Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World

Ten years ago, in his best-selling Ethics for a New Millennium, His Holiness the Dalai Lama first proposed an approach to ethics based on universal rather than religious principles. Now, in Beyond Religion, the Dalai Lama, at his most compassionate and outspoken, elaborates and deepens his vision for the nonreligious way. 

Transcending the mere “religion wars,” he outlines a system of ethics for our shared world, one that gives full respect to religion. With the highest level of spiritual and intellectual authority, the Dalai Lama makes a stirring appeal for what he calls a “third way,” a path to an ethical and happy life and to a global human community based on understanding and mutual respect. 

Beyond Religion is an essential statement from the Dalai Lama, a blueprint for all those who may choose not to identify with a religious tradition, yet still yearn for a life of spiritual fulfillment as they work for a better world.

Acknowledgments v

Introduction ix

Part I:

A NEW SYSTEM OF SECULAR ETHICS

 1. Rethinking Secularism 3

 2. Our Common Humanity 21

 3. The Quest for Happiness 31

 4. Compassion, the Foundation of Well-Being 41

 5. Compassion and the Question of Justice 57

 6. The Role of Discernment 73

 7. Ethics in Our Shared World 83

Part II:

EDUCATING THE HEART THROUGH

TRAINING THE MIND

 8. Ethical Mindfulness in Everyday Life 103

 9. Dealing with Destructive Emotions 113

 10. Cultivating Key Inner Values 137

 11. Meditation as Mental Cultivation 155

Afterword 185