The Monk and the Philosopher : A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life

Rating:
Summary: East and West get together
Review: This is a dialogue between father and son, father a prominent journalist and philosopher and son a scientist, who renounced his promising career and became a Buddhist monk,it is East and West getting together. They are two brilliant minds discussing a wide range of topics with an honest and unbiased approach, in a very accessible and elucidating style. Since the book has been written from a Western perspective and maily for Western readers, Buddhism is highly questioned and as a result the reader is presented with an excellent introduction to Buddhism as a religion and philosophy as well. The main point here is not a confrontation between East and West, between Reason and Faith; it is an excellent exchange of ideas with the purpose of finding what is best from both approaches and what would best serve future generations. Excellent, fascinating, enlightening, highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Explores Every Nook and Cranny
Review: This is real dialectic! The Tibetan buddhist monk, Ricard, has every point of buddhism subjected to the educated critique of his philosopher father, Revel. No Stone is left unturned. As a result we get a great introduction to Buddhism viewed from both the proponent and critic's point of view.

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