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Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World

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I always learn something from reading/listening to H.H. the Dalai Lama. It doesn't matter that I'm not Buddhist. It doesn't matter that when listening to him, sometimes I struggle a bit with his accent (perhaps this is good, as I listen more closely). I always learn--and go away with the resolve to be a bit kinder, a bit more compassionate.

This book is no exception. It was a book I could only read a few pages of...before needing to think and contemplate what I read. I suppose I could have read it all in one night, but then I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it. It reminded me a lot of Karen Armstrong's Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life (Borzoi Books) Which I also highly recommend if you want to explore Compassion more.

The title, "Beyond Religion" may be off-putting to some--especially Americans who tend to love to identify their belief in God. Even though Western Europe may have more self-professed atheists/agnostics, the point is not that God is not necessary...but that there are certain values/ethics which do and should go beyond whatever religion one professes to believe. These are universal ethics...universal truths...such as compassion. If we, as a World, would look at the vast inequality which exists today and would operate out of a universal ethic of compassion--we'd have less inequality, less hunger, less wars, less problems.

In one part of the book, H.H. says he is sympathetic to Marxist/Socialism due to all of the inequality he sees--and I realize this might be off-putting for some. Please, go beyond it. Heck, re-read the Sermon on the Mount, or look at any great religious figure and you'll see that the Robin Hood principle is pretty universal. Christians are not supposed to live as billionaires while others starve. That is why it is so hard for a rich man to get into heaven. Do we need to switch to a socialist view point to achieve that? No, but we do need to be universally more compassionate to those in need. Think of what would happen if half of the money spent on influencing elections were actually spent on helping lift people out of poverty, or on education, or helping the hungry.

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World is the latest written contribution of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama in his efforts for building a more compassionate and peaceful world. An awareness of the fundamental interconnectedness between ourselves as individuals and the societies to which we belong is his major theme.

His Holiness begins by explaining that secular religion is no longer providing a moral compass for the world, that it is no longer adequate as a basis for ethics. For one thing, many people in the world no longer practice any form of religion. Furthermore, as people of the world become more interconnected in an age of globalization and multicultural societies, ethics based on religion would only appeal to some but would not be meaningful for all. He recognizes that the ultimate source of our global problems lies at the level of the individual. If the individual lacks inner moral values and integrity, no system of laws and regulations will be adequate or effective. Likewise, any religion-based answer to the problem of neglected inner moral values can never be universal, and so will be inadequate. What His Holiness suggests in Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World is an approach to ethics which makes no recourse to religion and can be acceptable to everybody-those individuals of faith and those without- a new secular approach to universal ethics that gives a tolerant respect to religion.

His Holiness explains that ethical conduct does not require adherence to religion provided one realizes every individual's right to be happy and free of suffering. He reminds us that everybody desires happiness but only those who manage to achieve inner peace can truly find happiness. He points out that happiness is easier to attain when we show compassion to others, just as we are made happy when compassion is shown to us.

His Holiness dedicates an entire chapter to "Compassion, the Foundation of Well-Being." In it he explains that many people mistakenly assume that compassion is a religious practice when it is in fact not so. It is true that compassion is central to the ethical teachings of all the major religious traditions, but in itself it is not a religious value. When compassion arises in us, it shifts our focus away from our own narrow self absorption. It opens an inner door, reduces our fear, boosts our confidence, and brings us inner strength. By reducing distrust of others, it opens our hearts to them and brings us a sense of connection, a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning in our life. When our motivation is pure and genuinely directed toward the benefit of others, our actions will naturally be ethically sound. Compassion is therefore the core principle of secular ethics.

On the global scale, this book is very consistent with other social sciences dealing with the complexity of an inter-connected world and clearly addresses the urgent need for major world powers to understand that our existing life styles are unsustainable, unaffordable and nothing short of suicidal as the planet is being destroyed. For a secular ethical approach to be truly meaningful, we must of course care about our planet and share a principle of global responsibility, including creating a safer world free of violence, terrorism, destruction and war.

Part II of Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World concerns EDUCATING THE HEART THROUGH TRAINING THE MIND. Sections outlining practical applications of the Dalai Lama's ethical views include: "Ethical Mindfulness in Everyday Life," "Dealing with Destructive Emotions," "Cultivating Key Inner Values," and "Meditation as Mental Cultivation."

It is hard not to love the Dalai Lama, a true pillar of peace and compassion. This book is excellent and I am so happy that His Holiness has made this splendid, lucid contribution to a new system of ethics based on universal rather than religious principles. It is slow reading in its profundity and even though he is a holy man of religion, his approach is primarily scientific and ethical rather than philosophical and religious. I am afraid however that the most likely readers of this book will be those who need his advice the least and those who need his advice the most are those the least likely to read it.

Nevertheless, it is not His Holiness's intention to make new Buddhists with this book but to show us how to adapt our own beliefs, values, religious traditions, and spiritual practices into a mindful effort to live our life to the fullest and to treat others in the world around us with dignity and respect, thereby enriching our individual life and the global human community.

In ninth grade religious school, I attended a weekly class in ethics, a class oriented toward discussing, wrestling with and debating contemporary ethical issues. That experience had a lasting impact upon me, leading me to begin a lifelong process of defining and redefining my values, and attempting (too often unsuccessfully) to live in accordance with them. Inevitably then, I was drawn to read BEYOND RELIGION: ETHICS FOR A WHOLE WORLD.

BEYOND RELIGION by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, addresses the need for us today to commit "to developing and applying inner values in our daily lives." Due to the waning influence of religion in the western world, to a loosening of ethical standards in the media, and the lack of responsible values-oriented parenting in millions of families, many of us lack a moral center of gravity, and are easily swayed by external influences.

Even those who are religious may not have internalized their values. Such internalization is not gained through commandments directed at the superego and beginning "thou shalt" or "thou shalt not." Rather, it involves the embracing of one's values at a cellular level, so that they penetrate into our very core and become an inner foundation directing every action.

Ethics may be one facet of religion but we do not have to subscribe to a particular religion in order to cultivate a personal and social ethical orientation. The Dalai Lama - although he does present Buddhist precepts in regard to ethical action, levels of understanding and kinds of generosity - takes a nonsecular approach. Clearly, and with a rare blend of simplicity and profundity, he delineates attitudes and practices that can enable us to live more consciously, compassionately and ethically.

I, for one, never experienced firsthand his substantial wisdom before reading this book. What impresses me most, along with the importance of his message, is the clarity and precision with which he elucidates the inner process of becoming a more self-aware, contented, responsible, self-directed, loving and generous human being.

The cornerstone of his philosophy of ethical living is based upon "actively promoting the positive inner qualities of the human heart that arise from our core disposition toward compassion, and learning to combat our more destructive propensities." He also tells us, "Disarmament is compassion in practice. What is required, therefore, is both inner disarmament, at the level of our individual hatred, prejudice and intolerance, and outer disarmament, at the level of nations and states."

The English language and most other Western languages as well lack an adequate vocabulary for delineating internal states. Without being encouraged to attune to our inner process, without being able to find the words to articulate what is happening within - and as a result, without being able to transcend conflicts in feelings and thoughts - we may easily remain adrift, without a center of gravity or reliable source of inner guidance. For those of us seeking the right words to anchor us and insights substantial enough to propel us beyond confusion, the Dalai Lama's lucid language and subtlety of thought provide an oasis amidst the shifting sands of empty verbiage.

He distinguishes between wise selfishness and foolish selfishness, as well as between biological compassion and cultivated extended compassion. He defines the context in which even benign emotions can become destructive and in which purportedly negative emotions can serve us. He speaks of both education of the mind and education of the heart, of the relationships between compassion and discernment, between self-respect and consideration for others.

He introduces Tibetan words and concepts such as soepa (the willingness and ability to endure suffering), and drenpa (remembering our true selves and bringing presence of mind into every moment). Such concepts help us to expand our awareness as we navigate our inner realms.

For me, the most meaningful chapter of BEYOND RELIGION is "Dealing with Destructive Emotions," because of the enlightening guidance the Dalai Lama presents in regard to the process of taming our inner dragons. Almost as instructive are his chapters on mindfulness and meditation, in which he introduces practices to help us further self-awareness and self-mastery.

I hesitate to raise criticism of so rewarding and well-crafted a book - and indeed what follows is less criticism than it is an acknowledgement of dark and foreboding facets of our psyches that I wish the Dalai Lama would explore in more depth. He was raised to be a spiritual leader, to repeatedly cultivate his intention and capacity to live an ethical life and master the regressive and destructive facets of himself - in the face of unimaginable atrocities perpetrated upon his people and homeland. But for many of us who lacked such an upbringing, the energy of old and often unconscious habits and complexes may too frequently overpower our fragile intentions. The process of developing even the most rudimentary degree of mindfulness and self-mastery is painstakingly slow.

But we cannot expect him to map out every step of the way. What Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, does present in BEYOND RELIGION is rich in value and capable of catalyzing our own motivation to take the next step. He encourages us to develop patience, a long-term perspective, and the willingness to endure suffering. Along the way, he introduces us to the Tibetan concept of chogshe - "knowing what is enough... knowing when to be contented, being able to find satisfaction without looking for more." That may well be my next lesson. Read BEYOND RELIGION if you wish to clarify yours.

Read BEYOND RELIGION if you wish to more fully define your own values, to commit more fervently to live by them, and to help develop and promote a universal ethics that humanity needs to embrace if we are to survive.

I am reading the absolutely amazing and comforting and inspiring and edifying latest from the Dalai Lama called Beyond Religion, which is really a deepening review of our cardinal virtues, and must be read by all.

It is one of those books where you start underlining the most important lines and soon discover you underline everything, and then only the REALLY REALLY most important lines, and, well, that turns out to be everything as well.

It is one of those books like the Rule which you carry every day for reference and refreshment and reflection.

IT is truly the one book to meditate this Advent Season.

"Clearly there are people who believe with complete sincerity that separating ethics from religion is a great mistake. For those...[God] alone can make ethics binding. Without God as the guarantor, they suggest, there is at best only relative truth. And, in this situation, there is no basis for distinguishing right from wrong, from evaluating good and bad or for restraining selfish and destructive impulses and cultivating inner values." Pp's 12-13.

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BEYOND RELIGION is a very carefully crafted argument that states that one (1) ethics is an internal awareness and NOT a learned, behavioral habit. And, two (2) religion (in general) supports the values that one espouses very deeply. Nevertheless, he briefly mentions how religion has supported both altruistic and horrific causes.

This book is broken down into two (2) sections:

1- Examining ethics as an external habit...

H.H. The Dalai Lama, the exiled, spiritual head of The Tibetan people and human rights activist has long taught and published books on issues relating to religion and ethics. What I think we have here is not so much of a divorcing of religion but an examination of the values demonstrated by ethical people of various faiths and those who don't subscribe to any. It is, essentially, an attempt to define "secular humanism" in its most positive sense and ethical behavior in its most fundamental expression.

For The Dalai Lama, at the heart of ethical behavior stands compassion. Without compassion, he points out, there is no basis from which one can connect to another or even have expectations to draw from.

Interestingly, compassion is also needed in meting out punishment because, as he reminds us, the goal of punishment is not for retribution or revenge but for repentance, reconstruction and, perhaps, remuneration. The question asked in such situations is, how can we reform this individual so that he might be able to fully reintegrate into society?

Another issue that he addresses in the early chapter over and over again is "forgiveness" and "personal responsibility," alike.

Forgiveness or the ability to not to bring the errors or misfortunes of the past to bear on present decision-making goes hand-in-hand with personal responsibility.

Personal responsibility, he states, more accurately, he implores is NOT a passive act in reaction to some form of aggression, but as a conscientious state. It was very revealing to read the Dalai Lama state that active resistance to unjust laws is consistent with ethical behavior.

2- Examining ethical behavior from an internal standpoint...

This section, roughly the last 1/3 of the book is intimate and profound. The whole section deals with employing, what he calls, "ethical mindfulness."

How does one employ "ethical mindfulness" on a daily-basis or at least consistently? Broadly speaking, he replies, educating the heart through training the mind.

The succinct answer is simply, meditation.

In these sub-categories:

* The ethics of restraint

* Heedfulness (a stance of cautiousness), Mindfulness (a stance of vigilance acknowledging consequences) and Awareness (paying attention to one's behavior...by being aware of our words and actions.)

* The ethics of virtue

* The ethics of altruism

* The world of emotions

* Patience (toward the perpetrators of harm) and Forbearance (through acceptance of suffering)

* Patience through contemplation of reality (knowing that our actions are only one factor in a great range of causes and effects.)

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This is a wonderful book. I've carried it around with me for several weeks going over and over his very gentle discourse and perceiving how such mental and emotional stances can (and does) have a profound effect on my day.

It's no secret why this man is greatly revered.

This book is like a breath of fresh air. It is such a pleasure to read something that simply makes sense, written by such a distinguished human being. He discusses in very accessible language the basic human need for kindness and compassion, and our fundamental desires to seek pleasure and avoid pain. He goes on to explain how an attitude of compassion benefits everyone concerned, and offers many concrete suggestions for working on this.

This book is full of positive and uplifting ideas, beautifully presented. Here's a quote that I enjoyed :

" If...we view human nature as predominantly oriented toward kindness and the desire for a peaceful life, then we can consider ethics an entirely natural and rational means for pursuing our innate potential. On this understanding, ethics consist less of rules to be obeyed than of principals for inner self-regulation to promote those aspects of our nature which we recognize as conducive to our own well-being and that of others."

The Dalai Lama makes it clear from the outset that his intention is not to "make more Buddhists," and that he considers it more important to be a good person - seeking to be kind and caring and to develop within one self the values that we all appreciate in other people - than to be a religious person. He bases this on the fact that there are many, many good people in the world who are not interested in being religious, and that it is so difficult for religions to agree on basic things. The world needs those spiritual qualities so desperately that we cannot afford to wait to resolve these situations.

The final chapters of the book present a wonderful array of meditation practices, both "analytical," and "absorptive." It was refreshing to find definite exercises for self-improvement that complement and go beyond the usual breath counting exercises.

There is so much good common sense in this book, and there are so many wonderful suggestions for realizing these lofty goals, however gradually. If like me you find yourself hankering for more upon finishing this book, you might take a look at his 1999 book, Ethics for the New Millennium, which discusses similar material in a little more depth, minus the meditation exercises.

This is an important book and very enjoyable to read. Highly recommended!

The Dalai Lama makes a pragmatic and down to earth case for universal secular ethics in our world. He makes the case from a common denominator and shared humanity starting point, with compassion being the river that runs through it all.

The book is divided in two parts. The first part is where the author explains his thesis, while in the second part he offers suggestions and techniques. A significant portion of the second part of the book may be familiar if you are familiar with Buddhism and Eastern philosophies.

The author goes out of his way to be all-inclusive and respectful and make everyone feel welcome: people of all faiths, people of no faith, and everyone in between. He also wholeheartedly embraces science, giving multiple accounts of his interactions and discussions with scientists from various disciplines.

In chapter #1, there is a great analogy when discussing the difference between spirituality and religion: think of spirituality as water, and religion as tea. I cannot do that paragraph justice by trying to paraphrase it here. Later in the book, there is a simple yet very thought-provoking sentence: "apathy, in my view, is itself a form of selfishness".

One boldly going idea that could potentially change things up for the better in the future (and probably generate a lot of discussion and debate along the way) is the suggestion that schools teach secular ethics as part of their regular curriculum. Considering the current realities, this will probably not be an easy task, but it is perhaps badly needed when we see daily examples of the "me-first, me-second, who-cares-about-the-rest" mentality.

PS: The author clearly and repeatedly points out that the word "secular" carries the basic meaning of the word, and nothing more. In recent years the word "secular" has become politicized and some may perceive the word to have anti-religious connotations. It is definitely not the case with this book - don't let that word discourage you from reading this!

As His Holiness points out, ethics is not simply a matter of knowing, but doing. This secular book addresses the importance of worldwide compassion and inner values, although each chapter is liberally sprinkled with religious examples to help readers better understand and define human spirituality in this scientific age. I am not religious, and found Beyond Religion refreshing, easy to read and useful as a spiritual guide. Sentences are deceptively simple, yet I found myself frequently re-reading passages in order to grasp their full meanings. The book is divided into two sections. The first half addresses the benefits of cultivating compassionate, yet discerning inner values on a global scale; ones that transcend religious, cultural and racial differences by appealing to all people at a fundamental human level. The second section offers thoughts on how to actively educate the heart. Some included topics--combatting destructive emotional tendencies, restraining negative behavior, and developing a calm, disciplined mind through mental training. The Dalai Lama readily admits his take on humanity's future might be idealistic. Does he think it's unrealistic? Absolutely not, and neither should we. Beyond Religion is a good starting point in learning how to ground inner values, and then taking it one step further through practice and perseverance.

The Dalai Lama, one of the wise men of our time, here proposes a system of ethics and personal development based on shared humanity and compassion. In describing it as "beyond religion" he is not disparaging religion, for he himself represents a religious tradition--rather, he proposes an ethical system not based on any particular religion.

If we could become more aware of our commonalities with all human beings, and develop a positive, loving, and forgiving attitude toward all, the world would become a better place. Of course, it's not as easy as that, and requires sustained commitment to mental discipline and the mastery of human emotion. The second half of the book is a quick overview of the mental disciplines (meditation) needed for this ambitious project.

Beyond Religion is a slim volume, 188 pages, written in a relaxed, conversatonal style, but it's not easy reading. The subject matter is too profound and too abstract for such a treatment. It would take a lifetime to master the material in this little book, and so, at least for this reader, the eye tends to glaze over. Still, it's a wonderful, brief introduction to the kind of self-discipline that could lead to a more harmonious world. I recommend it, but it's not for everyone. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

The Dalai Lama is a thousand times more authoritative than the pope, and a thousand times more authoritative than the creeds of christianity because his is a theory of reason, civility and sanity... not the final word, but a well constructed starting point.

"To try to impose moral principles from outside, to impose them, as it were, by command, can never be effective. Instead, I call for each of us to come to our own understanding of the importance of inner values. For it is these inner values which are the source of both an ethically harmonious world and the individual peace of mind, confidence, and happiness we all seek." Beyond Religion, Introduction pg.15

Perhaps the most important thing about the book is the effect it will have on the fundamentally religious, as in manifesting their arrogance, cruelty and bigotry- sheer primitive dogma without the capacity to reason.

As a skeptic/atheist I highly recommend this book in name of tolerance, in the name of humility. No one has all the answers, the best we can do is define the limits, articulate the problems and then intelligently seek to construct a solution.

Only those who feel the insecure need to claim the certainty of what they believe will ultimately feel threatened by this book. An excellence and beautiful starting point from an intelligent and beautiful man.