A solid argument for ethics expanding beyond religious boundaries. The case for inner values bore heavy similarities to stoicism, which peaked my interest. The Dalai Lama is a very good philosopher and his genuine interest in science and deeply compassionate nature make the journey through this book a joy. ( )

The Dalai Lama knows inspiration and spirituality. He has both in spades. His claim that ethics needs to be defined outside of religion is something I believe is most certainly true.

However, Dalai Lama XIV would have us mostly believe it based on faith alone. He quotes friends and scientists, sometimes naming them, sometimes not,but never does he back these quotes with anything more. As he writes, the Dalai Lama is not a scientist and this is mostly a humble plea to begin encouraging humanity to look beyond the walls we build up around ourselves.

He ends: "Within the scale of the life of the cosmos, a human life is no more than a tiny blip. Each one of us is a visitor to this planet, a guest, who has only a finite time to stay. What greater folly could there be than to spend this short time lonely, unhappy, and in conflict with our fellow visitors? Far better, surely, to use our short time in pursuing a meaningful life, enriched by a sense of connection with and service toward others."

You can't argue with that.

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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 deal, even though it was mostly a case of preaching to an already-devout member of his choir (there wasn't much here that was new to me or that went in any way against my already-held beliefs on the subject). Definitely recommended. ( )

An unprecedented event: a beloved world religious leader proposes a way to lead an ethical, happy, and spiritual life beyond religion and offers a program of mental training for cultivating key human values

Ten years ago, in his best-selling Ethics for a New Millennium, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first proposed an approach to ethics based on universal rather than religious principles. Now, in Beyond Religion, the Dalai Lama, at his most compassionate and outspoken, elaborates and deepens his vision for the nonreligious way.

Transcending the mere “religion wars,” he outlines a system of ethics for our shared world, one that gives full respect to religion. With the highest level of spiritual and intellectual authority, the Dalai Lama makes a stirring appeal for what he calls a “third way,” a path to an ethical and happy life and to a global human community based on understanding and mutual respect.

Beyond Religion is an essential statement from the Dalai Lama, a blueprint for all those who may choose not to identify with a religious tradition, yet still yearn for a life of spiritual fulfillment as they work for a better world.

Much food for thought in this scary time where it seems like people spend less and less time on the contemplation of harmony and conservation and react violently over the smallest detail, screaming that they are being repressed when they are in fact doing the repressing. Sadly the people who need this message the most are those that wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, simply by seeing the Dalai Lama on the cover.

The message is wonderful, promoting compassion and intelligent thinking at the individual level to in turn effect change on a greater scale.

"It is my hope that this will be a century of peace, a century of dialogue -- a century when more caring, responsible, and compassionate humanity will emerge."

This is my hope too. But on the evening after another mass shooting in our country, I have to say, I am saddened and discouraged by my fellow humans, and what we're allowing to pass. I can only hope that there are others like myself, who want peace and harmony, and that by striving to better myself, the greater change the Dalai Lama hopes will follow, truly comes to pass. ( )

I just couldn't love DL more ( I want to pick him up and carry him around with me ... ) This is ' value ethics ' , which has been kicking around since Aristotle. ( )

In Beyond Religion the Dalai Lama describes the path to and justification for attaining inner values in secular terms, not meaning outside religion, but in terms inclusive of all faiths and for those without. The last part of the book, a little less than an hour in the audiobook, is devoted to meditative practices.

Martin Sheen's narration is well balanced in tone and level of emphasis. I can't recommend reading this in audiobook form, though, because the reading pace did not always match my speed of comprehension - not a fault of the narrator - and did not lend itself easily to going back to review particularly compelling lines of thought. I do plan to read more of the Dalai Lama's writing in written form.
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This is a really tremendous little book. If a person is absolutely positive that one particular "brand" of religion has all the correct answers, then this is probably not a book for them. But for anyone who has questions and searches for peace within the questions, this book is a great one. ( )

I sincerely enjoyed reading about the cultivation of specific human traits from a non-dogmatic persepctive. I have always rejected the notion that a deity is necessary for mankind to avoid that which is harmful to us along numerous plains of the human experience. The author takes his time discussing particular traits, positive and negative, in simple terms, using metaphor only when needed. As with other books I've read by Tibetan monks, I agree with about 92% of the philosophy and disagree with the rest. The author seems to rush through one point that I wish he'd taken a bit longer to explain: that of capital punishment and revenge. His conclusion was too quick, especially in the face of strong counter-arguments. Perhaps there *is* closure, and no cycle of violence, when an gross offender's life is taken in return for a crime. Explore that from the victim's perspective please, a bit more. The discussion was ended too quickly. Another unanswered question is: how do we know based on our emotions, whether to give expression to a natural urge or to quash it? This isn't clear to me. On what rationalistic reasoning is this based? I am more used to the concept of channeling all emotions, rather than supressing it, which is beyond a monumental task, which the Dalai Lama seeme to think could come with ease. Not so. No matter the content in the book, I must always keep in mind with a dash of salt that desire to monks is expressed for the layman as a wish for chocolate cake, rather than, oh, I dunno, sex? ( )

I wanted more from this book. It's philosophically/theologically sound, and I agree with the basic premise, but it still read like a book about Tibetan Buddhism. I think it would be accessible to members of other religious traditions, and to non-religious people, but it didn't break new ground for me. ( )

Three books published in the last few years should be on every peacemaker's bookshelf: Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature", Michael Shermer's "The Moral Arc", and the Dalai Lama's "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World". These three volumes begin with the premise that global violence on an historical timeline is not getting worse and that humanity is generally good. Turn the nightly news on today, or scan the latest headlines on your iPhone, and it would seem that the world grows uglier each day. Pinker's book successfully argues that the past was a much more brutal time. Shermer argues that because of the Enlightenment, thinkers consciously applied the methods of science to morally solve social struggles and that again, on an historical timeline, humanity is in the most moral period in history. The Dalai Lama makes it clear in "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World" that an individual does not have to be religious to be ethical. Love and compassion are necessities for living. Compassion expresses deep sensitivity to the sufferings of others and a fierce drive to help alleviate those sufferings. Compassion is also the realization that we - human beings, animals, and the earth itself - are all interconnected. ( )

I listened to this book as I walked to work. It really put me in a great mood, ready to face the trials of the day. It is very clearly written and truly inspiring. I liked the exercises at the end. I will be putting them into practice as I sit in the mornings. I just wish that more people in the world would come to understand our commonalities. It would go a long way to bringing peace to our communities and the planet. ( )

I am a big fan of the Dali Lama and picked this up for free a while ago. As a humanist I thought I would enjoy it.

I did enjoy the beginning, but after that it dragged on a fair amount. Since it was an audiobook I can't really skip that. I think I would enjoy reading the actual book and hopefully I will at some point.

Also now I keep thinking the Dali Lama sounds like Martin Sheen. ( )

I just couldn't love DL more ( I want to pick him up and carry him around with me ... ) This is ' value ethics ' , which has been kicking around since Aristotle. ( )

Without a doubt the best book written by the Dalai Lama, so far. I really didn't want to finish Beyond Religion and now that I have, I feel the need to read it again. I recognise that I have a tremendous lack of tolerance for religion and those who profess to be devoutly anything. This book came into my life at a very good time and I highly recommend it. I can not imagine anyone not benefiting from what His Holiness has to share. His acceptance is inspiring. ( )

Really amazing. Most of the other reviews on here already hit the nail on the head in terms of the specifics of content, so I'll just add my brief $0.02. If you've read a lot of HHDL's previous writings you won't find a whole lot of very new thoughts. However, if you're looking for somewhere gentle to start then this is the book to go for. It's shorter and more succinct that some of his other works while also conveying many of the core messages well. ( )

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World has sprung from what seems to be H.H. the Dalai Lama's commitment to fostering compassion as widely as possible—in this instance, beyond Buddhists and even individuals who identify as religious. Written in a straightforward, colloquial voice with characteristic good humor, this book opens in its first half a broad discussion of secular ethics grounded in human nature. The second half offers advice—some a bit abstract, but some direct and pragmatic—on building or sustaining a regular practice of compassion. I worry a bit that assuming this must be done through formal meditation practices may be too far outside the norm for many who haven't decided to cultivate mindfulness, but the broad, embracing vision of this book is likely to interest many individuals from a variety of backgrounds. ( )

Beyond Religion Ethics for a Whole World by H.H. Dalai Lama

Many studies of comparative religions have been written that look for the beliefs and practices that all major religions have in common. One that easily comes to mind is "The Golden Rule". All of the eight major religions have some form of that belief. In this new book the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhists, has done exactly what the title states and gone beyond religion searching for our human commonalities in beliefs. He examines the ethical practices that benefit all humans.

Dalai Lama addresses the multitude of problems that face people of all classes and cultures, from physical hunger to inner craving for spiritual satisfaction, something we may not even realize we are experiencing. We may notice only the emptiness remaining when we have consumed all that we can, from food to all material products. He also states that although religion has helped many in the past and still does today, it is no longer enough. As the world becomes more mobile and therefore differing cultures keep bumping up against each other in our attempts to live together, we must move beyond our own cultural beliefs and religions to ethics that benefit for all of humanity.

One of the issues Dalai Lama examines is the fact that all major religions have some form of tradition of meditation or contemplation. This is an exciting time in history to look at these practices because of recent advances in neuroscience, the use of MRI's, etc. It is now possible to see the physical results of these meditative practices whether they are based in a particular religion or a secular practice.

The second half of this book covers methods of taking advantage of this new knowledge about the brain, and using this knowledge to physically see how shared ethical behavioral practices change the brain and cause happiness and a sense of peace and well-being. This book quickly joined my all time top ten list of favorites, the pile I would take with me to a desert island, as well as the one I will keep in my kindle and on my person! ( )

In the first half of this book, the Dalai Lama puts forth a very interesting discussion of secular ethics. He believes that externally-imposed, religion-based ethics are on the wane. Instead, he suggests that people need to adopt a system of internal ethics based on our recognition of each other’s humanity. Once we recognize that all humans desire love and the absence of suffering, we can connect to each other on this most basic human level and formulate a system of ethics based upon compassion. He demonstrates how such a system includes not only compassion, but justice.

The second half of the book is a series of mindfulness meditation exercises designed to help people focus on their emotions and be able to tap into their compassion. This section is very basic. The meditation exercises are, of course, based on Buddhist exercises, but given the book’s theme of ‘Beyond Religion’ they are explained in secular terms.

I found the Dalai Lama’s philosophy of ethics to be very interesting especially given my strictly Judeo-Christian ethics background. There was much to consider, and I’m sure I’ll be re-reading and referring to this section of the book. The second section, including the mindfulness exercises did not have much new material if you have other experience with meditation practice, but would be useful to newcomers.

The Dalai Lama states that he has taught secular ethics worldwide and has written this book in response to questions of how to teach these concepts. I can see this book being especially useful for teachers wanting to introduce secular ethics and mindfulness exercises into their classrooms
The entire book is highly readable with a beautifully clear style that really connects the reader with the Dalai Lama’s vision of a better society through the personal growth of individuals. ( )

In reading Beyond Religion – Ethics for a Whole World by Tibet’s Dalai Lama, I was reminded of how I was influenced by one of the final scenes of the 1937 Frank Capra film Lost Horizon. The main character, played by Ronald Coleman goes to the dying High Lama, played by Sam Jaffe who revels that the secret for a long and happy life is to simply “be kind”. It is this implied Brotherhood of Man, which is fundamental to all major religions; yet transcends religion. Beyond Religion is about becoming more aware of how our words, thoughts and actions can affect the well-being of those around us. It is about “building a more compassionate and more peaceful world”.

Most modern behavior modification programs, whether for anger management, dealing with drug use or eating disorders, have as a basic premise that through changing your actions, your thought processes will change. Becoming aware of your destructive behaviors, even before they occur, is just one tool to help you substitute constructive behaviors instead. That new behavior then becomes over time, a new habit.

All humans are the same in that each of us wants to be happy and avoid suffering. It is important to first recognize that others around us also want these same things for themselves. But it is through our really caring enough about others, that will help us choose to act for their benefit. Whenever we do, we benefit as well.

Beyond Religion suggests that finding inner peace and happiness within ourselves also then allows us to become more compassionate to the needs of others. To that end, part two of the book is devoted to “Educating the heart through training the mind”. Chapters are devoted to exercises in mediation that anyone can do in order to gain control over runaway emotions and replacing them with positive, constructive behavior. In other words, we CAN learn to be kind to ourselves while we also learn to be kind to others.

His Holiness uses this book, Beyond Religion, to further three basic premises. First, one does not have to be religious to be ethical. Second, one does not have to be religious in order to practice meditation. Third, meditation fosters the clarity and self-discipline that are necessary in order to live an ethical life. He goes on to argue that meditation should be included as part of formal ethical training in public schools because modern school systems are no longer tied to religious institutions, and so do not inculcate their students into a set of religious norms. Even if they did no single religion is a good fit for all 7 billion people alive today. The result is that, absent formal ethical training, people are adopting consumer capitalism as their default ethical system. This has dire implications for the health of the global ecology and for our ability to relate to one another compassionately. The first half of the book is spent making the case for the existence of and need for secular ethics. The second half is an introduction to meditation practice and an explanation of its benefits for the individual and for society. Both are written simply and warmly, which is amazing considering the complexity of the topic and the delicacy with which the subject must be handled. Ultimately, I found this book to be a very engaging paradox. Here is a man whose public identity is inseparable with a non-theistic religion making the case to both atheists and theists that for the good of the species mindfulness meditation should be included in public education. Skeptical atheists will likely question the value of listening to a person whose formal title is "His Holiness" and dogmatic theists will likely object to the notion of an ethical system outside of revelation. If they can get past these preconceptions and actually pick up the book they will find it to be a very unassuming, cogent and charming attempt at addressing how to deal with the breathtaking greed that seems so characteristic of our age. No matter what your preferred cosmology, I strongly encourage you to engage with this book. Even if your conclusions wind up differing from the author's you'll be richer for the encounter. ( )

A note about these newly posted non-link reviews.

This is another book that came into my hands via the “Early Reviewer” program over on LibraryThing.com … sometimes I'm confused as to why I get selected (by “the almighty algorithm”) to get a book, but in this case, I would have been rather surprised if I hadn't been. Back in the 80's/90's I took the Kalachakra initiation three times (Madison, L.A., and NYC) and the Avalokitesvara initiation twice (Madison and NYC) from H.H. The Dalai Lama, and read quite a lot of Vajrayana tradition material, which is in my collection over on LT (which is the primary consideration for the A.A. to pick who gets what), so I would have been quite pouty had I not gotten this book! Needless to say, I was very happy when Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Lama arrived.

On the surface, this seems to be a somewhat counter-intuitive book. One of the biggest names in religion (and the head of one of the last Theocratic states, if in exile) looking at moving beyond religion … but that's essentially what His Holiness is talking about here … moving towards a global secular ethic which is a human system and not based on any one religion. While I'm sure that the Dalai Lama would not see it in these exact terms, I'm reminded of a line from the late Christopher Hitchens: “Since it is obviously inconceivable that all religions can be right, the most reasonable conclusion is that they are all wrong.” … and it seems to me that this particular reality check is the obstacle that this book is attempting to get past.

A decade ago the Dalai Lama wrote Ethics for a New Millennium, and this is somewhat of a follow-up to that, as indicated by the sub-title “Ethics for a Whole World”. The book is in two parts, A New System of Secular Ethics, and Educating the Heart through Training the Mind, with the former setting up the argument for an ethical secularism, and the latter providing some guidance, from a Vajrayana perspective, for how to make this ethical stance part of one's inner life. In the introduction, he writes:

... as the peoples of the world become ever more closely interconnected in an age of globalization and in multicultural societies, ethics based in any one religion would only appeal to some of us; it would not be meaningful for all. … Today, however, any religion-based answer to the problem of our neglect of inner values can never be universal, and so will be inadequate. What we need today is an approach to ethics which make no recourse to religion and can be equally acceptable to those with faith and hose without: a secular ethics.

It is interesting in the first part watching his examination of the secular from his situation of having been a life-long monk, and he certainly operates with the filter of basic Buddhist concepts of consciousness, empathy, suffering, compassion and justice. Having lived in a secular environment, some of the angles he takes here seem a bit odd, but he is obviously attempting to extract an ethical core from his reality which will stand on its own merits when shifted to the secular mode.

The second half of Beyond Religion sort of turns the equation around and seeks to provide exercises or perceptions to make the secular world more ethical … here's a bit about developing “contentment”:

Cultivating contentment is especially important, I feel, in today's materialistic world of global consumerism. Materialistic society puts people under constant pressure to want more and to spend more long after their basic needs are satisfied. … The materialism of modern society therefore makes the practice of moderation and contentment a daily necessity if we are to resist succumbing to a sense of personal dissatisfaction born of unrealistic craving.

I was somewhere between amused and impressed at how well His Holiness managed to “repackage” essential meditations and reflection practices into formats which would be accessible to the average MBA (to pull a “non-spiritual” type out of the air). Here's how he makes this clear:

Yet, for all the associations of meditation or mental cultivation with religion, there is no reason why it should not be undertaken in an entirely secular context. After all, mental discipline itself requires no faith commitment. All it requires is a recognition that developing a calmer, clearer mind is a worthwhile endeavor and an understanding that doing so will benefit both oneself and others.

I was very surprised to read another part of this. Over the years, I had never developed even a marginal mediation practice, launching into one discipline or another, trying to make progress, and then falling away from it soon after. I wish I'd read this thirty years ago:

It is also important to bear in mind that we should never force ourselves to practice. As noted earlier, beginners will inevitably experience many distractions. It takes time to accustom the mind to the discipline of formal meditation practice. It is therefore essential to remain patient and not to become discouraged. If we find ourselves having to struggle, this can be a sign that it is time to break off the session. Trying to continue under such circumstances will not be effective. The more we struggle, the more exhausted the mind becomes. If we carry on under these circumstances, we will soon begin to dislike practicing. Eventually, even the sight of the place where we conduct our practice may cause feelings of revulsion. So it is important not to reach this point.

I have to wonder, however, how well this would play to other religious traditions. Buddhism is essentially atheistic (despite the multitudes of deities involved in the various sects), and is, generally speaking, not an “expansionist” religion. How Dominionist Xtians or Islamist Muslims would take a call for secular ethics is probably way on the other side of the scale! There are millions of people out there who can't believe you can be a “good person” without reference to their particular imaginary friend or specific “sacred” fairy tale collection, and I doubt they would be willing to make the effort to detach themselves from their delusions.

In any case, I found Beyond Religion a delightful, enlightening, and even entertaining read, and would recommend it to all and sundry (well, perhaps with the exclusion of the folks discussed at the end of the previous paragraph), although the individuals that I was thinking of personally suggesting picking this up were all on the atheist end of the spectrum! This came out just in the past month, so should be available at your local book store, and the on-line guys have it at about a third off of cover price. If you have any interest of developing your inner life, or getting past the religious modality, this will be a great book for you to read.

A link to my "real" review:
BTRIPP's review of His Holiness The Dalai Lama's "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World" (1150 words)

This book, Beyond Religion, speaks from the Eastern values and words causing me to re-think the words; secular to include those who have faith; and mental to include the heart; and so many other definitions. I am grateful for the way the author defines the words he uses the first time he does so, in a way that causes me to think, and not to feel condescended to. I had not considered the ideal of compassion being the foundation for my own happiness, although it made me happy to be able to help others. This book gave me the tools to help me create in myself the kind of person I want to be. ( )

This is a very nice, brief collection from His Holiness that is best summed up by paraphrasing from the book itself: People cannot live without the dignity we all deserve as humans. Though technically a furtherance of his seminal work Ethics for a New Millennium, it is a stand alone, crystal-clear guidebook for embracing the post-religious world.

This is a succinct, gentle reminder that simple empathy and compassion go a long way towards healing all that ails the world. The book tunes out the white-noise of our hectic lives. It cuts through confusion. The lesson is easy. Despite the ever-turning wheel of material/technological/political change, simple guidelines for simply improving life are easy to follow.

Of course the sticking to them is the hard part. But this book is full of reminders about how to stay on the path. One of my favorite (and I think most important) prompts was his call to always educate future generations. It is our responsibility and should be our chief priority. This book is a good start in teaching "ethics for a whole world." ( )