A national bestseller and acclaimed guide to Buddhism for beginners and practitioners alike
In this simple but important volume, Stephen Batchelor reminds us that the Buddha was not a mystic who claimed privileged, esoteric knowledge of the universe, but a man who challenged us to understand the nature of anguish, let go of its origins, and bring into being a way of life that is available to us all. The concepts and practices of Buddhism,...

The Buddha often spoke about four sublime emotions by which the mind reaches out to the immeasurable world of living beings and embraces them all with a boundless heart. Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity are the natural positive emotions of the enlightened mind. We all have the potential to be enlightened, and these qualities are also our true nature.

An overview and evaluation of Buddhist thought and practice from a Christian point of view, emphasizing the kinship between seekers of holiness in both traditions and the benefit of a meditative practice in a spiritual life.