Robert Thurman - Inner Revolution

A wonderful introduction to the entire sweep of Buddhism, pointing out its continuing, powerful relevance for todays world. All of Buddhisms breakthrough realizations are carefully explained, along with their direct application to our own experience and awareness right now, so that the Buddhas radical enlightenment can be our own, here in the midst of ordinary existence.

Ken Wilber, author of
A Brief History of Everything

Thurman shows how self-examination, far from miring the seeker in navel-gazing, can lead to an expanded sense of connection with others.

USA Today

The book addresses the corrosive cynicism of our age, which Thurman attributes to a misinterpretation of reality.... Clear, accessible writing.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

ALSO BY ROBERT THURMAN

Tsong Khapas Speech of Gold: Reason and Enlightenment in the Central Philosophy of Tibet

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Essential Tibetan Buddhism

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Copyright 1998 by Robert Thurman

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First Riverhead hardcover edition: April 1998

First Riverhead trade paperback edition: March 1999

The Library of Congress has catalogued the Riverhead hardcover edition as follows:

Thurman, Robert A. F.

Inner revolution: life, liberty, and the pursuit of real happiness / by Robert Thurman.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-101-66446-9

1. BuddhismChinaTibet. 2. BuddhismDoctrines. 3. Spiritual lifeBuddhism. I. Title.

Version_1

To Shakyamuni the Buddha,

Founder of the inner revolution in our world,

In deepest gratitude and ever-growing admiration.

Your champion insight into selflessness,

Inexhaustible love for beings,

Powerful comprehension of the minute processes

Of history as theater of human evolution,

And inconceivable competence in freeing beings

All moved You to teach deep relativity

And begin the cool, inexorable, inner revolution;

Founding the Jewel Community for love of freedom,

Introducing generosity, justice, and tolerance,

Enterprise, concentration, and creative genius

To truly civilize our planet home of living beings

In Your Buddhaverse You called Tolerable!

And at our postmodern end of history,

to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama,

Prince of Peace and Philosopher King of Tibet,

In amazed appreciation of Your creative effort.

For the people of Tibet and of the whole world

Champion of the teaching, deep, vast, and exquisite,

Simple Shakya monk, Shakyamunis devoted heir,

Upholder of the common human religion of kindness,

Explorer of the sciences of mind, spirit, society, and nature

You exemplify the fine intelligence and the good heart,

You bring hope and boundless positivity when all seems doomed,

You make peace the path as well as thus the realistic goal,

You live again and again to continue inner revolution,

Effectual for all beings, believers or nonbelievers,

From all world religions and all world sciences,

Blessing other species and all of nature!

I have been working on this book since my address The Politics of Enlightenment to the Lindisfarne Association in 1976, so the list of those to whom I am indebted is a long one.

In the process of writing, I have had the instruction of many people. To thank those whose teachings and writings have been crucially helpful: Vimalakirti, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Shantideva, Tsong Khapa, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, Plato, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Max Weber, Buckminster Fuller, Peter Berger, Philip Slater, Riane Eisler, Ken Wilber, Jeremy Rifkin, William Greider. To thank those who have personally inspired me on this topic: David Wills and David Little, who helped me learn so much from the inimitable Max Weber; Peter Berger, who helped me with his challenging inquiry; David Spangler, who helped me see the positive potential in the future; Tara Tulku Rinpoche, who made old doctrines new and creative; my friends Joel McCleary and Toinette Lippe, who helped me think about effective action and practical compassion; and, most important, my wife, Nena, my continuing teacher, my eldest son, Ganden, who helped me put this book together. I must also thank the many students who have attended my classes and lectures on this and related topics over the past twenty-five yearsthe great privilege and joy of teaching is to see new things about what you thought you knew when you reinvestigate them in the light of others need to know.

For their indispensable help in getting this book written in its final form, I must thank my agent, Lynn Nesbit, for keeping things moving during the ups and downs of the process, her keen eyes always clear on target. I sincerely thank my consulting editor, Jisho Cary Warner, who has ably helped me with several previous books as well, for all her thoughtful help and hard work. Most important, from the beginning of this project, my special thanks to my good friend and long-term editor, Amy Hertz, for her faith, patience, persistence, critical and creative intellect, and strenuous effort. I also thank everyone at Riverhead Books, especially Susan Petersen, the publisher, and Jennifer Repo, editorial assistant.

Finally, first and last, I have to thank Shakyamuni the Buddha and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, without whom I would have nothing to write about; the Venerable Geshe Wangyal, without whom I would not have been able to write anything; and again, my beloved soul mate, Nena, without whom I would not have wanted to write anything; and all my beloved five children, Taya, Ganden, Uma, Dechen, Mipam, and three grandchildren, without whom I would not have such a clear sense of whom to write this for.