Publishers generated a tsunami of millennium books in 1999. The wave has largely come and gone, leaving its mark on bookstore remainder tables. There are, however, thoughtful books worth digging for among the new dunes. We asked contributing editor to comment on one of them.
Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium (New York: Riverhead Books, 1999) . the leader of Tibetan Buddhists, offers common-sense thoughts for helping people act more responsibly and live together more peacefully.
His premise is that we all desire two things: to be happy and to avoid suffering. We are happiest when we're seeking others' well-being and happiness, and least content when we try to find comfort in materialism. He concludes that actions impelled by concern for others are inherently ethical and that harmful acts are inescapably unethical. Also, that sensualism turns one inward and away from concern for other's welfare.
