A Call for a Global Spiritual Revolution

At the end of World War II, Albert Einstein, from his home in Princeton, N.J., made an impassioned appeal to the world: “Only a few short years remain in which to discover some spiritual basis for world brotherhood or civilization as we now know it will certainly destroy itself.”

Standing at the threshold of a new millennium, the Dalai Lama, in this spiritually instructive and morally creative book, gently leads readers to envision and strive to build a new world order such as Einstein called for--a new world wherein every sunrise promises increasing concord and peace, and every sunset is accompanied by hymns of thanksgiving.

Following on the success of his best-selling “The Art of Happiness,” the Dalai Lama in “Ethics for the New Millennium” charts out a set of intellectual and ethical guidelines for readers to follow as we near the end of a century that has seen destructive violence and social decay on a previously unimaginable scale.

The Dalai Lama, a prophet of peace and a manifestation of the Bodhisattva (the bearer of the essence of wisdom), calls for a global spiritual revolution to realize a morally structured new world. As with the kingdom of God that Jesus compares to a mustard seed, the Dalai Lama’s vision of a new world begins on a small scale: It is to be built with such spiritual and moral tools as love, compassion, patience, tolerance and forgiveness. His book presents an old message, but one worth repeating: that these subtle tools have been forgotten--especially by the West--at a time when the pursuit of wealth and material comfort is a top priority for many people.

The Dalai Lama’s appeal in “Ethics” is based on several premises: Human nature is essentially good, as demonstrated by a mother’s instinctual treatment of her baby; happiness--peace, love or however one defines it--can only be realized after all forms of human craving are resolved; and, most significant, social and political institutions, especially schools and colleges, must assume the role of building individual moral character.

The practice of love and compassion is not easy, especially when it is accompanied by suffering for others. But, as the Dalai Lama points out, suffering can result in ineffable joy, the kind of happiness that no wealth can purchase. The Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko expressed this idea when he wrote: “The only true happiness is to share the sufferings of the unhappy. Of course, it can be very painful.”

Spiritual revolution, as the book shows, starts with basic acts exercised each day by individuals: learning to restrain negative thoughts, giving to the poor and meditating on how much (or how little) good you have done during the day. He discusses Buddhist teachings but also looks at other religions for their insights. The Dalai Lama writes that it is particularly the moral duty of the rich (not just billionaires but anyone who is well-off) to share their wealth to alleviate the sufferings of others. “There is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine or dogma,” he writes of his common-sense message. “Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion.”

The Dalai Lama illustrates his message with the examples of great figures like Gandhi. Every learned reader remembers how Gandhi used a most powerful weapon, more powerful than a nuclear bomb, to drive out the British: He called it satyagraha, a word that sometimes means courage or nonviolence or truth. One might also recall Leo Tolstoy, who, after sharing his wealth with the poor, died like a beggar in a railway station. True revolution comes from efforts such as these and not, as the Dalai Lama quotes Mao Tse-tung, “from the barrel of a gun.”

“Ethics for the New Millennium” is especially insightful in arguing that true spiritual revolution must begin at home with one’s children. Children’s education should be the first and foremost concern for families and for the nation and must incorporate moral teachings, especially compassion for others. Here the Dalai Lama again reaches across cultures for his message, echoing the ideas of philosophers such as Plato and Kant.

“Ethics for the New Millennium” is an important book for our time because of its timeless message about the necessity of world peace. The 14th Dalai Lama is a torchbearer whose flame is strong enough to light the way to a hopeful new millennium. The psalmist’s words are also true of this book: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

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John C.S. Kim is a philosophy professor at Rio Hondo College in Whittier and the author of “The Art of Creative Critical Thinking.”