The Good Heart

By Zena Greene View Profile
This book is a transcript of thoughts by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, on certain passages from the Christian Bible. It is sub-titled 'His Holiness the Dalai Lama explores the heart of Christianity and of Humanity'. His Holiness was invited to take part in this exercise by senior academics from the Christian Church in 1994, and to speak publicly on what he read. Most of the passages are his own direct words, although a translator was present to help, if words faltered. A little dauntingly, this book has not one but four introductory passages (a foreword, a note to the reader, a preface and an official introduction.) I have to admit that I am a person who often skips introductions, and to find four of them was surprising. But they were worth reading, because they gave a sense of the situation and of the meeting between His holiness and the Christian academics. These passages very much helped to set the tone of the book, and to allow the reader to imagine that he or she is there in person. His Holiness is known as a very intelligent and intuitive speaker, and when asked to comment upon eight passages from Christian scripture, he did not disappoint. His comments are readable and insightful. As he says himself, he did not set out to persuade anyone from their faith, or to put down into anyone's mind about Christian doctrine. He merely tried to respond and interpret.

I am neither a Christian nor a Buddhist, but I always find that His Holiness has a way with words that is readable and calming. His responses to the Christian passages that he was asked to comment upon made them more understandable to me, in more than one case.