Just in time for the crucial 2006 Congressional elections, Mindful Politics goes beyond right and left to get to the heart of what matters, and how everyone can participate in real political change. Mindful Politics is not a typical political book. It's not written at fever pitch, it doesn’t employ the usual good vs. bad binary, it doesn't get hung up on specific issues or policies, and it's not even specifically "American." Instead, this timely book addresses the less-discussed but more important aspects of politics, such as whether religion — any religion, including Buddhism — has something to offer politics. It also discusses how dealing with emotional issues can help the activist move beyond the particulars of legislation and policy, so that personal growth and effective advocacy can occur together. Noted editor Melvin McLeod offers a brief, contextualizing introduction for each of these essays.
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This collection of essays on a Buddhist approach to politics is far-ranging. We see contributions from Buddhists engaged in politics, whether religious figures like the Dalai Lama and Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh or Zen student and political leader Jerry Brown, as well as a wide variety of Buddhist teachers and practitioners. McLeod, who edits two Buddhist periodicals and an annual anthology of Buddhist writing, skillfully organizes the diverse writings by using the categories that describe Buddhism's noble eightfold path. Contributions vary in quality. Nhat Hanh is clear as a Zen sitting-room bell; the precepts of his Order of Interbeing community are specific, and he can draw on decades of peace work to illustrate that what he says is not merely possible but has already been done. Scholar Rita Gross offers fresh insight about the anger of righteousness that often motivates political involvement. Other contributions are woolly or left over from the 1960s; bell hooks's use of leftisms ("imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy") draws on stale ideology. Margaret Wheatley does important work in community and leadership development, but should avoid writing bad poetry to express her views. Despite unevenness, this anthology usefully disputes Buddhism's reputation as apolitical. Buddhism is quiet but not quietistic. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm not Buddhist, but I am very politically active, and that's why I decided to check out this book. 2006 looks to be a year of changes, probably because the powerful have become disconnected from reality, and a group of people who have questioned the "reality" and dared to think in new ways are pushing forward. The essays in this book encourage the reader to question assumptions... especially the assumption that Buddhists are above politics. The last, best essay by Sam Harris poses the most subversive question: would getting rid of the religion of Buddhism make the world a better place?
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is excellent. My son ordered 3 Buddhist books at the same time for a term paper concerning war. This was far and away the best of the three. It is a collection of essays, some of which touch on war. The essays are well worth reading.
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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using shih, gross national happiness, loving speech, unwholesome states, universal responsibility, wrong perceptions, mindful breathing, collective insight, enlightened society, basic goodness Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Thich Nhat Hanh, Sun Tzu, Chögyam Trungpa, Trungpa Rinpoche, Dalai Lama, United States, Engaged Buddhism, Ken Jones, Middle East, United Nations, President Chun, South Africa, The Art of War, Mayor Brown, Western Buddhism, Western Buddhists, British Empire, David Loy, Great Function, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, New York Times, Noah Levine, Peter Coyote New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
using shih, gross national happiness, loving speech, unwholesome states, universal responsibility, wrong perceptions, mindful breathing, collective insight, enlightened society, basic goodness Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Thich Nhat Hanh, Sun Tzu, Chögyam Trungpa, Trungpa Rinpoche, Dalai Lama, United States, Engaged Buddhism, Ken Jones, Middle East, United Nations, President Chun, South Africa, The Art of War, Mayor Brown, Western Buddhism, Western Buddhists, British Empire, David Loy, Great Function, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, New York Times, Noah Levine, Peter Coyote New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 30
books:
See all 30 books this book cites
- The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris on page 292, and Back Matter
- Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (Shambhala Library) by Chogyam Trungpa in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Thomas Hobbes: Critical Assessments (Critical Assessments of Leading Political Philosophers) by Preston King on page 29
- Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya (Sacred Literature) by Bhikkhu Bodhi in Back Matter
- Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom by Joseph Goldstein in Back Matter
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