Dalai Lama: ethics for a new millenium
I started reading Dalai Lama's ethics for a new millenium while i was away visiting my grandparents for the weekend.
this is the first i've read of the dalai lama's books, and also the first time i've really looked at buddist philosophy since my school-days way back in the 80's
and while i have neither the ability nor the inclination to give a decent recap of the book (oh, and let's not frget that i haven't yet passed the half-way mark), i'll say tht so far, so good.
first of all, it's a very pragmatic book, considering that it deals with spirituality, ethics and religion. it doesn't claim to be a final source of knowledge, and doesn't pretend to be based on anything more than the personal experiences of one man.
on the other hand, there is no fear of treading into unpopular or unscientific territory. of dealing with spirituality, without reneging science and in making bold claims as the the power of each of us as individuals.
Essentially it's about inner peace, and the happiness that comes from it. about looking beyond yourself, and about adopting a different set of standards and goals than those that are most common in the western world.
Fo someone like me, who's basically decided to give up the comforts of a stable IT job, to work with something I believe can make a difference to some people out there, it rings true.
I'm sceptical to the very last, because at the end of the day the book does make claims that are somewhat difficult to fit into a objectivist welt-anshauung
On the other hand, I'm a contemplater. constantly thinking about what i do, and why i do it. constantly in bewilderment at the exact path i've chosen, and always wanting a better explanation as to why i feel so much better doing what i do know, than what i did before.
and "ethics for a new millenium" at least dares to try to answer some of those questions....
For now i'll put it on my top 4 list of inspirational litterature i've been lucky enough to read:
- Ethics for a New Millenium - Dalai Lama
- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
- The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
