The wisdom of the Buddhist masters common and uncommon sense

What would a Rinpoche say about global warming? What would a lama do to fight drug abuse? What will the world look like, from their perspective, a hundred years from now? Find out in this extraordinary collection of interviews with ten of the greatest religious and philosophical teachers living today. Each tells author Robert Sachs his or her own thoughts on the world, often with startling candor, always with moving intelligence and understanding.

The Wisdom of the Buddhist Masters includes interviews with H.H. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, Ven. Tarthang Tulku Rinpoche, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Geshe Michael Roach, Lama Ole Nydahl, Ajahn Amaro, Roshi Joan Halifax, Ven. Thubten Chodron, Christopher Titmuss, and Tenzin Robert Thurman. It is introduced by insightful words from H.H. The Dalai Lama.

These teachers go on record with sometimes provocative views on many of today’s most pressing concerns: sickness, poverty, and war; cloning and stem cell research; education and the pursuit of wealth; the distorting influence of the media and the rise of fundamentalism. “Like facets of a diamond,” Sachs writes, “what we hear from them is not some unified chorus, but rather, different perspectives and emphases based on their life experiences and where they focus their energies to benefit those around them.” In their words, we find uncommon wisdom for our timeand wake up to the ways we ourselves can work for change.

Robert Sachs is a member of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the personal student of His Holiness Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche. He works to integrate contemporary medical treatment with ancient wisdom in many areas, and iS the author of The Passionate Buddha: Wisdom on Intimacy and Enduring Love and The Buddha at War. He lives in California.