"Buddhism Without Beliefs is the kind of finely written primer about the concepts of Buddhism that even a heathen like me can appreciate and understand. Questions will certainly be asked (they are being asked already), despite the fact that much of the book is written in an oracular, categorical style that gives one the impression that Batchelor is speaking ex cathedra. His awakening was not a shattering insight into a transcendent truth that revealed to him the mysteries of God, and he did not claim to have had an experience that granted him privileged, esoteric knowledge of how the universe ticks. The concepts and practices of Buddhism, says Batchelor, are not something to believe in but something to do—and as he explains clearly and compellingly, it is a practice that we can engage in, regardless of our background or beliefs, as we live every day on the path to spiritual enlightenment. Although he clearly and concisely explained the concepts of Buddhism unlike I've previously read (Buddhism in Very Plain English would be an apt alternative title), his language was imbued with absolutely no sense of style, wit, or warmth. It is not, however, without hope; Batchelor is no more upset with his readers than is a doctor diagnosing an illness. Buddhism Without Beliefs was not a particularly easy read, despite its slight page count. In "Buddhism Without Beliefs," author Stephen Batchelor reminds us that the Buddha was not a mystic. Stephen Batchelor's prose was very, very, very dry. For the non-Buddhist, or the aspiring Buddhist, it will be of much assistance. Buddhism Without Beliefs will certainly not be received in silence. "Buddhism Without Beliefs" reminds me of the book of James in the New Testament, in that it is intensely pragmatic, and unsparing in its view of our human faults. Buddhism without Beliefs, a series of recorded talks on audio cassette based on the book is available from Sounds True, Boulder, 2001 (www.soundstrue.com) The Awakening of the West: The Encounter of Buddhism and Western Culture.