The Art of Solitude Hardcover – February 18, 2020 by Stephen Batchelor

Description

Author: Batchelor Stephen

Brand: Yale University Press

Package Dimensions: 24x203x308

Number Of Pages: 200

Release Date: 18-02-2020

Details: Product Description

In a time of social distancing and isolation, a meditation on the beauty of solitude from renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor “Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it. A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.”—
Kirkus Reviews

“Elegant and formally ingenious.”—Geoff Wisner, Wall Street Journal

When world renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor turned sixty, he took a sabbatical from his teaching and turned his attention to solitude, a practice integral to the meditative traditions he has long studied and taught. He aimed to venture more deeply into solitude, discovering its full extent and depth.

This beautiful literary collage documents his multifaceted explorations. Spending time in remote places, appreciating and making art, practicing meditation and participating in retreats, drinking peyote and ayahuasca, and training himself to keep an open, questioning mind have all contributed to Batchelor’s ability to be simultaneously alone and at ease. Mixed in with his personal narrative are inspiring stories from solitude’s devoted practitioners, from the Buddha to Montaigne, from Vermeer to Agnes Martin.

In a hyperconnected world that is at the same time plagued by social isolation, this book shows how to enjoy the inescapable solitude that is at the heart of human life.

Review

“Whatever a soul is, the author goes a long way toward soothing it. A very welcome instance of philosophy that can help readers live a good life.”—
Kirkus Reviews

“A wide-ranging work with many poignant assertions that will appeal to those wishing to learn more about the spiritual aspects of practicing mindfulness.”—Brian Renvall,
Library Journal

“Elegant and formally ingenious.”—Geoff Wisner,
Wall Street Journal

“Batchelor considers solitude not as a state of mind, but ‘as a practice, a way of life — as understood by the Buddha and Montaigne alike.’ It is not isolation or alienation, though these are its shadow side. Rather, it is a way of caring for one’s soul, of sheltering it from noise and agitation, of directing it toward its authentic purpose. Batchelor is less interested in defining an ideal form of solitude than in meditating on the ways it can be practiced and exercised, lost and regained.” —Irina Dumitrescu,
Los Angeles Review of Books

“Stephen Batchelor draws on his life from monasticism to marriage, with teachers from Montaigne to the Buddha to Rilke, to remind us why solitude has always been and will always be an element of well-being and even the richness of our relationships with others. And how to turn that into graceful practice. . . . I interviewed him once before about his practice of secular Buddhism and reached out again after he wrote a wonderful new book,
The Art of Solitude.”—Krista Tippett,
On Being

“Stephen Batchelor’s
The Art of Solitude is a timely arrival during these dark times of worldwide pandemic.”—Asqa Ijaz
, Dawn

“
The Art of Solitude is a marvel. Carefully constructed and entirely original, it sings with a haunting melody of wistful contemplation. Reading it is a true joy.”—Mark Epstein, author of
Thoughts without a Thinker

“Forty years in the making,
The Art of Solitude could not have come at a better time or from anyone else. Beautifully written, Batchelor’s wisdom shines through on every page, leading the reader on an engaging and illuminating journey into the very needed solitude about which he writes.”—Judson Brewer, author of
The Craving Mind

“With his long experience of Buddhism, meditation, and teaching it is hard to think of anyone better equipped to write about the art of solitude than Stephen Batchelor.”—Tim Parks

“In this exquisite contemplation on solitude that is intimate, brave, and wise, Batchelor brings us to the vast center of his life and realization.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center

“Batchelor’s graceful writing guides us to the innermost recesses of solitude, illu