Monday, October 15, 2007

Ethics for the New Millenium

I was reluctant to read the Dalai Lama for a few years. Because he was the most accessible author of Buddhism, I presumed his teaching would be "dumbed down" for a broader audience. I imagined I would best relate to little-known mountain mystics whose writings were only recently translated and discussed by a small number of literati. Eventually I ended that stubborn resistance with "The Art of Happiness". Although not by the Dalai Lama, author Howard Cutler provides a great introductory book to the ideas of his Holiness. Since then, I have come to regard the Dalai Lama as somebody whose wisdom and experience can provide tremendous guidance in my approach to life. Ethics for a New Millenium does not approach significantly different topics or ideas than the other books I have read by him since "The Art of Happiness". Instead, I found it to be a comfortable review of his ideas. This works great for me, because I find a consistent review of Buddhisms's simple maxims to be helpful in maintaining their influence in my day-to-day life.

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