Ethics for the New Millennium (Hardcover)

by Dalai Lama (Author) "I AM A COMPARATIVE NEWCOMER TO THE MODern world..." (more)
Key Phrases: military disestablishment, afflictive emotion, interreligious harmony, Dalai Lama, United Nations, Mahatma Gandhi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In a modern society characterized by insensitivity to violence, ambivalence to the suffering of others, and a high-octane profit motive, is talk of ethics anything more than a temporary salve for our collective conscience? The Dalai Lama thinks so. In his Ethics for the New Millennium, the exiled leader of the Tibetan people shows how the basic concerns of all people--happiness based in contentment, appeasement of suffering, forging meaningful relationships--can act as the foundation for a universal ethics.

His medicine isn't always easy to swallow, however, for it demands of the reader more than memorizing precepts or positing hypothetical dilemmas. The Nobel Peace laureate invites us to recognize certain basic facts of existence, such as the interdependence of all things, and from these to recalibrate our hearts and minds, to approach all of our actions in their light. Nothing short of an inner revolution will do. Basic work is required in nurturing our innate tendencies to compassion, tolerance, and generosity. And at the same time, "we need to think, think, think ... like a scientist," reasoning out the best ways to act from a principle of universal responsibility. Like a merging of the care and compassion of Jesus, the cool rationality of the Stoics, the moral program of Ben Franklin, and the psychology of William James, Ethics for the New Millennium is a plea for basic goodness, a blueprint for world peace. --Brian Bruya

From Publishers Weekly
"This is not a religious book," asserts the Dalai Lama about a volume that's his most outspoken to date on moral and social issues. "My aim has been to appeal for an approach to ethics based on universal rather than religious principles." The Dalai Lama adopts this approach because, he notes, the majority of humanity ignores religion, the traditional vehicle for ethics, yet observation shows him that happiness, which he discerns as the prime human goal, depends upon "positive ethical conduct." The entire book, written in simple, direct prose, reflects this sort of step-by-step reasoning, taking on color and drama with numerous anecdotes drawn from the Tibetan leader's personal experience. Methodically, the Dalai Lama explores the foundation of ethics, how ethics affects the individual and the role of ethics in society. He resorts often to Buddhist principles (as in employing the idea of dependent originationAthat nothing arises or exists of itselfAto demonstrate the interrelatedness of all life), but also to native Tibetan ideas and, occasionally, to secular thought or that of other religions. The book represents no radical departure from his previous work, but it does present a number of forceful views on issues ranging from cloning to vivisection to excess wealth ("the life of luxury... is unworthy"), as well as personal flavor not seen in his books since his autobiography, Freedom in Exile. The Dalai Lama refers, for instance, to his unwillingness to sell his watch collection for money to feed the poor as an example of ethical limitation. With its disarmingly frank, kindly manner and authoritative air, the book is what one would expect from a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and could appeal as widely as the Dalai Lama's current bestseller, The Art of Happiness. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Press; Unknown edition (August 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220256
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220255
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.

Customer Reviews

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It just makes so much sense.
This was the first book that I have read by the Dalai Lama and I am intrigued to learn much more about Buddhism. This book was wonderful. It was so easy to read and follow. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Joe and Carolyn P

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Religious but Indeed Spiritual
As a professor of ethics, I highly recommend this book. Unlike many books on ethics the respected author takes a deep look at the interior aspects of what it means to be human;... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Terry A. Bell

5.0 out of 5 stars the Dalai Lama transcends factionalism, denominalism
(sorry in advance) anyone who isn't moved by the kindness & compassion; the hopeful sayings of HH the Dalai Lama is either too cynical or not in touch with the needs of our... Read more

Published 14 months ago by Anders Tronsen

5.0 out of 5 stars transcends all religions
Though self-consciously idealistic and at times maddeningly general, this book is profoundly insightful. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Robert Reid

3.0 out of 5 stars Fell quite short of my expectations...
Although I thoroughly enjoyed many parts of this book and would recommend it to many people, I would not recommend it to everyone. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Francois-Xavier Jette

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book on Basic Ethics
I went to his gathering in Portland where he shared the contents of this book verbally in a distilled form. Much of the talk was identical to passages in the book. Read more

Published 20 months ago by William Bagley

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple, practical, nonreligious guide to ethics
Ethics for the New Millennium is explicitly a nonreligious work, though it does present several key ideas that come out of Buddhist philosophical tradition. Read more

Published on April 10, 2007 by Richard E. Gillilan

5.0 out of 5 stars Said the Buddhist to the hot dog vendor, "Make me one with everything!"
Very few religious leaders speak deeply about ethics in a manner that allows people to think deeply as a result. Read more

Published on August 14, 2006 by T. K. Kenyon

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Dalai!
The Lama's thoughts on modern ethics are profound, making this the most important book I have ever shoplifted.

Published on June 23, 2006 by Brian Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars He knows what he's talking about...take notes and learn
The Dalai Lama considers the state of the world in relation to ethics with a fine-toothed comb. (I am currently borrowing "Ethics for the New Millennium" as an abridged audiobook... Read more

Published on May 29, 2006 by Sarah O.

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