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The Compassionate Revolution: Radical Politics and Buddhism
An enlightening examination of the ways our capitalist system depends on three corrupt greed, hatred and ignorance.
After exploring in Free to be Human the ways the mass media distorts our understanding of many personal, ethical and spiritual issues to make us willing to accept the irrational values of corporate consumerism, political writer David Edwards is back with another powerful read.
In The Compassionate Revolution, David builds on his argument, showing how our capitalist system is dependent on the promotion of the three Buddhist Poisons of Greed, Hatred and greed for profit at any cost in terms of human suffering; hatred of foreign obstacles to profit; ignorance of the cosy link between Western corporations and Third World dictators, helping to protect Western profits.
Western activists need to recognise the truly revolutionary potential of the Buddhist conviction that compassion is the basis of all happiness. The antidote to exploitative social systems is rational awareness rooted in unconditional kindness and compassion for all. By marrying the political arguments of activists like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn with the compassionate awareness of Buddhist writers such as Aryasura, Geshe Gyeltsen and Stephen Batchelor, David shows how we can instigate a compassionate revolution in which the only enemies and casualties are greed, hatred and ignorance.
After exploring in Free to be Human the ways the mass media distorts our understanding of many personal, ethical and spiritual issues to make us willing to accept the irrational values of corporate consumerism, political writer David Edwards is back with another powerful read.
In The Compassionate Revolution, David builds on his argument, showing how our capitalist system is dependent on the promotion of the three Buddhist Poisons of Greed, Hatred and greed for profit at any cost in terms of human suffering; hatred of foreign obstacles to profit; ignorance of the cosy link between Western corporations and Third World dictators, helping to protect Western profits.
Western activists need to recognise the truly revolutionary potential of the Buddhist conviction that compassion is the basis of all happiness. The antidote to exploitative social systems is rational awareness rooted in unconditional kindness and compassion for all. By marrying the political arguments of activists like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn with the compassionate awareness of Buddhist writers such as Aryasura, Geshe Gyeltsen and Stephen Batchelor, David shows how we can instigate a compassionate revolution in which the only enemies and casualties are greed, hatred and ignorance.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 28, 2026
Well it seems I am the first to write a review on this book. What a responsibility!
It's a 5-star there is no doubt.
This is a terrifying book showing in detail how negative humans emotions such as greed, hatred, and ignorance have devastated our society. This is also a wonderful book showing how positive emotions such as kindness and compassion are the antidotes and the solution for a fairer and kinder society.
The first chapters are dedicated to describing of historical facts about several conflicts around the world have started and developed. The main and truthful reasons for nations, mainly the USA and the UK but not restricted to these, have found excuses to start wars with the pretence of helping the country and the suffering of civilians all in the name of profit. Cooperations wight he aim of making profit above all based on greed and ignorance have lobbyed governments to intervene in the affairs of other countries to asset their power allowing their greedy profit goals to continue at the expense of human lives and Mush suffering.
David Edwards is an accomplished writer, with sharp critical analysis of events. He brings the reader through the not so known facts of historical atrocities through the lenses of human greed and power, bringing the media ownership biases asserted by Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent.
The book ends with a wonderful
Buddhist message of love, kindness and compassion for all living beings: for the victims of the atrocities but also the perpetrators for great injustices.
This book is a message of hope. Although, we humans have in our record horrific stories of causing suffering in the world we can do better if only we are able to control our negative emotions using antidotes such as kindness and compassion.
It's a 5-star there is no doubt.
This is a terrifying book showing in detail how negative humans emotions such as greed, hatred, and ignorance have devastated our society. This is also a wonderful book showing how positive emotions such as kindness and compassion are the antidotes and the solution for a fairer and kinder society.
The first chapters are dedicated to describing of historical facts about several conflicts around the world have started and developed. The main and truthful reasons for nations, mainly the USA and the UK but not restricted to these, have found excuses to start wars with the pretence of helping the country and the suffering of civilians all in the name of profit. Cooperations wight he aim of making profit above all based on greed and ignorance have lobbyed governments to intervene in the affairs of other countries to asset their power allowing their greedy profit goals to continue at the expense of human lives and Mush suffering.
David Edwards is an accomplished writer, with sharp critical analysis of events. He brings the reader through the not so known facts of historical atrocities through the lenses of human greed and power, bringing the media ownership biases asserted by Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent.
The book ends with a wonderful
Buddhist message of love, kindness and compassion for all living beings: for the victims of the atrocities but also the perpetrators for great injustices.
This book is a message of hope. Although, we humans have in our record horrific stories of causing suffering in the world we can do better if only we are able to control our negative emotions using antidotes such as kindness and compassion.
Displaying 1 of 1 review