The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus [Hardcover]

Executive Excellence Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1996

One of the most important meeting of the minds - the gospels as interpreted by the Dalai Lama. Truly a gift from an unexpected courier.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The result of the Dalai Lama's decision to lead the 1994 John Main Seminar sponsored by the World Community for Christian Meditation, this book is a record of the seminar. It is refreshing to read the Dalai Lama's meditations on the New Testament selections, many of which he had never read before this seminar but which are among the most familiar for Christians. As His Holiness thinks about famous passages like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-10) and Jesus' resurrection appearance to Mary (John 20:10-18), we see them from the entirely new perspective of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual knowledge and understanding. Consequently, familiar passages are renewed and opened to unexpected insights. In his readings and his dialogues with other seminar participants, the Dalai Lama establishes himself as an authentic presence respectful of Christian traditions. Indeed, he insists that his purpose in the dialogues is not to cast doubt on Christianity but to help others rediscover the deeper meaning and power of the Christian tradition. This is a fascinating book which deserves a great deal of attention in these times of multicultural exchange.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This is a record of a meeting in London in 1994 at which the Dalai Lama read selections from the Gospels and commented on them from a Buddhist point of view. (LJ 7/96)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications (October 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861711149
• ISBN-13: 978-0861711147
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

116 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was hoping for, but very good nonetheless, December 15, 1999

By 

Buckeye (Harvard, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus (Paperback)

It seems strange to rate anything involving the Dalai Lama. As far as I'm concerned, he is far and away the finest and wisest human being alive. So not giving this book the full "five star treatment" feels strange to me. So here's why I only gave it four...

This is a very good book that centers around issues involved in christian-buddhist dialogue. I don't think it's as good a treatment as Robert Aitken's The Ground We Share - but it's very good nonetheless. However, it could have been SO much better if it had instead addressed the gospels from the point of view of what they mean in light of buddhist approaches to leading a good life, rather than what they mean with respect to more theoretical views on buddhist cosmology, questions of christian-buddhist doctrinal similarities and differences, etc.

Most of the Dalai Lama's books are very, very good in terms of relating buddhism to real life. Reading the Dalai Lama in this regard is in every respect a religious experience as well as a useful experience in learning to live a good life. However, over all I found The Good Heart to e a rather dry - though certainly scholarly - treatment of how buddhism and christianity compare and contrast with one another.

So, if you're interested in buddhist-christian dialogue on doctrinal matters, this would be a very good book for you. However, if you're looking for something more along the lines of what the Gospels really MEAN in terms of developing and nurturing a "good heart" - this is not it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Heart - Good Marriage, March 10, 2006

By 

Tralvex Yeap "Visionary" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus (Paperback)

My wife is a practising Catholic, while I'm a practising Buddhist.

This meaningful book help guide our family spiritual practice, to the dismay of some fundamentalists/extremists from both sides.

May all beings be well and happy.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, December 22, 2004

By 

Swing King (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus (Paperback)

I've come to a point where I've realized that I've never come across a book by the Dalai Lama I didn't like. By no means does this book break away from that strict principle. While I agree with a previous reviewer who stated this kind of work isn't unique anymore, that by no means lessens the significance of Buddhist-Christian dialogues which are now taking place. If we want to be precise in the matter, Thomas Merton basically paved the way years ago with works like "Zen and the Birds of Appetite" or his lesser known "The Asian Journals." In any case, I'm here to offer you a review of the book you came to purchase today, not a rundown in inter-religious meetings in literature.

This particular work is really a transcript of a seminar H.H. the Dalai Lama had given in London back in 94 to a group of Christians. What he did was use the teachings of Jesus that paralleled with the Buddhist vision of things like world peace and universal compassion; it was truly an exceptional presentation. I doubt there are many other Buddhist teachers who could have handled this sort of discourse with questioners any better. The Dalai uses pieces such as The Sermon on the Mount (along with various other New Testament scriptures) to lay the groundwork for an erudite explanation on how what the Buddha had taught was not too dissimilar from what Jesus Christ had taught; having said this, I will note that His Holiness did not go so far as to ever state they were the same.

You and I probably know that indeed there are some fundamental differences contrasting the Buddha from Jesus. Even still, this does not discount the importance of such an encounter or the benefits many people will experience in reading it - Christians and Buddhists alike will enjoy this work tremendously, and it could make it hard for someone on the sidelines trying to choose a spiritual path to make a concrete decision...

A+++