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Sounds True.com. You're listening to Insights at the Edge. Today I speak with Stephen Bachelor.

Stephen is a former monk in the Tibetan and Korean Zen traditions with a

humanistic non-dogmatic approach to Buddhism.

He's the author of the new book, Confessions of a Buddhist atheist,

as well as the Sounds True Audio Learning Program,

Buddhism Without Beliefs, a contemporary guide to awakening.

In this episode of Insights at The Edge, Stephen and I spoke about the importance of doubt in spiritual practice,

lessons from the historical life of the Buddha,

and how Stephen is exploring the Buddha's teachings in a postmodern world.

Here's my conversation with Stephen Batchelor.

Stephen, one of the themes in your new book, Conf a Buddhist atheist as well as a theme that I think

has run through a lot of your writing is the theme of doubt, the power of doubt, the function of doubt.

And to begin with, could you talk some about that?

Doubting Stephen, why is doubt so important to you?

Well, doubt is important to me for a number of reasons.

Firstly, because it's something that I struggle with in my own life.

I wasn't brought up in a religious family at all. In fact, I was brought up in a humanist environment which was basically skeptical about any kind of spiritual or religious truth claim.

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