Customer Reviews

Violence and Compassion: Dialogues on Life Today

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The dialogue format always seems to serve the Dalai Lama well as it allows him to speak at a comfortable speed about topics that would be otherwise just too massive if he had to sit down and write about them. The theme of the conversation is violence in the modern world, its origin, its meaning and its various forms of manifestation. Mr.Carriere does a great job of keeping the conversation lean but muscular. As the man who put together on film the massive _MAHABHARATA_, Carriere is familiar with Indian and Buddhist material and does the reader a very competent service by introducing a page here a page there of explanation and/or a commentary, giving an older Hindu context for the Buddhist concepts. This is not an "interview" but a real conversation that a couple of mutually respecting friends might have. That's what makes the book so lively. Carriere at one point even chides Dalai Lama for simplifying the West as "mechanistic". Moreover, Carriere speaks not only for himself, but perhaps also for a reader who may not find Buddhist cosmology -- in terms of rebirth and reincarnation, etc -- so readily acceptable. It is when such a(n opposing) point of view is introduced that the Dalai Lama shows how and why Buddhism is so pragmatic: BUddhism is not a "religion", he says. It is a science of the Mind. It has no doctrines, no dogmas to maintain AGAINST common sense and empirical data. Buddhism is a science with a vast amount of data concerning the Mind and techiques of access. But as the research was done for over at least 2500 years, in a particular setting, in a particular material, psychological condition, Buddhism would also naturally reflect a set of behaviors and "beliefs" of those local environments in their totality. Thus, what is not applicable in the modern world, Buddhism is ready to modify or jettison. For example, certain manner of representation to illustrate a spiritual and/or social point (instituion of marriage, sexual conduct, various ceremonial protocol, etc). The Dalai Lama even states that Buddhism would relinquish even the notion (which for him and for millions of practicing Buddhists a reality) of rebirth IF science ever gets around to PROVING it conclusively.

The Dalai Lama makes it very clear on several occasions that humanity must now move toward a spiritual life as opposed to a religious life. (They are not the same.)
The problem of over-population is discussed as the main cause of violence done to the earth, thus to the entire cosmos, causing more greed, more desperation.
Carriere is more openly critical of the Vatican's position over this issue. The Dalai Lama agrees that the virtue of the commandment to "go forth and multiply" must be heeded within the context in which we seek guidance from such a religious tradition. And that context is always Here and Now, thus putting into question the sanity of following blindly such a "commandment" today when there are 5 billion of us; when we cannot be guaranteed the required space necessary for a spiritual upgrade. The Dalai Lama is harshly critical of the mindset that only looks at figures; those "experts" who claim the earth can feed as many as 10 billion. Fed? Then what? What will they all do, to what purpose, at what quality of life, he asks.
The previous reviewer mentioned something that I think needs a qualification. No, the Dalai Lama is neither an "atheist" nor a "theist" and the whole issue is very complicated. Buddhism has its own complex pantheon of deities. Traditionally, Buddhism's response to the question concerning the idea of a creator god is one of silence. Buddhism basically says, you will never know by intellectual inquiry. Moreover, even if such a god existed, it doesn't concern you: It won't help YOU to do YOUR homework.
Also, Buddhism has a tradition of turning away anyone who is too enthusiatic to become a Buddhist on a whim. Don't think it's for you just because you're an atheist. Think about it a little longer, son.
Buddhist pragmatism in a nutshell. Highly recommended.

This book, compiled from dialogues between the Dalai Lama and Jean-Claude Carriere, is a nice book for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. It showcases the Dalai Lama's practical application of basic Buddhist principles to real life issues. Although /Violence and Compassion/ is a bit out-of-date now, the core issues are still with us and the Dalai Lama's perspective continues to be relevant.

/Violence and Compassion/ is not preachy, it is not heavy on Buddhist metaphysics or ideas that are beyond the casual reader's understanding. In fact, I would specifically recommend this book to people who know little or nothing about Buddhism. It shows Buddhist thought in action, applied to the real world -- no lengthy treatises on the theories of karma or bardos, but rather a perfect marriage of pragmatism and compassion. If that's not what Buddhism is really about, I don't know what is.

After looking at this book, I'm ready to be a buddhist! Seriously. And I'm an atheist! But that's fine, because the Dalai Lama does not believe in a creator either, and it is mentioned in various parts of the book. Excellent reading material.