A thoughtful book about solitude going deep into yourself.The authors being a Buddhist adds another level to this book.Very enlightening an interesting book.#netgalley#yaleu

I enjoyed the first part of the book when he was introducing his own musings about meditation and solitude. I didn’t particularly find his experiments with hallucinagenic drugs helpful. Not sure this author resonates with me.

The firsthand experiences were great. The discussions of Buddhism and Native American practices were interesting. Not entirely my cup of tea due to the academic monologues. I felt the firsthand experience was where the book shone the most.

The blurb for The Art of Solitude makes it clear that this is a series of essays, linked by the theme of solitude. However, the collage approach did not come over as well as it might because at times it felt disjointed, particularly when the author described his use of hallucinogenic drugs, which felt as if he were going off subject. This resulted in the essays feeling more like a difficult to grasp patchwork of concepts and discussions.

Having said that, there were moments where Stephen Batchelor’s writing really took off and held my attention. His reflection of artists Vermeer’s and Agnes Martin’s work, for example, was fascinating, making me think about the different nuances of solitude, how people responded to it and how it made itself manifest in their work.

I also found myself nodding at the discussion of how connected people appear to be through social media, yet their very interactions and their response to them might only serve to isolate them further.

The travelogue of different locations Batchelor visited with the purpose of contemplation were also interesting, with a sense of place conveyed well.

In all this is a book to dip into wherever takes your fancy and this is probably how it is best approached.

[3.5 rounded up to 4 stars]

I enjoyed the random 'collage' way in which the chapters ran. The reader doesn't know what to expect next, therefore you can have absolutely no expectations. It's fluid, just like the concept of solitude as Stephen Batchelor begins with in the preamble.

It's a well-written work, and there's a lot of information in these pages as it is a large subject, despite the deceptiveness of the word itself, 'solitude'. It's a very brave and uniquely personal piece of writing, as another person would react differently. I enjoyed the teachings throughout the book.

The author is completely open and honest with his readership from the start, particularly when it comes to the ritual use of peyote and ayahuasca. I actually think that this can happen with other drugs of choice. I had a similar experience with an amount of alcohol where, at one point, I had universal clarity and complete affinity with Mother Earth, and with lucid thinking solved personal problems I had at that time. I can understand why the author chose these particular drug vehicles of 'flight', as they have been used in dream quests and the like by tribes for thousands of years. But also I can see the other side of the coin, should a Buddhist be experimenting with drugs? With some of the wording used in the book, I'm actually a bit confused as to whether Mr Batchelor still sees himself as a secular Buddhist or not. Time will tell.

I must thank the author profusely for opening my eyes to an artist and an author that I previously had not been aware of.

On the down side, I realise that I had an ARC ecopy, however the errors in the formatting of the words were very off-putting, and kept distracting me from concentrating on the actual content.

I chose this book from a selection at NetGalley (many thanks), then voluntarily read and honestly reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

The Buddhist author writes short essays tied to the idea of solitude (at least in his mind). He writes about his experiences with peyote and ayahuasca, Montaigne’s essays, meditation, and writing. While the short essays make for quick reading, the impact may have been better served by keeping those together that discuss the same topic. Still worthwhile and occasionally thought-provoking though not a revelation.

The Art of Solitude by Stephen Batchelor is an examination of the concept of solitude. Batchelor is a British author and teacher, writing books and articles on Buddhist topics and leading meditation retreats throughout the world. He is a noted proponent of agnostic or secular Buddhism.

Solitude can mean many things. It can be physical isolation or even mental or spiritual isolation. On the physical side of isolation, we can be alone in the woods like the author describes in one of his adventures. However, how alone are we? Sounds of traffic. Vapor trails of overhead jets. Wildlife. Batchelor also goes to the extreme, and he recalls the story of Robert Kull (and a kitten) who spent a year on an uninhabited island at the tip of Patagonia. His isolation did not feel complete as he wrote in his journal; he knew others would read it, and that made a connection to others, breaking his true feeling of solitude. 

Batchelor takes the reader to Mexico, Korea, and Austria to experience spiritual solitude. Two of these experiences involved drugs -- peyote and ayahuasca. In Korea, it involved cold and rain. Batchelor also references to Aldous Huxley and two others that he is fond of: French essayist Michel de Montaigne (1553-1593) and Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (1632- 1675) probably best known for Girl with a Pearl Earring. 

Solitude is a mix of Buddhism, drug experiences, stories, and a little art history. The collage effect of the chapters adds to the experience of the book. It creates a bit of a whirlwind tour in discussing art to serious Buddhism to seemingly 1960s counterculture drug experiences. The book can be opened to any chapter read. Each chapter is self-contained rather than building upon the previous chapter.  

Included in Solitude is the author's translations of the Four Eights (The four eight-verse poems from the Aṭṭhakavagga of the Sutta Nipāta), which he refers to throughout the book. Tying in the arts into his experience is also appreciated and appealing as well as his personal experiences. The use of drugs in this context is a little confusing. I have no personal qualms about mind-expanding drugs, but it did not seem to fit well with the other material. In Buddhist thinking, that the use of intoxicants is counterproductive to developing an enlightened mind. Batchelor does admit to this, and he does not encourage others to use intoxicants. He does, however, defend his experiments with the explanation that during meditation, we release dopamine, norepinephrine, or serotonin into our system. Does it matter if chemicals from plants enter our body too? His question is a bit more elegant than mine but expands on the idea that it is chemicals that allow us to enter more profound meditation. I am not convinced of that thinking, and I think there is a line between spiritual tranquility and recreational peacefulness. All in all, Solitude is a fascinating read that although it shifts topics, it has something for everyone but not everything for someone.

First of all, I enjoyed the book very much! The author takes us in a journey inside Buddhism, self exploration and the true meaning of solitude. With the era of social media we cannot imagine ourselves being spiritual or alone. We are used to being busy physically and mentally. This book allows you to explore your true self and teaches you how to evolve in life.

I didn't get on with the bizarre "collage" structure of this book (chapters arranged in random order), nor with the author's experiments with psychoactive substances, he lost me when he likened to the experience of nirvana itself. Many chapters are just translations of Montaigne, with a loose connection to the notion of solitude. Disappointing and sadly self-inflated.