STEPHEN BATCHELOR has been practicing Buddhism since 1972. Throughout this time he has 
been concerned to find ways of articulating the Dharma in a language that speaks to the conditions of modernity. This has led him to dispense with elements of Buddhist doctrine that he considers artifacts of ancient Indian culture with limited relevance to the world we inhabit today. In recent years his approach has become increasingly pragmatic: he is concerned primarily with whether a teaching works rather than whether it is true. He encourages a secular approach to Buddhism that challenges religious dogma and the unquestioned authority of priests. He envisions a Dharma that values equality, critical reflection and personal and communal transformation. As well as being a scholar, translator and writer, he works as a photographer and collagist. The integration of the imagination and the creative arts into Dharma practice is of particular importance to him. A co-founder of Bodhi College, he is the author of Buddhism without Beliefs, Living with the Devil, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, After Buddhism, and Secular Buddhism. His most recent book is The Art of Solitude. (www.stephenbatchelor.org)
