The Awakening of the West by Stephen Batchelor

Book review https://thegentlelaw.wordpress.com

Stephen Batchelor's The Awakening of the West is a thought-provoking and insightful exploration of the meeting between Buddhism and Western thought, focusing particularly on the early stages of Buddhism's introduction to the Western world. While the book is not solely about Early Buddhism, it provides a unique lens through which we can understand the deeper roots and historical development of Buddhist ideas, and their translation into a contemporary Western context.

Batchelor, a prominent scholar and practitioner of Buddhism, brings his vast knowledge of Buddhist philosophy to bear in this book, offering an accessible overview of how Buddhism’s core teachings on suffering, mindfulness, and liberation align with and challenge Western intellectual traditions. Rather than treating Buddhism as an isolated system of thought, he explores how its intersection with Western philosophy and psychology has led to a shared understanding of human experience.

In terms of Early Buddhism, Batchelor prov…