Buddhist Book Reviews

Buddhist Book Reviews and Recommendations

Life’s Meandering Path

Written by Buddhist Books

Those of you who have read Karma Yeshe Rabgye’s previous book, The Best Way to Catch a Snake, will know that he is a monk in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism who has a desire to make the Buddha’s teaching as accessible and practical as possible. To that end, the author’s latest title, Life’s Meandering Path, sets aside the superfluous bells and whistles of religious tradition and is described instead as A Secular Approach to Gautama Buddha’s Guide to Living.

Based on the thirty-eight principles of the Mangala Sutra, this book is not one that should be read straight through in the shortest time possible, but studied carefully, and the first two chapters of Life’s Meandering Path will help you to adopt the proper attitude to it.

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In the first chapter it is explained how you need to read, understand, reflect on and implement the teachings of the Mangala Sutra in order to benefit from them, and the author provides plenty of practical instruction on how to do that. Then, in the second chapter, the author explains how the teachings of Gautama Buddha have little to do with the superstitions that people commonly associate with religious tradition. Let there be no doubt, the Mangala Sutra is practical, not theoretical, and its down-to-earth principles will benefit everyone regardless of religious belief or background. As the author points out, this sutra can be followed by anyone, and you don’t even need to call yourself a Buddhist.

With that important foundation in place, we get to the meat of the book. Chapter Three presents the author’s interpretation of the Mangala Sutra. This is a short sutra, but it is extremely rich in applicable teaching, and it provides us with thirty-eight principles that we can all live by in order to find happiness and ease suffering.

The author has broadly divided the thirty-eight principles of the Mangala Sutra into five categories, and those provide the framework for the next five chapters, which discuss Foundation Principles, Supporting Principles, Social Principles, Individual Principles and Refining Principles. Each principle is discussed in turn, and is then followed by a Reflection that should be used as detailed in the first chapter.

The final chapter of this title serves to remind us that getting to the end of the book isn’t the point, and that the principles that have been studied and applied are ones that should remain with us for a lifetime. The author recommends the adoption of a short daily review habit because, as he says, ‘It is extremely important that your life becomes your practice, and your practice becomes your life.’

In our opinion, Life’s Meandering Path is best viewed as a workbook and companion that you will want to keep by your side over a period of weeks and months. Its secular approach also makes it perfectly suitable as a gift even for those who do not consider themselves to be Buddhists or religious in any way. We recommend it highly.

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Buddhism Without Beliefs

Written by Buddhist Books

Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor is a relatively slim volume, but it packs a mighty punch. The author (who has been a monk in the traditions of both Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism) strips away much of the religiosity that has been added to the teachings of the Buddha and presents a clean, straightforward and refreshingly practical guide to applying those teaching to our lives.

First published in 1997, it is fair to say that Buddhism Without Beliefs is a key work in what has come to be known as Secular Buddhism, and because it has no particular tradition to promote, it is one that can be appreciated by anyone. That said, the people who will get the most out of it are probably those who are keen on Buddhism (or at least interested in the subject) but are not so keen on religiosity.

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The first section of this book, Ground, opens with a quote taken from the Kalama Sutta, where the Buddha warned his followers against accepting things purely because of hearsay, tradition or scriptures. The first chapter then discusses the Awakening of the Buddha and explains that it has taken on mystical connotations that weren’t originally there. Batchelor stresses that the four noble truths were – and still are – truths to be acted on rather than simply believed in. By reclaiming this practical perspective we can get back to pursuing awakening rather than simply believing in it as a remote possibility.

In the second chapter of this book the author looks at the important topic of Agnosticism. He explains that agnosticism isn’t a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude but a perfectly honest ‘I don’t know’ attitude that can serve us much better than blind faith. Of course, this agnostic stance also makes the Buddhist path much more appealing to modern seekers who quiver at the very thought of ‘getting some religion’, and it is good to remember that the Buddha himself refused to be drawn by questions that called for any kind of pointless speculation. If silence on such questions was good enough for the Buddha, it should certainly be good enough for us.

The next few chapters discuss Anguish, Death and Rebirth – all very big subjects that the author is happy to address head-on. Rather than argue for or against rebirth, Batchelor points out that there is also a middle way that allows you to admit ‘I don’t know’. This agnostic position is liberating because it enables us to continue on the path without wasting time pondering questions that are unanswerable. The fact is that Buddhism can benefit us in this life regardless of whether or not there is any kind of continuation after death, and that should be sufficient reason to practice.

Resolve, Integrity and Friendship are the titles of the next three chapters, and these discuss the resolve to awaken, having the integrity not to hurt anyone in the process and the cultivation of friendships.

This takes us nicely into the second main section of the book, where the author discusses the Path. This section comprises four chapters on Awareness, Becoming, Emptiness and Compassion, and we won’t summarise any of them because they are written to be experienced, not simply read. Each chapter contains at least one exercise that will enable you to make your own discoveries as you consider the topics concerned, and for many readers this will be a part of the book that they will return to again and again.

The third section of the book, Fruition, talks about Freedom, Imagination and Culture. Here the author shows us where the Path leads, not in terms of religious fairy stories but in terms of real-world benefits for both individuals and society at large. At this point the jigsaw pieces are snapped together and we see how a Buddhism Without Beliefs can positively shape the world we live in as well as deliver personal liberation from suffering.

In conclusion, Buddhism Without Beliefs is a book that everyone should read at least once. Approach it with sincerity and you will get a great deal from it, regardless of whether you belong to a particular tradition or to no tradition at all.

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