The Art of Solitude

De: Stephen Batchelor

Narrado por: Stephen Batchelor

When world renowned Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor turned 60, 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, and 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.

©2020 Stephen Batchelor (P)2020 Yale Press Audio

Art of Solitude

A good listen with a lot of diverse points of view on the subject of solitude.

thoughtful and enlightening

The introduction made this book sound like a random pastiche, but in fact it is the deft idiosyncratic yet relatable —almost playful—exploration of solitude and its many forms and practitioners Read calmly and clearly by the author.

I enjoyed this book.

Different from Stephen's prior books. I enjoyed it very much. I enjoy Stephen's point of view, and absolutely share the interest in solitude.

Enjoyed listening to this book

Nothing I dislike. I’m usually not a book-person, however this book was a joy to listen to. Highly recommend it!

Enjoyed it totally

All I can say is that SB has a special way to present complex concepts with ease and grace. Worth listening to several times.

90% cool

could have done without the "eating the psychedelics" stuff.

don't get me wrong,"I went to college", but it could have been excluded losing nothing probably.

note about app, I didn't like how couldn't reread, etc... was first time I used the app

Fantastic book blending Western philosophy, Buddhism, experience from one of the great gifted teachers of our time

Title says it all. I’ll return to this and fill it out more when I have time.

woke lexicon

Fucken woke choice of nouns, it hurts the soul to listen to this weakness, my PCP told me I will need TRT after listening to this.

Great idea, mediocre execution.

"Solitude is a fluid concept, ranging from the depths of loneliness to the saint's mystic rapture."
- Stephen Batchelor, The Art of Solitude

An interesting exploration of solitude. Lots of potential, but I'm not sure Batchelor's experiment (the collaged structure) worked well, so minus one star. Also, a large chunk of this small book is imported directly from Montaigne, so I'm not sure how much of this is more than an extended greatest hits collected by Batchelor on the topic of solitude. Integrated into his sections on Montaigne, Vermeer, and the Buddha, Batchelor inserts his experiences with solitude, peyote, Ayahuasca, and other hallucinogenics. Those sections seem to capture my entire experience with the book: a bit of insight, accompanied by sweats, nausea, and the need for ginger candy to get the bad taste out of my mouth. OK. Maybe it isn't that bad. It just wasn't that great either.

Reading this makes the experience seem entirely too negative. I wasn't unhappy to re-read a lot of Montaigne. The guy is my JAM. Also, the chapters on Vermeer were pretty damn good too.

Vipassana Meditation Is Key

The Art of Solitude is employed to help one sit so as to reach the cessation of thought/consciousness. At this point one can clearly see what enters the mind and can if necessary remediate it to a wholesome result. So, breathe in, breathe out.