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    The Buddha and the Terrorist
    Unavailable
    The Buddha and the Terrorist
    Unavailable
    The Buddha and the Terrorist
    Ebook66 pages58 minutes

    The Buddha and the Terrorist

    By Satish Kumar and Thomas Moore

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A Buddhist parable on confronting violence offers “a profound message about hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless terrors” (Robert Thurman, author of Man of Peace).
     
    In this timely retelling of an ancient Buddhist parable, peace activist Satish Kumar has created a small book with a powerful spiritual message about ending violence. It is a tale of a fearsome outcast named Angulimala (“Necklace of Fingers”), who is terrorizing towns and villages in order to gain control of the state, and murdering people and adding their fingers to his gruesome necklace. One day he comes face to face with the Buddha and is persuaded, through a series of compelling conversations, to renounce violence and take responsibility for his actions.
     
    The Buddha and the Terrorist addresses the urgent questions we face today: Should we talk to terrorists? Can we reason with religious fundamentalists? Is nonviolence practical? The story ends with a dramatic trial that speaks to the victims of terrorism—the families whose mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters Angulimala has murdered. It asks whether it is possible for them to forgive. Or whether it is even desirable.
     
    No one can read The Buddha and the Terrorist without thinking about the root causes of terrorism, about good and evil, about justice and forgiveness, about the kind of place we want the world to be, and, most importantly, about the most productive and practical way to get there. The wisdom within this book provides “a crucial alternative to the unending cycle of bloodshed and retaliation” (Booklist).
     
    “This kind of parable has a calming effect on the mind. The change in outlook from anger to compassion is also contagious, also powerful.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review
     
    “A challenging story, beautifully written, most pertinent and relevant to our time.” —Deepak Chopra
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 1, 2012
    ISBN9781616202408
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Buddha and the Terrorist

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    • 2/5
      The basic gist of this story: a murderer is on the loose, and Buddha courageously meets up with him to talk to him. He says a few tired things like "violence begets violence" and the murderer is an instant convert. Even the Buddha is shocked at how easily this man went from being a mass murderer to a devout pacifist. The rest of the story basically involves the Buddha convincing others that the ex-murderer is now a good man and that killing him would accomplish no good. In the end, most of the people forgive him.The positive: The book recognizes that people who have done evil aren't necessarily destined to do evil forever. They can in some cases be rehabilitated. And it also teaches to forgive people who have reformed. This is all good by me.The negative: The idea that "violence begets violence" is true in some cases, but not in others. If the first person Angulimala killed had fought back and killed him instead, would this violence have beget new violence? Quite simply, no. It would have ended the violence and saved many lives. And the person who killed him would have lived out the rest of his or her life in peace. There are many reasons for someone to do violence to another. Not all of these reasons have to do with craving power or having a thirst for revenge or a cruel heart. Sometimes violence is done in self-defense, sometimes it is done to euthanize the suffering, sometimes it is in recognition that human beings need to eat.We should do our best to annihilate the LOVE of violence, and I appreciate the Buddha's devotion to this cause, but a dogmatic rejection against all forms of violence can be a form of cruelty in and of itself: as an example, letting your dog die a slow painful death of leukemia rather than having her put down. And again, in what possible way could this act of violence beget new violence? These mantras are well-intentioned and sound good, but they don't always make a lot of sense.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful and short story for our time. In the face of daily news heralding the latest death toll from the wars and the rhetoric pouring from the White House on how best to address the risk of everything from terrorism to immigration to other governments - this book is a breathe of fresh air. Read it slowly and thoughtfully and question yourself why we don't hear more guidance toward peace and love such as this.