- Hardcover: 248 pages
- Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (Dec 1 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385479603
- ISBN-13: 978-0385479608
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 12.2 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 322 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,288,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In 1993, well-known French screenwriter Carriere traveled to Dharamsala, India, the encampment and center of exiled Tibetans, to interview the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of a country occupied by China since 1950. In these wide-ranging talks, the Dalai Lama calls for democratic elections in Tibet, supports birth control and women's rights and stresses the global need for population control as a step toward combating poverty and environmental destruction. He suggests that Buddhism, with meditation as its core practice, can be an antidote to racism and fundamentalism of every stripe, because it teaches tolerance, peace of mind, compassion and the interdependence of all things. He touches on a variety of topics, from reincarnation to the big bang. These conversations, introduced by Carriere's interlinking commentaries, apply practical spiritual intelligence to contemporary worldwide problems.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This book records the conversation that screenwriter Carriere (The Unbearable Lightness of Being) held with the Dalai Lama, the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism, in 1993. The topics covered range from exile and reincarnation to education and science. In each dialog, Carriere questions the Dalai Lama about the meaningfulness of Tibetan Buddhism in the world today. The Dalai Lama's responses are often playful, but they alsoare filled with the penetrating insight we have come to expect from this wise religious leader. Unfortunately, Carriere too often dominates the conversation with his naive questions, sometimes even presuming to answer the question for the Dalai Lama. Not recommended.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always a Pleasure,
By J.W.K (Nagano, Japan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Violence and Compassion: Dialogues on Life Today (Paperback)
Reading interviews with the Dalai Lama is always a pleasure. Easy to read and insightful, you get exactly what the doctor ordered: an accessible, engaging introduction to his perspective. You can't go wrong with this one.
5.0 out of 5 stars
fast intro to buddhist pragmatism,
By Saul Boulschett "Anyway" (Dry land) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Violence and Compassion: Dialogues on Life Today (Paperback)
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.)
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Eye Opening and honest,
By Tony Martin "veggiedude" (So San Fran, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Violence and Compassion (Hardcover)
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.
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