The Good Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus

It is always gratifying (to me anyway) to see how others see Christianity. I feel the Dalai Lama (as well as one or two other "non-christian" authors) capture the spirit of Christianity and truly understand it. This was a wonderful read and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

My wife is a practising Catholic, while I'm a practising Buddhist. This meaningful book help guide our family spiritual practice, to the dismay of some fundamentalists/extremists from both sides. May all beings be well and happy.

I've come to a point where I've realized that I've never come across a book by the Dalai Lama I didn't like. By no means does this book break away from that strict principle. While I agree with a previous reviewer who stated this kind of work isn't unique anymore, that by no means lessens the significance of Buddhist-Christian dialogues which are now taking place. If we want to be precise in the matter, Thomas Merton basically paved the way years ago with works like "Zen and the Birds of Appetite" or his lesser known "The Asian Journals." In any case, I'm here to offer you a review of the book you came to purchase today, not a rundown in inter-religious meetings in literature. This particular work is really a transcript of a seminar H.H. the Dalai Lama had given in London back in 94 to a group of Christians. What he did was use the teachings of Jesus that paralleled with the Buddhist vision of things like world peace and universal compassion; it was truly an exceptional presentation. I doubt there are many other Buddhist teachers who could have handled this sort of discourse with questioners any better. The Dalai uses pieces such as The Sermon on the Mount (along with various other New Testament scriptures) to lay the groundwork for an erudite explanation on how what the Buddha had taught was not too dissimilar from what Jesus Christ had taught; having said this, I will note that His Holiness did not go so far as to ever state they were the same. You and I probably know that indeed there are some fundamental differences contrasting the Buddha from Jesus. Even still, this does not discount the importance of such an encounter or the benefits many people will experience in reading it - Christians and Buddhists alike will enjoy this work tremendously, and it could make it hard for someone on the sidelines trying to choose a spiritual path to make a concrete decision... A+++

I tend to follow the precepts of buddhism and my wife is a religious catholic. The Dalai Lama makes a great and successful effort at bridging whatever gaps he finds in the two philosophies. The anecdotes and points he made in this book allowed my wife and I to really communicate on an otherwise sensitive topic.

The christian-buddhist dialogue,which has been going on for quite awhile unnoticed in the west{see the writings of Hugo-Enimoya Lasalle, William Johnston and dom Bede Griffiths}until,it appears, Thomas Merton's epochal meeting with HH dalai Lama in 1968 in Dharmasala,bears fruition in this volume. HH dalai lama comments on various New Testamnet readings, with appropriate help form Laurence freeman. Since these comments are extemporaneous, they have a vitality that would be muted in a more scholarly setting.{these meditations were done in England under the auspices of the World community of Christian Meditation}Though listening to the dalia lama on the Sermon on the mount is quite intetesting, then relating it to personal expierence and buddhist scripture, I found nothing unique here. Perhaps this meeting was best expierenced LIVE,or at least on tape.{literal transcripts often are dry] Most of HH Dalai Lamas writings I have read have been ,LIGHTER then this,both in weight and luminosity. Still, having the Dalai Lama comment on christian scripture, and willing to do so without notes and much preparation,speaks volumes for the man. Few leaders,never mind acknowledged spiritual authorities would hazzard into this territory. What Humility. Of common interest is THE GETHSEMANI ENCOUNTER,{which HH Dalai Lama participated} held at Thomas Merton's abbey in Kentucky.