Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
Confession of a Buddhist Atheist is a personal account of the author’s thirty-eight year engagement with Buddhism. The first part of the book (Monk) follows the author’s journey from his departure from England at the age of 18, his first meeting with the Dalai Lama in 1972, his six years training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, his disillusion with the Tibetan tradition and departure for a three year Zen training as a monk in South Korea. The second part (Layman) recounts the author’s return to lay life in Europe and focuses on his quest to find out who was Siddhattha Gotama, the historic Buddha, and discover what is truly distinctive in his teaching. This quest interweaves reflections on early Buddhist doctrine, a journey through modern India to visit the sacred sites of Buddhism, and a detailed reconstruction of the Buddha’s life on the basis of the Pali Canon.
Purchase Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
North America Book Tour, March 2010
Stephen Batchelor
Tuesday 2, March.
Publication of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist by Spiegel & Grau, Random House, New York.
6pm. Talk and signing: The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge. Hosted by the Harvard Humanist Chaplaincy. www.harvardhumanist.org
Wednesday 3.
7.00 pm. Reading/signing: Porter Square Books, 25 White Str., Cambridge, Mass.
Thursday 4.
7.00 pm. Book launch of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist co-sponsored by Tricycle and New York Insight 28 West 27th Street, 10th Floor, New York. www.tricycle.com / www.nyimc.org
Saturday 6.
10.00 am – 5.00 pm: “Deconstructing Buddhism”: daylong workshop at NY Insight, 28 West 27th Street, 10th Floor, New York. www.nyimc.org
Sunday 7.
10.30 am: Talk: Community Meditation Center, 593 Columbus Avenue (NE corner of 88th Street) www.cmcnewyork.org
2.00 pm. What Makes the Mindset of a Radical? Stephen Batchelor in dialogue with neurophilosopher Owen Flanagan, Rubin Museum of Art, 150 West 17th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues, New York, NY 10011 www.rmanyc.org/brainwave
Monday 8.
7.00 pm Talk: First Unitarian Church, 5007 Waterman Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 361-0595. Hosted by the Center for Pragmatic Buddhism. www.pragmaticbuddhism.org
Tuesday 9.
7.00 pm. Reading/Signing: Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 63108
Wednesday 10
7.00 pm. Talk: “Confession of a Buddhist Atheist”, Friends Meeting House, 1600 5th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Contact Karen Hastings 
Thursday 11
8.30 am – 12.00: Workshop at Friends Meeting House, 1600 5th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Contact Karen Hastings
6.30 pm. Talk: Mountain Cloud Zen Center, 7241 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe http://santafevipassana.org
Saturday 13
9am – 4pm. Workshop: “Deconstructing Buddhism” Taos Mountain Sangha, 107 Plaza Garcia (street behind Michael’s Kitchen), Suite C, Taos. http://taosmountainsangha.org
Monday 15
7.30 pm. Talk: Shambhala Hall, Lincoln Building, 2nd floor, Naropa Campus, 2130 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, 80302. Tel. 303-444-0202.
Tuesday 16
7.30 pm. Reading/Signing: Tattered Cover Books / Lodo Location, 1628 16th St, Denver, CO 80202, Tel. 303-322-1965 ext: 2736
Wednesday 17
7.30 pm. Talk: “Reflections of a Buddhist Failure”
Insight LA, 1430 Olympic Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404 www.insightla.org
Thursday 18
7.30 pm: Talk: “Reflections on Secular Buddhism” Against the Stream, 4300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90029 Tel: 323.665.4300. www.againstthestream.org
Friday 19
7:00 pm. Reading/Signing: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd. Corte Madera, CA 94925, Tel, 415.927.0960 ext. 238
Saturday 20
9am – 5pm. “Deconstructing Buddhism”: Day-long workshop: Sati Center, 108 Birch Street, Redwood City, CA. www.sati.org
Monday 22
7.15 pm. Talk: Spirit Rock Meditation Center, 5000 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Woodacre, CA 94973, (415) 488-0164 www.spiritrock.org
Wednesday 24
4.00 pm. Reading/signing: Banyen Books 3608 West 4th avenue, Vancouver. www.banyen.com
7.30pm. Talk: “Deconstructing Buddhism” Unitarian Church 949 West 49th Avenue (at 49th and 0ak), Vancouver. www.westcoastdharma.org
Friday 26 – Sunday 28
9am – 5pm daily. Workshop, with Martine Batchelor: “Secular Buddhism: Introduction, Exploration and Practice.” Leading Edge Seminars, Toronto. www.leadingedgeseminars.org
Podcast:
SB interviewed by Michael Bergeisen about the book on The Greater Good Magazine is scheduled to be broadcast on May 1: it will remain available on the site.