Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist

The second book I read on the topic of Buddhism was Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist, by Stephen Batchelor.  This book is an autobiography, and goes in depth on Batchelor and his experiences as a traveling monk.  He was originally ordained as a Tibetan monk after leaving his life in the U.K. at age 18.  Batchelor goes in depth on the practices and life of a practicing Buddhist monk in Tibet as well as discussing the fundamental and intricate beliefs of different forms of Buddhism.  Batchelor refers to himself as a Buddhist atheist because he at first fully devotes his life to the practice of Tibetan (a form of Mahayana) Buddhism, but is skeptical on a certain belief.  This belief being the idea of reincarnation and that souls do not die.  Batchelor meditates on this concept for years and for this reason, and others involving practices of Tibetan Buddhism, he leaves Tibet for South Korea.  Once in Korea, he becomes ordained as a Zen Buddhist monk and begins to learn and practice the ways of Zen Buddhism.
 This book also goes in depth on Siddhartha Guatama, also known as the Buddha.  After Batchelor's many years as both a Zen and Tibetan monk, he went back to lay life and began studying the Buddha.  Batchelor looked in depth at the original texts of Buddhism, the Pali Cannon, which were recorded about 450 years after the death of Guatama.  These texts are in the ancient language of Pali and contained the first teachings and practices of the Buddhist religion.  Batchelor used this collection, as well as other early Buddhist literary works, to uncover the most accurate description of the original Buddha and his way of life. The facts he put together painted a very possibly accurate portrait of Gautama's life and practices, although no official recording or facts about his life actually exist.  Batchelor also used what he learned from these texts and his experiences to create a guide to practical lay life Buddhism.    
Reading this book gave me a much greater in depth idea of the actual practices of a Mahayana and Zen Buddhist monk.  I learned how monasteries modify there own Buddhist practices to suit the culture and needs of the society they are in, often ignoring basic Buddhist beliefs.  I was very interested in the concept of rebirth and reincarnation and how it is a vital belief in the Buddhist religion.  The idea of Karma, the moral and spiritual law, is deeply embedded in Buddhist belief and reincarnation.  This is what I will likely pursue more research on.