an excerpt from an email I sent to a friend about the book I am currently reading, “Buddhism Without Beliefs”:
“Enjoying “Buddhism Without Beliefs”. There isn’t much to it lengthwise, but I am fascinated with his discussion of Buddhism as action – and his arguments for this viewpoint also within the life of the Buddha. He believes that it only became institutionalised and a “religion” later and gives reasons for this view, including the Buddha’s refusal to appoint an “heir” (as proof of his desire not to institutionalise the movement). [His argument] is more complex than that, but I am tired [I sent this email just before going to bed].
Anyway, especially interesting is his discussion as Buddhism as action, rather than strictly belief (although one does have to agree with the philosophical perspective that life is suffering). An analogy could be with calling yourself a “surfer” without ever getting on a board, but basing your statement upon your belief in waves, the existence of boards, the existence of other surfers, etc. One can only logically refer to oneself as a surfer by doing the actions of a surfer – belief is not determinative. Batchelor would argue that one is a Buddhist (a term that he says was only created by Westerners to describe the Dharma, or teachings) through actions. I have been working through this in my head and it does seem consistent with many aspects of Buddha’s efforts, such as refusing to answer metaphysical questions repeatedly (and seeming to show little interest in them) and the fact that the Eightfold Path is based on actions (right thought, right action, right speech, etc). Buddha advocated that a cessation of suffering could come by through action, but most promote enlightenment as some sort of out-of-reach, esoteric mystical moment. Batchelor disputes this idea. It is a very interesting text.
One problem is that we try to analyse Buddhism from a Western perspective that is based more on belief than action. Sadly, the presentation of Buddhism in the West has suffered by this injustice.”
Yes, a very interesting text that brings Buddhism back to what it was always intended to be (and has always been, behind the facade of religion created around it by some) – a PRACTICAL quest for an end to suffering.