I have indulged these past days in reading Stephen Batchelor's Buddhism Without Beliefs, a book after my own heart. Since it is a non-dogmatic approach to the dharma (several translations possible, but let's say "teaching of the Buddha"), it can profitably be read by anyone who dares question their most cherished beliefs.
The book is filled with enlightening and common sensical remarks, but the one that struck me the most is probably the following:
"An agnostic Buddhist eschews atheism as much as theism, and is reluctant to regard the universe as devoid of meaning as endowed with meaning. For to deny either God or meaning is simply the antithesis of affirming them. Yet such an agnostic stance is not based on disinterest. It is founded on a passionate recognition that I do not know. It confronts the enormity of having been born instead of reaching for the consolation of belief. It strips away, layer by layer, the views that conceal the mystery of being here - either by affirming it as something or denying it as nothing."
In order to be able to confront the mystery of life as it is, one obviously needs a lot of training. Decades of conditioning have to be brought to consciousness, then gently put aside. Tout un programme.
Here are the three parts of an excellent talk Stephen gave on "Buddhism and the art of imagining": Part 1/ Part 2/ Part 3.
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