Ethics For The New Millennium

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Summary: The Dalai Lama has a broad and useful perspective
Review: This book has raised my consciousness. It has given me a new, broader perspective to look at the world through. He does not recruit for Buddhism, on the contrary, he presents a system of ethics that is spiritual, but not religious. I would recommend it to anyone, religious or not.

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Summary: Advice for all people
Review: This book is simply amazing. It's an incredible piece of literature if you're looking to improve your life from the inside out. It's also a great introduction to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is not necessarily a religious book, though. As the Dalai Lama himself points out within - this particular book is applicable to people of all religious affiliations. It's an examination of ethics and how we can adjust our personal perspective, behaviors, and general attitude to initiate a spiritual revolution that would be mutually beneficial for all.

If your heart, mind, and spirit could use some work - read this book. But don't read it if you're looking for something that focuses specifically on the Buddhist religion, because this book certainly doesn't do that. "Ethics for the New Millennium" is a book of intriguing spiritual self-help and philosophy, not a religious book.

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Summary: Terrific insight into our needs for peace in this century
Review: I think this is one of the better books, addressing all important ethical, moral ideals for this century...It was just what I needed in a time when I was diagnosed with a fatal disease. Wonderful. I highly recommend it if you are looking at the world with an open mind and want to understand compassion in its truthful form.

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Summary: The tradition continues
Review: Simple, straight forward argument for compassion and tolerance, the christian protestant or catholic, the atheist, the jew or gentile can't or rather shouldn't have any problem with this. Lovely and uplifting read.

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Summary: A Potentially Life and World Changing Experience
Review: This is in the top 5 of my favorite books. The Dalai Lama masterfully articulates some of the most important principals that are set forth by the Buddhist religion into understandable everyday language. When these principals are applied to one's life the effects are dramatic and carry incredible impact. He makes a point of the fact that this life is a journey and that we must continually be mindful of these principals. He quite skillfully is able to breakdown what can sometimes seem like a hectic and empty existance into very simply understood terms. Pointing out that all humans have two main desires; to acheive happiness and avoid suffering. He goes on to give seemingly simplistic, but often overlooked guidelines in order to acheive these two main desires. He links many of these thoughts with superb logical reasoning. Empathy is a main theme and the book does a wonderfull job stressing this eternally important principle. You will not regret reading this book!

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Summary: A Simple and Persuasive Discourse on How to Live
Review: Honestly, who's going to give the Dalai Lama less than five stars? Few people in history have been more admired or deserved more respect. This man has been forcibly removed from his homeland and stood helplessly by as it has been systematically raped by China. Through it all, he has never wavered from the fundamental precepts of Buddhist teaching. He has shown nothing but compassion and respect to his oppressors and is rightly venerated by a world community in awe of his forbearance and strength of character. The Dalai Lama is a remarkable example and when he speaks about ethics, people listen.

Fortunately, I can give him five stars and maintain my intellectual integrity, because this is an excellent book. It is a simple and open discourse about how to develop and follow a moral compass in the modern world. With lucid and earnest language, the Dalai Lama outlines the fundamental ideas of a system of ethics based on compassion and the cultivation of constructive emotions. The ideas in this book are not new. They amount to a principle that has become so time-worn that it has almost (unfortunately) cliché. To make the world and more peaceful and loving place, start with yourself.

No magic here. But from a Nobel Peace laureate with such stature, the cliché is transformed. These principles, coming from the pen of this man, demand to be listened to.

This book is an excellent guide to the "right" way to live, as well as a meaningful non-sectarian introduction to the tenets of Buddhist morality. It is also a persuasive appeal for each and every one of us to foster moral discipline, compassion and respect within ourselves. If you have not been exposed to the Dalai Lama's writings, this book good place to start. If you have, this book is among the most commendable of his works.

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Summary: Non-technical but non-trivial
Review: According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Ethics for the New Millennium is not a spiritual book. However, what is clear is that his conclusions and recommendations come from a long history of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana is one of the two main vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism. In this sense, his message is a universal rather than a personal one. In this book, His Holiness speaks to larger social and moral issues. "My aim has been to appeal for an approach to ethics based on universal rather religious principles (xiii)." The Dalai Lama has used this approach for this book because as far as his powers of observation tell him, humanity has turned their back on traditional religions (the classical mode for ethical considerations) but nonetheless seek happiness in a world gone out of control. Despite the book not being a drastic departure from any of his previous work, it does cover issue that he has not dealt with prior to this one - issues of bioethics and excessive materialism. In this book, he is open and comes across, as folk - just folk with everyday concerns and human needs - like his thoughts about his mundane attachment to his watch.

The whole book is written in a simple and almost conversational tone is clearly aimed at a large audience. A far cry from the more technical books such as Path to Bliss, The Art of Happiness, The Meaning of Life form a Buddhist Perspective and even Kindness, Clarity and Insight on religion and meditation and more in tune with his autobiographical pieces like Freedom in Exile and My Land and My People, this book shines as a testament to a man who truly love humanity. As a point of method, the almost step-by-step approach lends itself to a friendly guru, of which is perhaps one of the more visible of his many personae to the western world. What is really important to take away from this book is his use of Tibetan roots and his transforming then into everyday language - making the issues and possible solutions accessible to the ordinary (as in non-technical) reader.

Miguel Llora

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Summary: A Call to Spiritual Awakening
Review: This book was written at the time of the change from the 20th to the 21st Century. The Dalai Lama used the change to the new Millenium as a call to ethical and spiritual reflection and to an awakening to a new, informed inner life.

The book is eloquent and compelling. The Dalai Lama's command of English is somewhat limited, and the text undoubtedly was subject to substantial editing. But the sincerity and power of the book shines through, as does the Dalai Lama's modesty. It is something of a rarity for a book to sound the call to spiritual renewal while refusing to proselytize or to promote a specific creed.

The Dalai Lama promises repeatedly that his book is concerned with ethics and spirituality rather than with Buddhist tenents. There is nothing in this book, for example, that even suggests the reader take up a meditiation practice. Although there is a substantial treatment of the difficult Buddhist teaching of Dependent Origination, the Dalai Lama makes good on his word. The book can be read and appreciated by people who are secular -- without a religious faith -- and by those who are committed to a faith tradition other than Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama's basic message here, I think, is that all people strive to be happy. In the West, we tend to equate the pursuit of happiness with materialistic success. This goes part of the way to happiness but has difficulties in terms of the anxiety, competitiveness, and insenitiveness to ourselves and others that it creates. The Dalai Lama's answer, in common with much religious and spiritual writing, is to look inward. What is important is how the Dalai Lama elaborates his teaching in this book.

The Dalai Lama insists that spiritual renewal requires a commitment to ethical behavior. There are two levels to this. The first, more basic level, is to act in a way that doesn't bring harm. This is a seemingly simple teaching, but one difficult to put in practice in specific situations. The second level is to aim to be other-directed rather than self-directed in one's actions. This means acting with patience, generosity, compassion, nonviolence, empathy, thought for the other person, rather than for oneself. For the Dalai Lama this second level underlies all spirituality and religious traditions and is more fundamental than any metaphysical or faith issues. People can disagree on the latter or not hold any religious position at all.

After developing the foundations of what he sees as ethical and spiritual behavior, the Dalai Lama offers suggestions for the individual's redirection of him or herself in terms of restraint, virtue, compassion, and the relief of suffering. Again, I was struck by the modesty of the teaching and by the Dalai Lama's claim that spiritual redirection can be independent of the individual's commitment or lack of commitment to a religous creed. The Dalai Lama emphasizes at one point that "we are not talking about Buddahood here" but rather about how any individual can aim for ethical and spiritual redirection.

A chapter in the final section of the book discusses "the role of religion in modern society." The Dalai Lama explains his own commitment to Tibetan Buddhism but insists again that such commitment is unnecessary for the individual to redirect energy to the ethical/spiritual life. In fact, in this book the Dalai Lama discourages religious conversion but urges the reader to remain in his or her own faith and work within it. He maintains that all religions teach the same basic ethical and spiritual precepts while their metaphysical or faith commitments differ. He offers a plea that people from different faith traditions learn that they can learn much from each other while maintaining their own belief system. He reiterates that people shouldn't force themselves to have a religion at all if they are committed to a secular worldview.

There is a great deal of wisdom and simplicity in this book. It may be valuable to those who want to consider redirecting or better understanding themselves.

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Summary: A call to action rather than sedate philosophical agreement
Review: Criticism has been made that most people who most need this book won't read it because they aren't receptive to the message, and I imagine that's true. However, this book's influence goes beyond those who read it and are affected by it, because those people will hopefully be more consistent in behaving ethically, and this will influence many who don't read the book.

Again, this sort of criticism is typical of the type of thinking many have when listening to a sermon or spiritual talk: "Too bad so and so isn't hearing this!" Don't worry about the people not reading it. Read it to get full benefit and allow it to influence your thinking and actions. If you come across a stumbling block, a statement you disagree with, pass over it so that you don't miss more important points.

Of course, this book was written before the events of 9-11-01, and our perspective is bound to have changed since that awful day. Hopefully though, we are still open to respect of political and religious differences. This is the bottom line. We are to use our ability to love so that it extends to all people, even to those who belong to nations who are on bad terms with us.

If you read this book just as a book as philosophy, it will have failed in it's purpose. But if you take the core message to heart and allow yourself to be spurred to resolve and action, it will have succeeded.

Any normal reader will find little loopholes, areas of disagreement, but centering on the larger picture will be more effective by far. Introspection and self examination followed by self discipline are called for along with reaching out to others with love.