Customer Reviews

Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

I have been practicing meditation for over thirty years and teaching for twenty eight years. My experience has made me much more familiar with the art of meditation than with the science of it. I found this book to be an extraordinary contribution, helping elucidate the tremendous importance of ancient meditative tools to modern life.
In a world where fear and grasping and anger and a sense of isolation from others seems to be predominating,this book, starting right with the title, Destructive Emotions, moved me, interested me, and made me think.
Having been at a similar conference with the Dalai Lama some years ago,I know how hard it is to capture the magic of this kind of encounter: the amazing openness of the Dalai Lama's mind; the pioneering sense of adventure on the part of scientists and educators as they explore meditation in the labs and translate its essence for a far-reaching audience; the depth of compassion that underlies this dialogue from all sides. I think Daniel has done a remarkable job. Because of the effort that has gone into it, I think this book could be of value whether you have meditated for decades or have not yet begun.

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.

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

I am finishing a doctorate in clinical psychology and I cannot get enough of this book! I am slowly devouring it, page by delicious page, in moments stolen from my dissertation. The neuroscientists brought together with the Dalai Lama to discuss destructive emotions are brilliant, open, and on the cutting edge of a very exciting field. If you have any interest at all in affective neuroscience, this book will send your mind reeling in a million different directions. If you don't know anything at all about neuroscience but come at this topic from a Buddhist point of view, it will also be a delicious read. There is so much in this book, it is worth reading slowly so that you don't miss a thing! I have also sent this book as a gift to several friends, I like it that much.

How does a person overcome destructive emotions? This is the real and important question this book attempts to discuss on a religous, scientific, and philosophical basis. Goleman's account is surprisingly easy to read, and likewise the concepts are readily understandable. However, I was ultimately disappointed in the book. Here is why...

Regarding destructive emotions, there is very little in the book, which refers to 'root causes' of those emotions. Rather there is an emphasis on controlling emotions. This approach attempts to deal with symptoms via practices intended to annihilate desire/craving (the dharma practice) The apparent contradiction is this -- parental love, pleasure seeking, and self-defense are all part of our emotional make up. Therefore, some emotions are good and some are bad. (few would disagree with this.) However, the dharma practice is a means of decreasing emotional desire in its entirety.

If a distinction is to be made between the 'good' emotions and the 'bad' emotions then a value judgment is required. So, the question which never gets answered in the book is 'Within the Buddhist tradition what is the framework for making moral distinctions?' Ok, with that said, the most interesting part of the book is when Owen Flanagan (Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Human Interaction Laboratory at the University of California at San Francisco Medical School) discusses the differences between virtue ethics, utilitarian ethics, and Kantian ethics - in an attempt to show that some sort of value judgment needs to be made between emotions. (pages 63-68) Unfortunately, much of his discussion is never adequately responded to by anyone in attendance, including the Dalai Lama.

The other key point, which never gets answered, is regarding the Buddhist term, which roughly translates, 'destructive emotions'. The term is, 'Klesha' also translated 'mental affliction'. Now, this is where it gets interesting. Is this 'mental affliction' a cause or a result? Does anxiety arise out of negative behavior or does anxiety cause negative behavior. If it is negative behavior that causes destructive emotions then instead of simply ignoring those emotions it seems best for a person to change the behavior that's causing the emotions. Unfortunately, this common sense answer isn't offered in the book.

In short, a number of good and challenging points were asked of the Dalai Lama, but his answers to these questions were weak and somewhat evasive. Instead of pressing for a more adequate answer, those in attendance would simply go on to the next point. Part of a good dialog is asking honest questions and waiting for an honest answer. While there are good questions in the book, I didn't find satisfying answers to those questions. In fact, it doesn't seem that many of the points can be addressed w/in the Buddhist framework. That's disappointing.

In general, I liked this book and found it useful. I thing it contains a lot of good concepts, but because of the dialogue format it is difficult to get one's arms around all the concepts. There are also some holes that are left unaddressed, again probably because of the format.

Given the above context, I think that there are many gems in this book and a lot of practical advice. Reading the dialogue between all these prominent people is thought provoking and challenges you to consider the underlying assumptions of your own emotional life.

There is a lot of good advice in this book about handling destructive emotions, but the scope is actually wider than that. I found it to be more of an exploration of the nature of emotion and how to live with emotions in a balanced way.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach to writing. There are a number of reviews that praise this book and others that shoot it down. I think the reality is somewhere in the middle.

The people engaged in the dialogue are great choices, but somehow when the book went to print I think the written form missed capturing the full spirit of what went on at the actual event. I wasn't there, but I get a sense that in the transfer from speaking to writing some important meanings didn't come across.

In spite of my feedback above, I wouldn't be discouraged from buying this book. It is unique and has a lot to say. My three star rating is merely an indication that I think the information could have been presented better and perhaps elaborated on in a way that brought the concepts more to life.

This book takes the reader through the day to day Mind Life discussions with some of the world's most well known neurological scientists along with the Dalai Lama and some of his Buddhist associates. These mind life participants from various backgrounds all agree that destructive emotions namely anger, craving, delusion and all their offshoots are just that-destructive and we as human beings must train ourselves to become aware of the potential of these emotions so that we can truly change for the better and create peace.

A major tenet of Buddhism is the belief that us humans beings can free ourselves from the grips of these destructive emotions. This books shows us that the more secular scientific approach agrees and proves that we can change. The participating scientists speak of current and future neurological experimentation, some involving yogis or those trained in meditation techniques, that prove for example that mind training such as mediation can alter the brain in ways that endure. This book further speaks to the affirmation and hope that we can change because of neuroplasticity. That is, scientific studies as referenced herein have revealed that the brain and the nervous system generate new cells in learning for example; the brain can reshape itself! This books also provides new insights for the field of psychology.

I hope that this important message not only endures but continues to be acted on through training adults and children toward a better way of being that we can all reap the rewards of; I believe the future of humanity depends on this. Read this book to determine your role.

Here's the deal. You put a bunch of smart guys with Western style educations in a room with the Dalai Lama and some of his buddies. You transcribe what they present and the discussions that follow.

Naturally, there's a fair amount of time spent clarifying terms. Some might find that tedious. Perhaps. But it also makes clear how language can put some bounds on your thinking. It's always interesting to discover that some term or another simply doesn't easily translate.

I'd highlight two aspects of this book. The first is that it reveals a therapeutic side to Buddhism that is seldom stressed. Second, a number of subjects are raised in the book that are worth a deeper dive. The notes section is reasonably complete and contains pointers to some things I otherwise wouldn't have found. The work of Francisco Varela is a good example.


I'd highlight two aspects of this book. The first is that it reveals a theraputic side to Buddhism that is seldom stressed. Second, the notes. A number of subjects are raised in the book that are worth a further look. The notes contain pointers to some valuable stuff I otherwise wouldn't have found. The work of Francisco Varela is a good example.

What the Book is NOT:

It was not written to bolster nor tear down Darwin. It also was not written to explain how to meditate - "The Tibetan Buddhist's Way" and derive the benefits adherents extol. It is not a debate designed to allow the most scientifically solid idea emerge the winner. It is certainly not a discussion of the most controversial aspects of belief systems that East and West hold dear. After reading reviews of the book and reflecting upon my thoughts regarding the book itself - I would say that the value of the book appears to be directly linked to the reader's expectation and pre-existing mindset. If your mind is made up or you are looking for a "How To" guide, don't read this.


What the Book IS:

It is a dialog, an exchange using the topic of Destructive Emotions. If you are looking for a book designed to help you understand and respect the POSSIBILITY that East and West can co-exist and can actually help each other - then read it and give it 5 stars!! Surely the valued traditions of these two cultures deserve to be explored, discovered, quantified, categorized, understood, and taught. This book takes steps in that direction and action steps are discussed.

Upon completing the book, I had a much stronger sense that, as a Westerner, we could be MUCH more aware of emotions, without spending 20 years in a monastery. The "halted adolescent" which seems to typify the emotional development of many of our 20 - 80 year old Westerners - does not need to be the status quo of our "scientific" based culture. There is hope. We ALL can benefit from open dialog. This book takes that kind of step.