A breath of fresh air.

I agree with the Dalai Lama that only if the world's people succeed in finding common ground Beyond Religion is there a chance of working together for any kind of a sane future. I wondered what he was going to suggest, and found myself reading with interest. He describes compassion--the foundation of secular ethics--in detail, what it is and isn't (e.g. it isn't meekness). He shows why the practice of compassion and restraint is necessary for a sustainable environment, stable governments, as wel...

This book is part of a larger movement by progressive religious leaders - one that makes the argument for ethics outside of the constructs of religious teachings. I really appreciated the time the Dalai Lama spent defining "secular", a term which, all too often, has a negative connotation. His reasoning and practical approach to implementation was intriguing. While Humanist principles assert ethics (and morality) without religion, I'm left to wonder how accepting the larger religious community w...

This book is worth reading for me. The author explains quite difficult concepts by using simple and easy expressions in order to help normal people understand better. Come to think of this book, It seems that wise men put their values into entire humanity beyond narrow perspectives, which is pretty challenging to me.

I read about this book in some newspaper article at some point. I was interested because I get so tired of people who consider themselves to be religious, church-going folks, being... jerks! And the Dalai Lama did not disappoint. He said what I thought: you can be a good person and have high regard for the people around you without going to church every week. As the book went on, he did over simplify how to make yourself a better person. Just wake up early and meditate. Just tell yourself not to...

To some, this may be a surprising book and proposition coming from the modern 'father' of an ancient faith.* Not that Buddhism (in my experience and practice) must be faith-driven. Still, many may be surprised to hear a religious leader advocate and articulate universal morality and ethics free from faith-based or doctrinal foundations.The book is short, practical, well-reasoned, easy to follow, and includes positive prescriptions that can be carried out in the everyday lives of even busy secula...

"In the face of all the challenges of today's interconnected world, is my optimism about the future of humanity idealistic? Perhaps it is. Is it unrealistic? Certainly not."Well at least he's self-aware. One problem, or reservation, that I have with spiritual leaders is that they say all the right things, but don't have a real grasp, or the 'insider look', into bureaucratic challenges, social issues, and personal challenges we all face that gets in the way of a sense of ethics at times. They say...

I love the Dalai Lama. Every time I hear him in an interview I smile from ear to ear, I can't help myself. But I have read several of his books and each and every one was difficult to get through. I listened to this audio, which helps me actually finish books like these, but I had a hard time focusing on what was being said. My mind kept wandering every which way. Funny thing since a lot of this was, of course, about meditation practice, which is all about focusing the mind! I had to laugh at my...

The current (and declared last) Dalai Lama is not your typical religious prelate. Yes, he has written many books about Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhism in general. Yet, he is very much a citizen of the secular world and his interest in (and tolerance of) other religions and the non-religious is a core element of how he lives. Ethics is the umbrella under which all of this exists. He sees materialism as a challenge but not an impasse. The challenge is where a focus on the material leads to “while ne...

The Dalai Lama And Secular EthicsThe many books written by the Dalai Lama can be divided into two groups. In the first, the Dalai Lama writes specifically about the teachings and practices of Buddhism, particularly his own Tibetan Buddhism. In the second group, the Dalai Lama takes a broader approach and writes on a range of subjects such as ethics, happiness, and the scientific worldview that are not specifically tied to Buddhism or to any particular faith religion. Both groups of books are mar...

I am a Goodreads First Reads winner of this book. This is a great book for anyone interested in philosophy who wants a book as entertaining as it is intellectually challenging. Each new concept is backed up with anecdotes from the Dalai Lama's life, told "half-jokingly" in a way that doesn't fly over your head. I finished the book several hours ago, and I'm still thinking about everything His Holiness said about our common humanity and the place ethics has in society. Thank you for the great rea...

This book on a secular approach to ethics by the Dalai Lama caught my eye when I was browsing the new books section of my library. Acknowledging the shortcomings of religious approaches and the problems caused by the inherent conflicts of religion, the Dalai Lama turns to humanist principles and calls for a secular approach to ethics. In the later chapters, he addresses the overlap between secular humanism and Buddhist principles - a topic that has long been of interest to me.This is a very good...

All my life I have been told by "religious" people that religion is necessary for morality. I have never believed this, mostly because my own parents were every bit as moral as they were secular.Also, growing up I absorbed the "enlightened," civic faith of the Founding Fathers of the U.S.A. in the ability of a body of citizens to govern itself without being ruled by a set of religious doctrines. All that was needed was the right framework (laws) and a willingness to work for the common good of a...

I breezed right through this lovely little book on how we need to adjust our thinking about ethics and separate them from our notions of religion, teach them more substantially in our schools, and cultivate them more vigorously in ourselves as individuals. In the first half, he sets out his reasonings for these claims, and then proceeds in the second half to instruct the reader on how to go about the personal cultivation of secular ethics with practical suggestions. I enjoyed this one a good dea...

Ethics-based approach to the idea of improving the condition of humanity by improving yourself first. Wrapped in pretty much a Buddhist philosophy without the religious aspects. Promotes moral/ethical principles that are mostly common to the teachings of the major religions, even if not their practice. Full of very sensible ideas, though nothing revolutionary.The writing style was simplistic, as if aimed at 12-year-olds, I thought. Whereas the content is more adult focused. So I'm not sure who i...

I should not have raced through this at double time on Audible. I should have absorbed more and will need to revisit the book. His emphasis on compassion as a fundamental attribute of a good, global society was particularly powerful. Also his emphasis on personal responsibility and control over one's self.

Aristotle noted that ethics differs from other branches of philosophy, “in not being a subject of merely intellectual interest — I mean we are not concerned to know what goodness essentially is, but how we are to become good people, for this alone gives the study its practical value.” This did not turn out to be a good prediction of how this branch of philosophy would develop in the philosophical tradition that followed Aristotle in the West.Another philosophical tradition was nurtured in India

I read this somewhere...Someone asked The Buddha, "What is the greatest obstacle to Enlightenment?" The Buddha answered, "Laziness!" That sly quote came to mind several times as I read this book. It works in two ways. It conveys His Holiness' conviction that ethical behavior isn't necessarily based on faith, but is also based on several internal values (compassion being the greatest, if I read correctly). Developing those internal values, the ability to have compassion, understanding, and more,

Despite his deep faith, the Dalai Lama is convinced that the striving toward moral ethics and inner values cannot be met solely through religion in the secular world of today. With so many belief systems, a religion-based approach to ethics will never be universal, thus the need for a secular ethics. Secularism - respect for all faiths and no faith - and religion are not mutually exclusive. A good example of this would be Gandhi. deeply religious and all-embracing. I picked up this book primaril...

I always enjoy listening to the Dalai Lama and his calming words. After the disappointment of realizing Martin Sheen was narrating the book I decided to read instead. He talks about the need for a system of ethics that doesn't depend on religion but instead depends on people's shared humanity and compassion, where people of many religions and none all live together and increasingly must work together to solve global problems. I appreciated how he spoke his own Buddhist religion and says even tho...