Book Summary and Reviews of Beyond Religion by H.H. Dalai Lama

Beyond Religion by H.H. Dalai Lama

Beyond Religion

Ethics for a Whole World

by H.H. Dalai Lama

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  • Published:
  • Dec 2011, 208 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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 secular ethics that gives tolerant respect to religion - those that ground ethics in a belief in God and an afterlife, and those that understand good actions as leading to better states of existence in future lives. And yet, with the highest level of spiritual and intellectual authority, the Dalai Lama makes a claim for what he calls a third way. This is a system of secular ethics that transcends religion as a way to recognize our common humanity and so contributes 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 yearn for a life of spiritual fulfillment as they work for a better world.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"An impressive guide for teaching religious tolerance and respect to readers of all ages." - Kirkus Reviews

"This wise, humane book, an original work rather than a collection of talks, is an incisive statement of His Holiness's thinking on ways to bring peace to a suffering world." - Publishers Weekly

"The Dalai Lama's gentle and sensible messages of focus, peace, and mindfulness may not be heeded in a divided world but will be very welcome to seekers of all faiths." - Library Journal

This information about Beyond Religion was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

H.H. Dalai Lama Author Biography

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two the child, who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time, was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.

His Holiness began his monastic education at the age of six. The curriculum consisted of five major and five minor subjects. The major subjects were ...

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