Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208673 in Books
• Published on: 1998-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
In his first book "Free to be Human", David Edwards showed how the mass media, controlled by powerful business interests, distort our understanding of many personal, ethical and spiritual issues, ensuring that we remain passive, conformist and uninformed - and willing to accept the irrational values of corporate consumerism. In this book he builds on the argument, showing how our capitalist system is dependent on the promotion of the three Buddhist "poisons" of greed, hatred and ignorance: greed for profit at any cost in terms of human suffering; hatred of foreign obstacles to profit; and ignorance of the cosy link between Western corporations and Third World dictators, helping to protect Western profits. Western dissidents need to recognize the truly revolutionary potential contained in the Buddhist conviction that "compassion is the basis and cause of all happiness". The antidote to exploitative social systems is rational awareness rooted in unconditional kindness and compassion for all. To the extent that we hate the architects of exploitation, we promote the very forces on which exploitation depends. By marrying the political arguments of Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman with the compassionate awareness of Buddhist writers like Aryasura, Geshe Gyeltsen and Stephen Batchelor, Edwards shows how we can instigate a compassionate revolution in which the only enemies and causalties are greed, hatred and ignorance.

Customer Reviews

Truly enlightened
There is probably not much i can add to the above reviews, except to say that it has cleaned some very dirty windows, and given me a much clearer understanding of modern "democracy". As I am already a practising buddhist it made me realise how important that practise and compassion is.
Its a great read, and i hope that this book is widely read. Everyone needs to know and understand the message it contains.

A life-changing synthesis of radical dissent and philosophy
If, like this particular reviewer, you grew up in the West and have come to take for granted a competitive capitalist culture where the mantra of 'survival of the fittest' reigns supreme, David Edwards' insightful synthesis of radical political dissent and Eastern philosophy may come as something of a revelation.

Edwards wastes little time in casting seeds of doubt on the vain pursuit of personal wealth and happiness at the expense of others as practised in Western culture, condemning the "institutionalised subordination of people and planet to corporate profit" and "an economic system reducing humans and animals to the status of industrial fodder". Here the author summarizes the now-familiar critique of the global justice movement: the demolition of democracy epitomized by the corporate takeover of the planet. Edwards ties in this analysis with a razor-sharp dissection of the myths of press freedom, elegantly distilling the extensive writing of such outstanding dissidents and modern historians as Noam Chomsky, Edward Herman, Howard Zinn, John Pilger and Mark Curtis into a very clear and readable summary.

The true power of Edwards' message, however, lies in his detailed analysis of the underlying malaise of a capitalist system that relies on the unholy trinity of greed, hatred and ignorance in order to prevail: the greed for profit at any cost, the hatred and demonizing of anyone or anything that stands in the way of that profit, and the widespread ignorance of the truly dreadful effects of Western corporate 'business as usual' on people and planet. More powerful still is the convincing case Edwards makes for applying Buddhist teachings to the ills of our times: "the antidote is awareness [as opposed to ignorance] rooted in compassion...working for the happiness of others is the basis of all happiness."

Edwards observes that "from an aggressive and hard-hearted culture, an aggressive and hard-hearted - and therefore largely impotent - resistance movement has evolved." Thus a radical politics that is rooted in anger rather than compassion is doomed to failure. Using examples of Bhuddist teachings and meditation techniques, Edwards shows how the reader can take the first important steps along the path to dispensing with self-destructive anger, replacing this with unconditional love for others. The writer concludes that "looking after number one and desiring that all beings are happy in heart are synonymous."

'The Compassionate Revolution' makes it very clear - if there ever was a doubt - that 'an injury to one is an injury to all'. Reading it has profoundly changed my outlook on life, perhaps more so than any other single book. I hope it changes yours.

Must read
This book provides a most readable and insightful critique of the present neo-liberal consensus. The author deals with the issues with intelligence and compassion. By bring together the insights of those such as Noam Chomsky, as well as those of Buddhist philosophy and psychology, compassion is felt not only for the victims of the present world order, but also for those responsible - for what state of mind must our rulers be in for them to feel indiferent to the sufferings of their fellow citizens? It's a refreshing change to see someone involved in radical politics to aknowledge that it is hatred and ignorance others' suffering that is the root of today's problems, for all too often, even the most sincere radicals have accepted hatred and suffering so long as it is directed towards their enemies. The result being that the cycle of suffering is maintained, no progress is made and even the most delicious dreams of how society could be like, turns sour.