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 | | Ethics for the New Millennium by Dalai Lama ISBN-10: 9781573228831 ISBN-10: 1-57322-883-4 ISBN-13: 9781573228831 ISBN-13: 978-1-57322-883-1 Paperback 2001-05-01 Riverhead Trade Find Lowest Price |
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Product Description Here is a moral system based on universal rather than religious principles. Its ultimate goal is happiness for every individual regardless of religious belief. Though the Dalai Lama is himself a practicing Buddhist, his approach to life and the moral compass that guides him can lead each and every one of us-Muslim, Christian, Jew, or Atheist-to a happier, more fulfilling life. | ||
Amazon.com Review In a modern society characterized by insensitivity to violence, ambivalence to the suffering of others, and a high-octane profit motive, is talk of ethics anything more than a temporary salve for our collective conscience? The Dalai Lama thinks so. In his Ethics for the New Millennium, the exiled leader of the Tibetan people shows how the basic concerns of all people--happiness based in contentment, appeasement of suffering, forging meaningful relationships--can act as the foundation for a universal ethics. His medicine isn't always easy to swallow, however, for it demands of the reader more than memorizing precepts or positing hypothetical dilemmas. The Nobel Peace laureate invites us to recognize certain basic facts of existence, such as the interdependence of all things, and from these to recalibrate our hearts and minds, to approach all of our actions in their light. Nothing short of an inner revolution will do. Basic work is required in nurturing our innate tendencies to compassion, tolerance, and generosity. And at the same time, "we need to think, think, think ... like a scientist," reasoning out the best ways to act from a principle of universal responsibility. Like a merging of the care and compassion of Jesus, the cool rationality of the Stoics, the moral program of Ben Franklin, and the psychology of William James, Ethics for the New Millennium is a plea for basic goodness, a blueprint for world peace. --Brian Bruya | ||
Reviews | ||
the Dalai Lama transcends factionalism, denominalism (sorry in advance) anyone who isn't moved by the kindness & compassion; the hopeful sayings of HH the Dalai Lama is either too cynical or not in touch with the needs of our complex/complicated 'society'. His wisdom-compassion for all of humanity (and others), his lack of a vested interest, speaks for itself. | ||
transcends all religions Though self-consciously idealistic and at times maddeningly general, this book is profoundly insightful. What makes this palatable is that the Dalai Lama concedes his Buddhist biases, and then offers a framework for approaching to the worlds' problems (all of them!) that is independent of religion. Noting the danger of religion reinforcing self-centered notions, he references the common ground found in all religions, "overcoming suffering through the practice of ethical discipline and cultivation of love and compassion," and advocates that we learn to reconcile our faith (or atheism) with the multiplicity of other possible faiths. In the first of three sections, The Foundation of Ethics, he highlights some of the world's problems, and questions material wealth as a solution to happiness, noting that material things may in themselves cause anxiety, frustration, and discontent. Though the humor was completely unintentional, I laughed at his recounting of visiting the home of a wealthy family and noticing the stockpile of meds in a medicine cabinet that happened to be ajar. The second section, Ethics and the Individual, functions sort of as a self-help book, though it's pretty insightful in a ways that sound obvious only once you've thought of it in the context of a given problem. For example, he notes that most people assume "discipline" is something that you impose against your will, but points out that "ethical discipline is something that we adopt voluntarily on the basis of full recognition of its benefits." Later, he cites Shantideva and the central truism of Bodhisattva- basically, if you're confronting a problem that is solveable, then you must learn to immediately find the means to act on it; if the problem has no solution, then it's best not to worry about it. The final section, Ethics and Society, is by far the most ambitious, but also the most inspiring. The Dalai Lama notes that children in today's society are brought up to acquire knowledge, but not to learn compassion. The negative impact of this, he says, can be aggressive competitiveness toward peers, greed, and scorn for the less fortunate. Astutely, he attributes this to the historical separation of learning compassion outside of school in church- whereas today church has declined and schools haven't picked up the slack. Realistically, he suggests that schools address this gap by offering students substantial practice in ethical debate and non-violent conflict resolution. He suggests that "On seeing his parents wrangling, a child that had understood the value of dialogue would instinctively say, "Oh, no. That's not the way. You have to talk, to discuss things properly." The Dalai Lama's biggest challenge is that he places on each individual some level of accountability for the corrupt leadership we so often blame for our problems. "When people possess healthy values, and where they practice ethical discipline in their own lives out of concern for others, the public officials produced by that society will quite naturally respect those same values." The easiest criticism of the Dalai Lama (and my own, before reading this book), is that he is too idealistic. His answer, which unfortunately isn't that well backed up, is that ideals are "the engine of progress", that it is a mistake to always try to be realistic in politics as history is full of examples of positive changes driven by idealism. | ||
Fell quite short of my expectations... Although I thoroughly enjoyed many parts of this book and would recommend it to many people, I would not recommend it to everyone. I have given it a 3 star rating because of two main reasons. 1) The Dalai Lama fails to provide convincing arguments to those who don't already have views similar to his (i.e. that selflessness and non-violence are essential values), which is why this book will not appeal to those who need his advice the most. Compared to the Dalai Lama, I found M.K. Gandhi could make much more compelling rational arguments to convince skeptics of the necessity of being compassionate. 2) The title is misleading. I expected that the Dalai Lama had done much thinking about the modern world and wanted to propose his solutions to its major problems. I was very interested in learning what wisdom he had come up with. Instead, most of his thinking has revolved around traditional south Asian philosophies. Although these philosophies apply perfectly to the modern world, he did not show this well. Indeed he did not make any special effort to describe how the current problems could be resolved using these philosophies. Here's a brief synopsis of the book: In the first of three sections, the Dalai Lama explains that ethical conduct does not require adherence to religion, so long as one realizes everyone's right to be happy and not to suffer. He also argues that everyone desires to be happy, but that only those who manage to reach an inner peace that is independent of outside circumstances (such as wealth or poverty, political repression or freedom, sickness or health, etc.) can truly increase their happiness. He also makes a good argument for how happiness is easier to attain when we're shown compassion by others and how we can also help make others happy by showing them compassion. To show that it is in our interest to make others happy by showing them compassion, he makes a rather complex philosophical discussion on how our interests are connected to other's interests so that our happiness is connected to other's happiness. I don't know if it's just me, but I found this part very complicated and not very convincing. In the second part, he describes how each individual can develop this caring and compassionate nature. By restraining negative emotions (anger, envy, etc.), we avoid disregarding others and we end up reducing suffering both for others and ourselves. By developing compassion for all, even for those who would harm us, we can further develop virtues like forgiveness, humility, generosity. By dealing properly with unavoidable suffering (like aging, sickness, etc.), we can even strengthen our ability to have compassion and restrain our negative emotions, so that suffering may provide a good opportunity to learn. In the third section, he tries to apply the principle of compassion to the level of society. There isn't much new there and he doesn't provide much to convince those who don't believe what he believes, it therefore sounds more like political correctness: care for the environment, care for the poor, care for peace, etc. If you think like the Dalai Lama you will love this book, since he teaches you how you can become a better person. If you don't think like him, this book will fail to convince you and you will not learn any of the lessons he is teaching in this book. It's up to you to choose. | ||
Good Book on Basic Ethics I went to his gathering in Portland where he shared the contents of this book verbally in a distilled form. Much of the talk was identical to passages in the book. He recommends that the religions have tolerance and respect for each other. He shares an ethic that is fairly modern and shows how much he has changed since his earlier times. The message is very basic, many liberal philosophers have advocated the same thing. It is good that the Dalai Lama has put his voice in support of such views. I do feel that, mere ethics is not enough, we need the practice of meditation for our hearts to transform and to become sensitive enough to see where we are not compassionate with each other, so that we can let go of the three poisons of the mind and become free. I found such a transformation and its necessity was not emphasized that much in this book. Perhaps he wanted people to get this more important point from other books he had written. I also personally would like it if those ethics included animals and not eating them, a point that I feel Guatama Buddha emphasized. I would have also liked if he emphasized how important the feminist movement has been to have women included in those ethics. I gave it three stars rather than five, because although the message is good and positive, it seems to lack something for me. I do not get the feeling that such a message by itself is enough to shift the planet. I think more is needed. | ||
Simple, practical, nonreligious guide to ethics Ethics for the New Millennium is explicitly a nonreligious work, though it does present several key ideas that come out of Buddhist philosophical tradition. The goal, as stated in the preface, is to present an approach to ethics based on "universal" rather than religious principles. Presumably, these are principles that persons of diverse religious and nonreligious backgrounds would agree upon. Despite the title, this is not a technical or heavily philosophical work. Much of the book has a common-sense, anecdotal quality to it. While I enjoyed the stories of the Dalai Lama's personal experiences and his unique sense of humor, I must say that some of the cases he makes would be greatly strengthened if he presented some statistical data or findings from modern sociology, psychology and science. The Dalai Lama confesses that his own knowledge of modern (Western) secular thought is still limited, so much of his teachings probably reflect the Buddhist philosophy in which he has trained. Throughout the book, he introduces us to a number of Tibetan terms which do not have simple English equivalents. Several of the key notions presented in the book will probably be unfamiliar to the average Western reader. Of course, this is part of the attraction of the book. To explain his motivation, the Dalai Lama begins by making the personal observation that, while the poor living in less developed countries with traditional cultures may be suffering physically, they often seem to be happier than those with greater material wealth living in more developed countries. His Holiness is careful not to romanticize "old ways of life" and he does not advocate primitivism or rejection of science and technology as a solution to the world's problems, but rather a "spiritual revolution." By this he means the adoption of the emotional disciplines and alternative worldview laid out in this book as a means of addressing disharmony in modern life. He says "My call for a spiritual revolution is thus not a call for a religious revolution. Nor is it a reference to a way of life that is somehow otherworldly, still less to something magical or mysterious. Rather, it is a call for a radical reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self" (p23). The Dalai Lama does a remarkable job of presenting this ethical system in simple language. Christian readers may interested in the brief allusion to the "Fruits of the Spirit" (pp 22-23) which are discussed in a non-religious context. His Holiness acknowledges an admiration for Christian teachings developed in part through his friendship with a Cistercian monk some time ago. Even more interesting might be the chapter entitled "Ethics and Suffering" for those who wonder how persons with a non-theistic viewpoint cope with suffering and loss. An important clarification of the notion of karma is given as well. It is one of the best chapters in my opinion, though too short. This is a very tolerant and pluralistic work with regard to religion. Polemics against religiously motivated bigotry, violence, and dogma seem to be entirely absent. The final chapter "The Role of Religion" is very insightful, but adroitly steers clear of controversy. The Dalai Lama acknowledges that people can lead happy ethical lives without recourse to religion, but is concerned that, with the rise of science and secularism worldwide, there may also be a rise in moral relativism. This book is intended to provide an alternative. My favorite quote: "These may seem unusual statements, coming as they do from a religious figure. I am, however, Tibetan before I am Dalai Lama, and I am human before I am Tibetan." The more philosophical part of the book, entitled "The Nature of Reality", introduces the idea of dependent origination. This sort of organismic, interconnected view of the universe may require several readings to grasp, but leads naturally to the doctrine of "no self." This is the clearest and simplest explanation of this doctrine I have found so far. The recurring theme of the book is this: our happiness depends upon the happiness of others. Here is another interesting quote: "As we have seen, given the complex nature of reality, it is very difficult to say that a particular act or type of act is right or wrong in itself. Ethical conduct is thus not something we engage in because it is somehow right in itself. We do so because we recognize that just as I desire to be happy and to avoid suffering so do all others." Afflictive emotions (anger, greed, hatred, pride, etc.) destroy our ability to make rational decisions, so we should practice restraint. Emotional responses can be shaped by worldview, and practice. The same is true for cultivating virtues. Anxiety and stress are often a result of lack of perspective. This is a very practical book that offers guidelines for changing how we react and how we feel. I am a little concerned, however, with some statements made about science throughout the book, though these are not by any means central issues. The Dalai Lama tends to refer to "radical materialism" when talking about science from time to time, and I find this an unfortunate choice of words given the common connotations of the words "radical" and "materialism." Philosophical naturalism would have been better. He also says "my concern is rather that we are apt to overlook the limitations of science. In replacing religion as the final source of knowledge in popular estimation, science begins to look a bit like another religion itself" (p 11). It is not clear, just what, if anything, His Holiness suggests should be the final source of knowledge. The book is not heavily philosophical and so does not discuss epistemology (theories of knowledge). A recurring theme is the important role of practice and discipline; so perhaps in this sense, knowledge alone is insufficient to create the kind of disposition advocated in the book. Little is said about economics, but readers may well wonder if the compassion and altruism advocated here are compatible with the workings of free-market economy which is based on competition. His Holiness again admits that his knowledge of economics is limited (p195), but he suggests "the relationship between empathy and profit is necessarily fragile. Still, I do not see why it should not be possible to have constructive competition. The key factor is the motivation of those engaged in it. ... But when competition is conducted with a spirit of generosity and good intention, the outcome, although it must entail a degree of suffering for those who lose, will at least not be too harmful." It is not pure altruism, of course, that he is suggesting, but rather a form of enlightened self interest (p127). On the whole, this is a positive, feel-good book that I enjoyed reading, with lots of practical suggestions for ethical living that are phased in clear, simple language. It forms an interesting contrast with other more confrontational bestsellers I've read recently that also seek to create change. | ||