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Thurman, Robert A. F. ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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INNER REVOLUTION
Thurman, Robert A. F.
1998 54345 From the Publisher Inner Revolution shows that it is a misunderstanding of reality that produces the cynicism we now live with. The Western world view has taken root through a view of history that sees wars as its landmarks; a view of society indicating that we should expect the worst of one another; a view of life as a one-time, meaningless event. Enlightenment scientists, as Thurman calls those who have followed in the footsteps of the Buddha, have left behind a method for proving just the opposite. Other histories and the empirical exploration of reality and the psyche by the Buddha demonstrate that the worldview the West has inherited is nothing but a trick of our own imaginations. Inner Revolution reveals the principles of the movement to celebrate individual happiness, which the Buddha initiated 2,500 years ago, and shows how to continue it. This is a deeply intelligent primer on practical Buddhism, written in the engaging context of a completely original understanding of the history of civilization. Kirkus Reviews A renowned scholar of Tibetan Buddhism issues a popular appeal to the West to refashion its inner life according to Buddhist enlightenment teachings. For Thurman, Tibetan Buddhism is life philosophy, object of study, and worthy cause; he practices it, teaches it (at Columbia University), and promotes it through Tibet House, an advocacy group for the Chinese-occupied nation. His latest book introduces the history and teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to those unfamiliar with it and urges Westerners to appropriate five of its central ideas: individual spiritual development, nonviolence, spiritual education, social altruism, and democracy. Thurman envisions an evolutionary entry into these ideas-the inner revolution of the title-that will complement the West's outward, technological revolution. What distinguishes this book from others on Buddhism is the pains it takes to connect personal enlightenment to social ethics, especially in the chapters on the ancient Indian king Ashoka and the Dalai Lamas of Tibet. Thurman underscores the role of institutions in the moral life of societies, and provocatively casts monasticism and militarism as mirror-image competitors for the soul of nations. But he is sometimes careless. He aggrandizes when he suggests that spiritual developments in 14th-century Tibet precipitated the European Renaissance; generalizes unfairly when he identifies the West's inner life with its declining Christian monastic traditions; and tells only half the story when he celebrates the equality of women in Buddhism's religious past (the tradition records the Buddha's initial resistance to orders of nuns; their advocate was the Buddha's undersung disciple Ananda).Still, for readers new to Tibetan Buddhism, Thurman makes an impassioned and engaging guide. The more deeply curious will want to consult his introductory anthology of Tibetan texts, Essential Tibetan Buddhism (1995). What People Are Saying Daniel Goleman "Robert Thurman is a living treasure, one of today's most provocative spiritual thinkers." Ken Wilber "A wonderful introduction to the entire sweep of Buddhism, pointing out its continuing powerful relevance for today's world. All of Buddhism's breakthrough realizations are carefully explained, along with their direct application to our own experience and awareness right now, so that Buddha's radical enlightenment can be our own, here in the midst of ordinary existence." Sogyal Rinpoche "An enthralling and important work. Professor Thurman is one of America's most farsighted and daring Buddhist thinkers. In this passionate book, he foretells an extraordinary and universal destiny for the teaching of Buddha, as a force which could transform the world. In a way never attempted before, Inner Revolution explores the impact of these teachings, with their principles of selflessness and non-violence, on social development. It reveals how enlightened society is a real possibility for us in the 21st century Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated 1573220906 / 9781573220903
Hardcover Very Good Condition New York
Price:
22.05 USD
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