A Force for Good
The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
For more than half a century, in such books as The Art of Happiness and The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Inner Peace, the Dalai Lama has guided us along the path to compassion and taught us how to improve our inner lives. In A Force for Good, with the help of his longtime friend Daniel Goleman, the New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, the Dalai Lama explains how to turn our compassionate energy outward. This revelatory and inspiring work provides a singular vision for transforming the world in practical and positive ways.
Much more than just the most prominent exponent of Tibetan Buddhism, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is also a futurist who possesses a profound understanding of current events and a remarkable canniness for modern social issues. When he takes the stage worldwide, people listen. A Force for Good combines the central concepts of the Dalai Lama, empirical evidence that supports them, and true stories of people who are putting his ideas into action—showing how harnessing positive energies and directing them outward has lasting and meaningful effects. Goleman details the science of compassion and how this singular guiding motivation has the power to
• break such destructive social forces as corruption, collusion, and bias
• heal the planet by refocusing our concerns toward our impact on the systems that support all life
• reverse the tendency toward systemic inequity through transparency and accountability
• replace violence with dialogue
• counter us-and-them thinking by recognizing human oneness
• create new economic systems that work for everyone, not just the powerful and rich
• design schooling that teaches empathy, self-mastery, and ethics
Millions of people have turned to the Dalai Lama for his unparalleled insight into living happier, more purposeful lives. Now, when the world needs his guidance more than ever, he shows how every compassion-driven human act—no matter how small—is integral for a more peaceful, harmonious world, building a force for a better future.
Revelatory, motivating, and highly persuasive, A Force for Good is arguably the most important work from one of the world’s most influential spiritual and political figures.
Praise for A Force for Good
“A Force for Good offers ideas that every individual can work with and build on, ranging from things that help the environment to things that help the less fortunate. [It’s] a long-range, global plan from a brilliant futuristic thinker, so this is a book that can be of value to any human living on Earth. When you’re ready for a jolt of optimism, pick up this book.”—Pop Culture Nerd
“Far from being a self-help book, this examines specific ideas espoused by the Dalai Lama, such as emotional hygiene, compassionate economy, and education of the heart that can make the world a better place. An optimistic and thoughtful primer with practical applications.”—Booklist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Goleman (Emotional Intelligence), a longtime friend of the Dalai Lama, presents a personal and passionate account of Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader, discussing his habits, disposition, and goals for humanity. Goleman describes practical aspects of the Dalai Lama's vision that include being mindful of social injustice, supporting groups such as "Action for Happiness" and "B Corporations" that have an "explicit mission to benefit society," and uniting to combat climate change. Our hearts, he believes, can turn away from destructive dreams of money, power and fame. Oddly, however, Goleman seems to presuppose that the reader's interest in the Dalai Lama lies precisely in the sage's power, fame, and access, and spends a great deal of time on his globetrotting appearances that fill stadiums, his Nobel Prize, and his routine meetings with heads of states. One wonders whether a reader who would be wowed by that aspect of the Dalai Lama would also "get" the humble aspects of the vision but perhaps those are the readers Goleman wants to pull in? For anyone not put off by Goleman's dazzle, a solid and hopeful message awaits.
Customer Reviews
Amazing book
10/10
Great read. Very inspiring.
I wish there was a bit more about the exact strategies the Dali Lama uses to be aware of his emotions. One example is given in regards to labeling the emotion. I would have liked to hear more specific strategies like that . The author is brilliant at writing in a language that allows everyone to understand the mind of the Dali Lama. Clearly the message is to be mindful and act now to change the world. Examples are given on how to do this, especially in regards on how to make a difference in the world as depicted in his examples. I still feel that I would have liked more illustrations on how the Dali Lama controls his emotions.
Perhaps that would have made it too "religious" and thus deter readers.
Great read. Defiantly reccomend.