God and Karma: Batchelor Rejects 'Consolatory' Beliefsbr Book Passage - Book Passagebr Stephen Batchelor talks about Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.According to Batchelor, the outlook of the Buddha was far removed from the religiosity that has come to define much of Buddhism as we know it today. He argues that the Buddha was a man more focused on life in this world than the afterlife.