Peace Is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End [Hardcover]

Deepak Chopra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2005

Deepak Chopra’s passionate new book, Peace Is the Way, was inspired by a saying from Mahatma Gandhi: “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” In a world where every path to peace has proved futile, the one strategy that hasn’t been tried is the way of peace itself. “We must not bring one war to an end, or thirty,” Chopra tells us, “but the idea of war itself.”

How can this be done?

By facing the truth that war is satisfying, and then substituting new satisfactions so that violence is no longer appealing. “War has become a habit. We reach for it the way a chain smoker reaches for a cigarette, promising to quit but somehow never kicking the habit.” But Chopra tells us that peace has its own power, and our task now is to direct that power and multiply it one person at a time.

Behind the numbing headlines of violence running out of control there are unmistakable signs of a change—Chopra believes that a majority of people are ready to see an end to war. “Right now 23 million soldiers serve in armies around the world. Can’t we find ten times that number who will dedicate themselves to peace? A hundred times?”

Peace Is the Way challenges each of us to take the next leap in personal evolution. “You aren’t asked to be a saint, or to give up any belief. You are only asked to stop reacting out of fear, to change your allegiance from violence to peace.” In a practical seven-step program, Chopra shows the reader how to become a true peacemaker. “Violence may be innate in human nature, but so is its opposite: love. The next stage of humanity, the leap which we are poised to take, will be guided by the force of that love.” This is more than a hope or an aspiration. It is a new way of being in the world, giving each individual the power to end war in our time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chopra's latest work is prefaced by endorsements from four Nobel Peace Laureates, Muhammad Ali and an impressive array of other notables. Here, the Indian-born doctor and author of the bestselling The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and other popular spiritual guides contends that the deeply ingrained human habit of resorting to violence can be ended by raising the consciousness of individuals until there is a global change in awareness, similar to the shift that took place when the age of science took hold. Chopra, whose bestsellers and celebrity-friendliness have saddled him with a reputation for being guru to the rich and comfortable, is refreshingly honest about the way our comfort and security are ultimately the fruits of war. "The satisfaction of waging war cannot be replaced by philosophy or religion," he writes. In addition to analysis, he offers daily practices of meditation, thought and actions on behalf of others as a way to live the truth of Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote: "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." Ultimately, however, the ego itself has to be disarmed to live the way of peace, he says: "For me as an individual to be free, I have to confront myself with questions about who I really am, and this is done in large part by examining the layers of false identity that I mistakenly call me." This is clearly harder to practice than it is to read. Still, Chopra's affirmation that "our true identity is at the level of spirit and nowhere else" has the ring of truth and so does the rest of this simple, practical, inspiring book. Major ad/promo. (Jan. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Chopra takes his belief in the ability of the mind to move mountains and applies it to the biggest mountain of all--war. Taking the title of his book from Ghandi ("There is no way to peace. Peace is the way"), Chopra begins with the observation, "Today is a good day for war to come to an end." For all those who hunger to make that statement true, he offers what he believes is a pathway. He begins with a discussion of the reasons for war--it's a habit, and it has the eternal appeal of good battling evil--and then shows how the myriad justifications are all illusions. Also discussed is the toxicity of nationalism, a notion that is applied to the U.S and to those who believe in this country's right to make the world adhere to its will. Whether Chopra's admonitions will have an effect on the powerful around the world is certainly arguable, but he counters such skepticism with the unswerving belief that change occurs only when there is a leap of consciousness. If enough people change their minds about peace, the world can transform itself. Not content with broad platitudes, Chopra offers a seven-point plan for every individual; each step, from meditating for peace to acting peacefully, seems painfully simple, but Chopra makes a convincing case that peace must begin with each of us. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; 1St Edition edition (January 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307236072
• ISBN-13: 978-0307236074
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,416,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Founder of The Chopra Foundation
Senior Scientist, The Gallup Organization
www.deepakchopra.com
www.facebook.com/DeepakChopraCommunity
www.twitter.com/deepakchopra

As a global leader and pioneer in the field of mind-body medicine, Chopra transforms the way the world views physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellness. Known as a prolific author of over sixty books with eighteen New York Times best sellers in both the fiction and non fiction categories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jumping for Joy at Chopra's Vision of Peace, January 22, 2005

By 

Alice Finnamore (Scotch Settlement, New Brunswick Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peace Is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End (Hardcover)

In Peace is the Way, Deepak Chopra says, "You will know when your are living the way of peace when three things are present: Seva: Your actions harm no one and benefit everyone. Simran: You remember your true nature and your purpose for being here. Satsang: You belong in the community of peace and wisdom."

I have read a number of Deepak Chopra's books, but none have evoked the intense joy that I felt while reading Peace is the Way. I heard about the book the day before it came out, and was probably one of the first to purchase a copy. The quote above is from page eight. By page twenty I was wanting to jump with joy. By page 118, I was inwardly shouting, "Yes!"

Chopra outlines the thought processes and belief systems that keep war within our experience. Yet throughout the book, he shows that there is another way, the way of peace in one heart at a time, my heart, and your heart. Stopping war seems like an impossible task from such small beginnings, but Chopra reminds us on page nineteen that Christianity started with just thirteen people. Not only does Chopra show us the flaws in our war supporting beliefs, he gently leads us through new ways of thinking, encouraging us to open ourselves to Consciousness, to that which is beyond the duality of good and evil, "us" and "them".

Peace is the Way is a controversial book. It will make people uncomfortable, and some will blame Chopra instead of realizing the discomfort is within themselves. I am thinking of the last time I had my piano tuned. It was noticeably off key, but I had grown accustomed to the sound. The piano tuner began with one firm A, pounding out that beacon of true vibration over and over as he tightened the strings one by one, drawing me and my entire house into discord and discomfort until finally all was in harmony. Deepak Chopra's book is like that, vibrating the tone of peace so strongly that we feel the discord in our world and in our hearts, and one by one we are drawn into harmony.

You will be touched by this book. You may be angry. You may weep at the stories he tells. You may, like me, be filled with joy at the vision of a peace which is not accomplished through blood shed. You will definitely be changed. Chopra concludes with the words: "Right now there are 21.3 million soldiers serving in armies around the world. Can't we recruit a peace brigade ten times larger? A hundred times larger? The effort begins now, with you."

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peace is really the only way., January 23, 2005

By 

Lissa Coffey, Host of coffeytalk.com "DoshaDiva" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peace Is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End (Hardcover)

It's no news that the world is in terrible turmoil right now. I honestly don't know if things are getting worse, or they are just continuing in different parts of the world. But one thing I do know is that whatever happens affects all of us. We are all connected. We can't separate ourselves from what goes on in some distant country. I recently saw the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and it really brought to light some of the basic human emotions that we all share. Peace is a huge concept, and of course it is something we all want, something we strive for. World peace, community peace, inner peace, it's all connected. We all have to do our part to make it happen.

Deepak Chopra has written a beautiful new book called "Peace is the Way." I love the way Deepak writes because he expresses so well what is really important. It's so clear. I'd love it if this book could be in every classroom. We need to learn to get along! And some of these basic lessons can be learned in school. Peace is a possibility. A definite possibility.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very powerful, thought-provoking book!, February 1, 2005

By 

da Vinci - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peace Is the Way: Bringing War and Violence to an End (Hardcover)

I rate this book by Dr. Chopra, 5 stars without any hesitation. This is a very powerful, insightful and "peaceful" book. At the same time, Dr. Chopra truly "tells it like it is" in this book, which seems to be somewhat of a departure for him. I mean, he says what is on his mind here and he says it quite succinctly. I was somewhat surprised by that here. But this is an excellent book, one well worth the investment of time and money (as are Dr. Chopra's other books). It will leave you, or should I say, YOU will leave IT, a changed person indeed. A more peaceful one too! Peace! Namaste!