Living with the Devil

A Meditation on Good and Evil

By: Stephen Batchelor

Narrated by: Stephen Batchelor

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Stephen Batchelor's seminal work on humanity's struggle between good and evil.

In the national best seller Living with the Devil, Batchelor traces the trajectory from the words of the Buddha and Christ, through the writings of Shantideva, Milton, and Pascal, to the poetry of Baudelaire, the fiction of Kafka, and the findings of modern physics and evolutionary biology to examine who we really are and to rest in the uncertainty that we may never know. Like his previous best seller, Buddhism without Beliefs, Living with the Devil is also an introduction to Buddhism that encourages listeners to nourish their "buddha nature" and make peace with the devils that haunt human life. He tells a poetic and provocative tale about living with life's contradictions that will challenge you to live your life as an existence imbued with purpose, freedom, and compassion-rather than habitual self-interest and fear.

©2019 Stephen Batchelor (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What is this thing?

A very helpful collection of deep meditations on just what the devil and, possibly, a saint, actually are. We are living under the sway of a paradigm, a myth that seems so real to us today and tomorrow will be understood as superstition. But the devil remains in the details despite changing ages and paradigms, always dressing himself up as an angel of light

The devil within, are the masks we wear!

I like the universal examination of the source of evil. Like the Yin & Yang, Fire and Water, Energy and Matter, they are inseparable from one another. To gain equanimity and embrace the whole of creation is the beginning of the path to wisdom.

Insightful and useful

Bachelor talks about, what seems to me, the very useful core of Buddhist insights, so that we may come to understand how to address the suffering we impose on ourselves.

I enjoyed listening to his point of view

I did not agree with all of the ideas of the author, I however, still enjoyed listening to the author read his own work. He made some interesting points, which whether I agreed or not were not forced down the listener's throat as being absolute truth. Its nice to hear the author read his own work as he is reading it the he meant it to be read not awkwardly emphasizing things out of hand.

Previous Read in Hardcover

It was great to hear Stephen Batchelor read his own book, which helped it to come even more 'alive' for me a decade after my first reading. His non-secular approach resonates with me more strongly than ever and it greatly helps to enhance my appreciation of our mysterious existence and our ever greater need for co-existence.

Great work for contemplation

Great writing. As a novice to the world of Buddhism, I was searching for something that tackles how the western notions of good/evil relate to the Buddhist religion and mindset.

This was tremendously insightful and a wonderful supplement to other contemporary Buddhist introductory texts, though by no means are the subjects discussed herein introductory or cursory in nature.

highly recommend

Will listen again

Very deep and thoughtful, highly recommend for anyone who is seeking truth along “ the way”.

The Next Stephen Mitchell

Loved it! This is now my favorite book of all time. Great narration. Great at holding your interest. I will be listening to this over and over.

Batchelor Après Batchelor

The last time I read this book I was in the wake of Buddhism Without Belief which lept from the shelves of Avid Reader and occupied me while marooned with my wife on the infinite beaches of K'gari. What a sabbatical. Difficult work to follow.

This is good. It may assume some prior knowledge of Buddhism, Stephen's definition of secular, and his ability to cast a perspective over difficult arguments and diverse sources.

A different angle on Buddhism

This is a dense read full of insight and unique perspectives of Buddhism and the history of the Buddha which is far different than the typical story of the Buddha.
The book threads the interrelatedness of Buddhism to other religions and the concept of the devil and also reflects on how Buddhism relates to science, evolution, psychology, modern world issues and the many personas and mind states that characterize each of us as individuals. The book also critiques some of the corrupt forces that have molded Buddhism throughout its history and away from the original intent of the Buddha.
For me, it would be listening to again to fortify many of the concepts. There is a lot to this book.