Reddit mentions of After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age

Disclaimer: My comment is not providing material that will be a good guide to Buddhism / how to be a Buddhist. But they are my go to recommendations for people with no background/prior knowledge of Buddhism who are looking for a some secular thoughts that are Buddhist inspired.

• Dan Harris's 10% Happier (Also check out his podcast with the same name)
  
  
• After Buddhism by Stephen Batchelor
  
  
• Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
  
  And for good measure, you should absolutely read The Dhammapada.
  
  I am biased (or maybe hopeful is the right word), but I really believe that we're on the precipice of a new thought-movement in reaction to the consumerist culture we live in. I don't think it will be Buddhist, but I believe it will be Buddhist inspired to an extent.

also, wanted to add - a good precursor to that book is confession of a buddhist atheist.

and his third book in a similar fashion, after buddhism: rethinking the dharma for a secular age.

Very reasonable response. For the connotations, there is nothing negative with dictionary definitions either. But I see why some people will react negatively... although I had hoped Buddhist meditators would react more skillfully...

They might seem arbitrary to you, but there are lots of people that gain insight from those categories, as I do. I think the condescending tone is excellent... it's good to see our faults, but again, I expect equanimity and critical self-analysis from Buddhist meditators...

>but I don't really encounter actual people who seem to be as committed to a defense of their particular interpretation over all else

I see this an awful lot on this sub. I have had really lengthy discussions with folks who have a hard time understanding why they react so negatively, say, to the idea that Buddhism can be improved. Traditionalists fight back and feel insulted when you propose the possibility of improvement. I had a conversation about this with a guy who ended up deleting his account in fury... because he so strongly believed that Buddhism couldn't be improved, and failed to understand or accept any alternative viewpoint. Really, I think once you dig into it, folks here are far more dogmatic than you think... as you can see by downvotes on this thread, the majority of people are really not willing to accept these divisions.

The top comment as evidence:

>Lol that blog is joke.

Just because they disagree with his viewpoint, they will dismiss it completely.

And this one:

>This book: https://www.amazon.com/After-Buddhism-Rethinking-Dharma-Secular/dp/030020518X

Also receives downvotes... because the author's POV disagrees with theirs. Even though that author is probably far more experienced and knowledgable than any of the folks who hit the downvote.

Just my 2 cents, I respect and think your opinion is just as valid as mine.