Rating: 
Summary: Lovely
Review: I read a recent review that was wondering what the Dalai Lama's definition of a "good" or bad" emotion. What I don't think this person understands is that in Buddhism, there is no god or bad emotions, or actions. There is helpful and harmful energy, but some things that seem harmful may actually be helpful. So, is it really good, or is it bad?Other than that, I think it's wonderful that this book came into existence.
Rating:
Summary: Destructive emotions: the "Barnacles of the Mind."
Review: In 1974, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche observed that Buddhism would come to the West as a psychology (p. 72) and, in fact, every wisdom tradition encourages us to assert some control over our negative emotions, from the Bible, Confucius and the Koran, to philosophers including Aristotle, Mill and Kant forward. DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS documents an extraordinary dialogue between the Dalai Lama and a group of two neuroscientists, three psychologists, two Buddhist monks, a philosopher and two Tibetan translators, drawn together from the United States, France, Thailand, Canada and Nepal to explore how destructive emotions, namely hatred, craving, and delusion, "eat away at the human mind and heart and what we might do to counter this dangerous streak in our collective nature" (pp.xvii-xviii). Goleman's DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS not only offers its reader a "somewhat rarified excursion" through the fine points of both Buddhist and Western psychology and philosophy, but also points the way toward cultivating compassion and happiness in oneself and our culture. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: Great Minds Meet
Review: The conference the previous reviewer talked about was The Seventh Mind and Life Conference, an event this book covers. The event lasted for 5 days, during which time the Dalai Lama (among other Buddhists) met with scientists and philosophers from the West to discuss what the title suggests, destructive emotions. The issues raised range from science of the brain to mastering emotional dexterity. The narrator of this book, Daniel Goleman, works at Rutgers University as co-chair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence. He has written several books, some of which are bestsellers, such as "Emotional Intelligence" and "Primordial Leadership." Hatred and anger are two of the most talked about subjects in this volume, because they indisputably are issues we all face in our lives. During this conference the Dalai discusses how to transform these emotions with certain Tibetan mind trainings, as did many of the other Buddhist scholars present. To this many of the scientists added their own ideas on the matter with a very eclectic variety. Yet to me the scientists didn't touch on the one crucial area I feel the Dalai Lama talked about, which was: "I think the practice of compassion is like a medication that restores serenity when one is very agitated. The great tranquilizer is compassion." Enjoy the book!
Rating:
Summary: great news
Review: the most exciting findings in this deep book are for meditators: now neuroscientists are discovering that mindfulness meditation and Tibetan practice seems to nudge thebrain's setpoint for emotions into the positive direction.
The science that's new is in chapters One, 13, and 14. The rest of the book offers a fascinating exploration of topics of great importance for our time: the causes of destructive emotions, how to transform anger into more effective forms of action and energy, how to help children get on the right emotional track early in life. A rich and rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: Front row seat in an exciting, cutting-edge exchange
Review: This book gave me the opportunity to sit in with the Dalai Lama and first rate western scientists as they discussed the science related to the formation of Destructive Emotions and explored ways that we could lessen the effects of these emotions in our lives. We know Dan Goleman as having the ability to write clearly about complex scientific topics. And here we also see Dan as a master story teller as he narrates this important conversation.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the layreader
Review: This book had interesting points, but it is a very slow and difficult read. It often goes in depth into subjects where only those with deep scientific knowlege would understand. If the reader is willing to take the time and effort to read through the book and digest the information presented, it will present him or her with a further understanding of his or her emotional states and how they can potentially be explored and controlled.
Part of the problem with this book is the way it is presented. I have read books by Daniel Goleman in the past and they've been consise and fairly easy to get through. However, this book is presented in the exact way the meetings took place. The first two chapters go into a two day post-gathering where some of the scientific principles discussed are put to the test, and then from there on out, you are presented with each of the five days in order. The book then depicts each individual presentation. To be honest, books can be (and have been) written about each of the presentations. Squeezing them each into a 432 page book is doing them a bit of a disservice. In addition, it's piling a huge amount of information on the reader, all of which must be absorbed.
I would not recommend this book to the lay reader who is interested in learning basic concepts about destructive emotions and their relation to emotional intelligence. It contains much more information than someone looking for this type of knowledge would need. I would recommend this book for someone who is doing in depth studies into destructive emotions and their effect on cultures. Perhaps they would be able to use the information presented to better themselves or create a program to help others.
Rating:
Summary: The Science of Being Happy
Review: This book is a remarkable culmination of what the Dalai Lama and Dan Goleman have long sought: That is, a genuine meeting of East and West. This is a chronicle of the most recent scene in the unfolding drama between great yogic, "inner" scientists and western-trained scientific counterparts. The dance between the two sides began of course some time ago, but now it's getting really interesting. They've learned to tango so well it's getting hard to tell the dancers apart! Each side now speaks the other's language, and has mastered the other's methodology to an astonishing degree. Westerners meditate with the best of the yogis and speak Tibetan, a mind like that of the Dalai Lama, who figured out that the world must be round, even though his teachers said it was flat - all are willing to challenge their own assumptions, share their findings, yet not neglecting the contributions of Plato, or Aristotle, Kant, Einstein, William James, and earlier pioneers. The focus here is in examining those emotions that cause us so much trouble as individuals, and which collectively lead us to even greater madness, or war. The dialogue works because each participant, an "expert" in his or her field - is more concerned with finding the common truth - which frees us, rather than be proven "right". This is very good news. Goleman reports on a five-day conference which we find is actually the fruition of the life-works of those taking part. In some ways the book has it over being there, as the narration sketches in how individuals in their own lives were motivated to make the often quite amazing leaps to get to where they got. It's not important that no final conclusions are reached as to the causes of the emotions which make us run amok or that full understanding of them eludes as yet. It's important that we are looking, finally, together, and with the best and most sophisticated equipment - also well explained in the book. I felt, in reading this, a lot of my hopes and assumptions and efforts to get to the place of truth and real happiness were not so far off track. The findings here give me great confidence. It's becoming ok, even scientifically, to be happy, even though we see more work ahead of us. And why shouldn't science be both fun and useful? For me, the high water mark in human understanding, reported here, reflects the great yearning we feel to get to the bottom of our difficulties. Few among us will become experts in mapping the circuitry of the brain, nor do we all need to have our heads examined by f MRI. Yet we can all benefit from this work. It affords us a better glimpse of what might be possible - not just for the Dalai Lama and the "high-achievers" among us, but for the "ordinary" as well (like myself). It's clearly not too late to learn, and to learn HOW to learn. Our brains are not at all what I was taught to believe. I've been looking for some time in my own way, and I suspect you have too to be reading this. I've taken some 'wild goose chases' to find the answers, but hasn't everyone? I got very happy reading this book, I got it that the people in it were very happy sharing their work and mapping out the way to even greater future discoveries. I gave this book five stars but please keep an open mind and cultivate the real spirit of investigation. You may surprise yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: East Meets West and Both Win
Review: This book is a sort of "narrative transcript" of a recent conference that took place in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama's home in exile. The conference takes the form of a series of presentations and dialogues between the Dalai Lama and some of the top Western researchers in the science of the mind. The writer, a participant in the conference, acts primarily as an editor of the material, presenting the "transcripts" in a prose style and interspersing them with biographical sketches of the key players. The approach is simple, but it works very nicely. The book will give you some insight into how Buddhism views emotions and how modern science studies them. Whether your approach to the nature of mind is "left-brained" or "right-brained", this book has a lot to offer. It is a fascinating primer on the latest science of the mind. As well, it is an excellent discourse on how the East-West dialogue, which has been a hallmark of the Dalai Lama's work for years, can impact education, social programs and our ability to get hold of our own destructive emotions. I am a lifelong armchair scientist, as well as an avid reader of religious history and philosophy. I always appreciate a well-presented book that seeks to harmonize these different approaches to understanding reality. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: East Meets West and Both Win
Review: This book is a sort of "narrative transcript" of a recent conference that took place in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama's home in exile. The conference takes the form of a series of presentations and dialogues between the Dalai Lama and some of the top Western researchers in the science of the mind. The writer, a participant in the conference, acts primarily as an editor of the material, presenting the "transcripts" in a prose style and interspersing them with biographical sketches of the key players. The approach is simple, but it works very nicely. The book will give you some insight into how Buddhism views emotions and how modern science studies them. Whether your approach to the nature of mind is "left-brained" or "right-brained", this book has a lot to offer. It is a fascinating primer on the latest science of the mind. As well, it is an excellent discourse on how the East-West dialogue, which has been a hallmark of the Dalai Lama's work for years, can impact education, social programs and our ability to get hold of our own destructive emotions. I am a lifelong armchair scientist, as well as an avid reader of religious history and philosophy. I always appreciate a well-presented book that seeks to harmonize these different approaches to understanding reality. Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: East Meets West and Both Win
Review: This book is a sort of "narrative transcript" of a recent conference that took place in Dharamsala, the Dalai Lama's home in exile. The conference takes the form of a series of presentations and dialogues between the Dalai Lama and some of the top Western researchers in the science of the mind. The writer, a participant in the conference, acts primarily as an editor of the material, presenting the "transcripts" in a prose style and interspersing them with biographical sketches of the key players. The approach is simple, but it works very nicely. The book will give you some insight into how Buddhism views emotions and how modern science studies them. Whether your approach to the nature of mind is "left-brained" or "right-brained", this book has a lot to offer. It is a fascinating primer on the latest science of the mind. As well, it is an excellent discourse on how the East-West dialogue, which has been a hallmark of the Dalai Lama's work for years, can impact education, social programs and our ability to get hold of our own destructive emotions. I am a lifelong armchair scientist, as well as an avid reader of religious history and philosophy. I always appreciate a well-presented book that seeks to harmonize these different approaches to understanding reality. Definitely recommended.
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