by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama proposes a spiritual revolution. This I found interesting. I found even more interesting his definition of spiritual:"Thus spiritual practice involves, on the one hand, acting out of concern for others' well-being. On the other, it entails transforming ourselves so that we become more readily disposed to do so."

The Dalai Lama points to a neglect of our "inner dimension" as the fundamental cause of the disharmony of our societies. And so this book, and his call for a spiritual revolution, is a "call for a radical reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self. It is a call to turn toward the wider community of beings with whom we are connected, and for conduct which recognises others' interests alongside our own." He is not claiming that all we need to do is to cultivate spiritual values and then these societal problems will automatically disappear. He acknowledges the need for specific solutions to each of our problems, but "when this spiritual dimension is neglected, we have no hope of achieving a lasting solution."

Reading his wisdom and his clarity on matters that I intuit, but can't speak of with such certainty brought a sense of relief and peace. It is an easy read, in the sense that his language is simple and clear, but it is tough in that he reminds us of the discipline and commitment it takes to develop our character and disposition to act out of concern for others, and make the rest of our life as meaningful as possible.

I have included a quote by Ken Wilber to illustrate what I think this book tries to accomplish. However the first time I read this quote, I wondered whether those were the words of a priviliged person speaking, and could they be applied to also the materially poor of this world. One thing that makes the Dalai Lama's book such a treasure to me, is how he uses examples of poor Tibetans to whom inner peace, compassion and happiness have nothing (and he does say nothing) to do with their material standing.

"... at this point in history, the most radical, pervasive, and earth-shaking transformation would occur simply if everybody truly evolved to a mature, rational, and responsible ego, capable of freely participating in the open exchange of mutual self-esteem. There is the "edge of history." There would be a real New Age."

-Ken Wilber, Up From Eden

I thought that the Amazon.com review was so good, and gave a slightly different perspective, that I have included it too.

"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, Amazon.com

• Reviewed by Marianne Knuth

Back to Book Reviews!