Today Buddhism is often presented as a religion without dogmas and commandments, without God and without any need to believe, tolerating all and everything - as no "religion" at all, but as a way of life most suitable to the needs of post-modern Westerners. But is this an accurate image? In this book Buddhism is introduced as a genuine religion, gentle and powerful, being as demanding as it is consoling. Buddhism is certainly not a theistic faith, but neither is it a form of atheism or materialism. Rather it is a challenge to both: a rich source of metaphysical, ethical and spiritual insight that has shaped and nourished countless generations of followers all over Asia and that is now taking firm roots in the West.