It is extremely difficult to take what it is I read in Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama and summarize it in the length of a few pages, but I will try. Although this post may be longer than most, hopefully it will give you enough information to encourage you to purchase this book--or borrow it from me--and read it.
To hear an Eastern philosophical approach in regards to the way us Westerners live our lives is quite eye-opening. The very objective nature of the Dalai Lama is also quite refreshing, as he looks at each thought from multiple perspectives and is quick to look at the positive and negatives of various subjects, as well as himself.
The consistent message conveyed throughout this book is the fact that, as humans, regardless of race or religious upbringing, we all desire to be happy and avoid suffering. This notion is spread out in just about every chapter, as it sets the foundation for how he feels we should treat each other. It also sets the foundation of how we can assure ourselves of making ethical decisions in our everyday lives (hence the title), whether at work or at home.
After reading hardly 10 pages, Ethics for the New Millennium grabbed my attention for good while touching on a few different subjects. First, the Dalai Lama touches on materialism in the modern world, when stating:
"Everywhere, by all means imaginable, people are striving to improve their lives. Yet strangely, my impression is that those living in the materially developed countries, for all their industry, are in some ways less satisfied, are less happy, and to some extent suffer more than those living in the least developed countries. Indeed, if we compare the rich with the poor, it often seems that those with nothing are, in fact, the least anxious, though they are plagued with physical pains and suffering. As for the rich, while a few know how to use their wealth intelligently--that is to say, not in luxurious living but by sharing it with the needy--many do not. They are so caught up with the idea of acquiring still more that they make no room for anything else in their lives. In their absorption, they actually lose the dream of happiness, which riches were to have provided. As a result, they are constantly tormented, torn between doubt about what might happen and the hope of gaining more, and plagued with mental and emotional suffering."
He continues to point out that this "emotional suffering" is the reason for so much trouble in developing countries. If you can start to think about the problems that greed has caused in our country, such as high crime rates and the collapse of our financial institutions, you can begin to see the seriousness of this form of suffering and harm that it causes.
What is so nice about this book is how quick he is to look at both sides of each story. After pointing out the problems in developing countries, the Dalai Lama praises these civilizations for the incredible help they provide in helping the non-developed countries financially and expeditiously sending relief during times of needs such as natural disasters.
A few pages later, Dalai touches on how many of us today desire to have our own car, home, computer, etc. And also how with the advances in science and technology the sense of autonomy has grown drastically to the point where we can now be more independent than ever before. He continues, "But with these developments, there has arisen a sense that my future is not dependent on my neighbor but rather on my job or, at most, my employer. This in turn encourages us to suppose that because others are not important for my happiness, their happiness is not important to me."
Not bad for the first 8 pages, huh?
I thought this was quite an interesting thought being that families, although they remain extremely important to us, seemed to have drifted further apart in many situations that I have seen or experienced as the dependability between one another fade. This seems to be even more clear in the developed countries with science and technology and also the fact that many of us work so hard to obtain materialistic objects that only satisfy in the short-term.
Here is where I could go on and on about the next 15 chapters, which include great text on the ethics of restraint, virtue, and compassion, universal responsibility, the need for discernment, and levels of commitment, but I have chose not to. Instead, I will finish in the fashion of the Dalai Lama himself and touch on the sensitive subject of religion.
What is nice to hear from the leader of the religious faith of Buddhism, was his non-imposing manner of his faith, and the fact that he never suggests that any person should convert to Buddhism, or that his religion is the superior faith. In fact, earlier in the book he admits, "What is more, I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being."
This sets the tone for his view on religion and continues in his second-to-last chapter, titled "Role of Religion." In it, Dalai clearly continues in a manner that shows his strong belief in the teaching of Buddhism, but also shows his belief in the positive outcomes that other religions have on other people. On the topic of the existence of other religions, he states:
"I sometimes think of religion in terms of medicine for the human spirit. Independent of its usage and suitability to a particular individual in a particular condition, we really cannot judge a medicine's efficacy. We are not justified in saying this medicine is very good because of such and such ingredients. If you take the patient and the medicine's effect on that person out of the equation, it hardly makes sense. What is relevant is to say that in the case of this particular patient with its particular illness, this medicine is the most effective. Similarly with different religious traditions, we can say that this one is most effective for this particular individual. But it is unhelpful to try to argue on the basis of philosophy or metaphysics that one religion is better than another. The important thing is surely its effectiveness in individual cases."
Shortly after this topic, Dalai concludes the book and finalizes his opinion on how we can all be part of a spiritual revolution, which is the basis for much of this book. This entails, in short, being a good person, having compassion for others, and recognizing that everyone else just wants to be happy and avoid suffering. All of which are pleasant to hear and helps reinforce many of the values that many of us have but may not focus on nearly as much as we should. Feel free to substitute "I" in place of "we" during this last paragraph.
I apologize if I rambled on a little in this post, but if you are still reading it must have been somewhat entertaining. If you would like to borrow this book, please send me an email or give me a call.
"Indeed, if we had to choose between learning and virtue, the latter is definitely more valuable. The good heart which is the fruit of virtue is by itself a great benefit to humanity. Mere knowledge is not." Dalai Lama
