| “Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness”, by Robert Thurman Ph.D., 1998. ISBN 1-57322-7196. 322 pp., $14. While his daughter, actress Uma, is far more famous to the average American, scholar Robert Thurman Ph.D. is a heavyweight among American Buddhists. Not only was he the first American to complete ordination as a Tibetan monk, he received much of his teaching from H.H. Dalai Lama himself! Since returning to the west and a secular life as husband, parent and professor of religious studies at Amherst College Thurman has been an important cultural ambassador. For the western student Thurman is a bridge between the often dense metaphysical teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and the western world of materialism. With a well educated foot in both East and West he provides valuable perspectives on both. In “Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness” Thurman contrasts the hot revolution of western materialism with the “cool” revolution of Tibetan Buddhism. “Unlike in the modern West, where efforts are directed outwardly, toward material progress, in Tibet, energies were directed inwardly, toward progress in the development of an inner universe, toward spiritual progress. The soul was thought of as a subtle, relative, totally and inextricably interconnected process, powerfuly influencing and influenced by its environment. So it was the soul that needed industry, investment, cultivation,” Thurman writes. Thurman is truly a gifted writer and keen reporter of both Tibetan spirituality and our rapid - some might argue, vapid - lifestyle. He provides some useful thoughts on incorporating the best of both traditions. He makes a convincing argument that the longterm viability of the West may well rest upon a deeper understanding and appreciation of the kind of “cool “ revolution as developed by traditional Tibetans and personified by H.H. Dalai Lama.. Whether looking for an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism or in search of deeper understanding of the Tibetan tradition, Thurmanís book is a real find and cool read. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
