Buddha at War: Peaceful Heart, Courageous Action in Troubled Times

by Robert Sachs, Stephen Levine (Foreword)

Citing the beliefs of many Buddhist masters who view the September 11 attacks, war in Iraq, tsunami disaster, and other events as indicators of a new dark age, a spiritual reference explains how to apply traditional Buddhist teachings to issues related to contemporary politics and modern stresses. Original.

Genres: Nonfiction, Buddhism

244 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2006

About the author

Robert Sachs was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He started his college years at Case Western Reserve University, then moved to England where he lived and studied for many years. Along with a more conventional education, Robert began to study with Tibetan Buddhist masters and embarked on a study of Asian healing systems. He received his B.A. in comparative religion and sociology at the University of Lancaster and then moved to London, where he studied macrobiotics with Michio Kushi and Rex Lassalle at the Kushi Institute and hatha yoga under the guidance of Jonathan O’Dell and Johanna Auld, while also training as a mental health counselor with the Richmond Fellowship. He is certified as a hatha yoga instructor with the All India Board and Inner London Education Authority, completed shiatsu training with Rex Lassalle, and was instrumental in starting the Community Health Foundation’s Growing Family Center in London.

After returning to the United States, Robert went on to receive a massage license from Central Ohio School of Massage and a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Kentucky. Of particular interest to Robert since the late seventies has been the practical preventive health care aspects of Tibetan medicine, which he studied under the guidance of Dr. Lobsang Rapgay. Robert also focused on the healing meditations of Tibetan Buddhism, including those practices that prepare one for the time of death under Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Lama Ole Nydahl, and other Buddhist masters. Currently, Robert continues to study under the guidance of Tibetan Buddhist master Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche.

For the last thirty years, Robert has worked with physicians, clinics, hospitals, and private individuals and organizations teaching stress management and preventive health care. He is sought after as a lecturer at national holistic health care conferences and has hosted his own talk radio show. He has written numerous articles for national and international health magazines and authored nine books, all focusing on physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Several of these titles have been translated into a number of foreign languages.

Besides his books, Robert has also released a number of podcasts on the topic of civility, which are available on YouTube and the websites of the Worldwide Civility Council. Along with his wife Melanie, Robert runs Diamond Way Ayurveda, the considered the foremost promoter of Ayurvedic training and education by the spa and beauty industries.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, good read.

any activist should read this to make sure their head is on straight.

any person should read this, or inquire about buddhism, to get their head straight or at least to show us what a straight head looks like.

my head is not on straight at the moment but i know what a straight head looks like.


it's a long story
& i don't know most of it

what this book reminds me of again
is that i don't need to know the rest of the story

in the end we come to love
or we missed the opportunity.

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Buddha at War is devoted to gaining access to the battlefield, the one inside us that spawns the one we see before us, and emerging victorious." ....yep. sure enough. This was fulfilling and contextual with our current life n' times. Includes info on processing feelings to do with terrorism, specifically a Buddhist response to 9/11. The more of us who are determined to live happy, meaningful, cheerful, gracious lives, the better off our society as a whole has the potential to be...
Indeed.
Robert Sachs writes frankly - his text is easy to absorb. He gives practical advice on how to become and continue being a concious, engaged activist in the world -- the type of person that creates a better world on a day to day basis.

[Steve Llano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great advice for interacting with people in politics from the Buddhist perspective, but a bit reductionist and oversimplified at times. Best stuff: The analysis of the different kinds of compassion, as well as the daily checklist for the Buddhist activist. Some of the other stuff is a bit oversimplified and a little pedantic at times. But good for people new to the religion/tradition.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really no what it could have been. A good introduction to some fundamental Buddhist theories for people who are not familiar with the basic precepts, but the political rants are tired and not entirely relevant to the subject matter of the book.



It gave me an idea for my own writing though. I would really like to see something that takes into account Tibet's inner conflicts and how Buddhist philosophy grew up around that evolved.



Patrick French's Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land is a great book that goes into the geography, political history, and current culture of Tibet.