It’s obvious... it’s common sense... and it’s wisdom for the modern world. JANICE PRICE reviews the gospel according to the Dalai Lama, Ancient Wisdom, Modern World: Ethics for a New Millennium (Little, Brown) £14.99 What it means to be human urprisingly for a book by the Dalai Lama, Ancient Wisdom, Modern World is not about Buddhism, or indeed about religion at all. Rather, it is a book about being human: what makes us human; what are our hopes and aspirations; what detracts from our humanity, and how should we behave in human community? It is about religion only in as much as religion can help us to be better human beings.
The central call of the book is for a “spiritual revolution”. By this he does not mean a return to religious observance.
Instead he calls for a revolution of the spirit — the inner dimension, away from our “habitual pre-occupation with self towards concern for the wider community of beings” (p. 24). He defines “spirituality” as, “those qualities of the human spirit - such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony — which bring happiness to both self and others” (p. 23). Or in summary, “...some level of concern for others’ well-being” (p. 23).
Religion, on the other hand, is “concerned with belief in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another”.
Fundamentally, the book is about a reorientation of the self towards others. It is about ethics. The Dalai Lama states “My own view...is that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and not to suffer” (p. 29). He builds his ethical thinking on this basic premise. The determining factor in the way we behave towards each other is whether our actions create happiness or harm. Obvious? Yes. Common sense? Yes.
But its implications are huge.
The rest of the book sees the Dalai “Obvious? Yes. Common sense?
Yes. But its implications are huge”.
Lama reasoning the consequences of his approach. He explores the fact that we live in an interdependent world with each other and the environment. Happiness is found in an inner peace which in turn is developed into an orientation towards the good of others. Empathy, leading to compassion and love, is an innate capacity which is given to orientate us to others.
Both restraint and virtue work in this process. Restraint, as opposed to denial, is the necessary response to the negative emotions (anger, hatred, selfishness, jealousy) we have to face in ourselves. “Negative thoughts and emotions are what cause us to act unethically” (p. 103).
Virtue goes beyond restraint in that it is the cultivation of the inner life. The virtues are the qualities of patience, acceptance, love, humility, empathy and compassion among others.
From a consideration of ethics and the individual the Dalai Lama moves to discussing the macro-picture - ethics and society. He describes the interconnectedness of our world today.
More than ever our actions have global significance and each of us needs to own this responsibility; “To develop a sense of universal responsibility - of the universal dimension of our every act and of the equal right of all others to happiness and not to suffer ~ is to develop an attitude of mind whereby, if we see an opportunity to benefit others, then we will take it in preference to merely looking after our own narrow interests” (p. 171). He examines and challenges the lack of universal responsibility, seen in current political and economic debate, towards the environment and disarmament. What seems unclear is whether he distinguishes at all between spirituality and ethics. It seems not. The two concepts tend to be used interchangeably throughout.
Two things in particular struck me in reading this book. First is the sheer humility of the man who is not only Dalai Lama but is a world statesman and peacemaker. He readily offers personal examples that show his own vulnerability and the ways in which he has developed as a person. He states, and I feel knows only too well, that “I am only an ordinary human being” (p. 4). His genuine love for other people and his concern for our common future shines through. He wants to see human beings flourish and fulfil their potential in community.
Secondly, his message is deeply appealing to a generation who want to believe that life can be better, but it takes us all to try. No wonder that the message of the wisdom of the East is sought by so many in the West tired of the dogmatic approach of Western Christianity. The Dalai Lama firmly believes that there can be a new age, something better than the competitiveness that passes for life for so many. Buddhism is the way for him. But, he says, it is different for everyone. This humility is refreshing. Ancient Wisdom, Modern World is evangelistic. It contains good news. It is the good news that things can be better — there is hope. If only we will begin today.
Janice Price is Mission and Evangelism Adviser to the Church of England General Synod Board of Mission.