An Extraordinary Collaboration Between Scholars and Western Psychologists, Neuroscientists, and Philosophers

Buddhist philosophy tells us that all personal happiness and interpersonal conflict lie in the "three poisons": craving, anger, and delusion. It also provides antidotes of astonishing psychological sophistication -- which are now being confirmed by modern neuroscience. With new high-tech devices, scientists can peer inside the brain centers that calm the inner storms of rage and fear. They also can demonstrate that awareness-training strategies such as meditation strengthen emotional stability and greatly enhance our positive moods.

The distinguished panel members report these recent findings and debate an exhilarating range of other topics: What role do destructive emotions play in human evolution? Are they "hardwired" in our bodies? Are they universal, or does culture determine how we feel? How can we nurture the compassion that is also our birthright? We learn how practices that reduce negativity have also been shown to bolster the immune system. Here, too, is an enlightened proposal for a school-based program of social and emotional learning that can help our children increase self-awareness, manage their anger, and become more empathetic.

Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them?, Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, Bantam, Paperback, 404 pages, $18.00

Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., covered behavioral and brain sciences for The New York Times for twelve years and is codirector of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University. He has taught at Harvard, his alma mater, and as a consultant addresses groups around the world. He is also the author of Emotional Intelligence.

	Contents: Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them?
	Foreword by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama	vxiii
	Prologue: A Challenge for Humanity	xvii
	A SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION
1.	The Lama in the Lab	3
2.	A Natural Scientist	28
	DAY ONE: WHAT ARE DESTRUCTIVE EMOTIONS?
3.	The Western Perspective	45
	Presenters: Alan Wallace and Owen Flanagan
4.	A Buddhist Psychology	72
	Presenter: Mattieu Ricard
5.	The Anatomy of Mental Afflictions	87
	Presenters: Alan Wallace and Thupten Jinpa
	DAY TWO: FEELINGS IN EVERYDAY LIFE
6.	The Universality of Emotion	119
	Presenter: Paul Ekman
7.	Cultivating Emotional Balance	157
	Presenter: The Venerable Kusalaccitto
	DAY THREE: WINDOWS INTO THE BRAIN
8.	The Neuroscience of Emotion	179
	Presenter: Richard Davidson
9.	Our Potential for Change	205
	DAY FOUR: MASTERING EMOTIONAL SKILLS
10.	The Influence of Culture	237
	Presenter: Jeanne Tsai
11.	Schooling for the Good Heart	256
	Presenter: Mark Greenberg
12.	Encouraging Compassion	280
	DAY FIVE: REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
13.	The Scientific Study of Consciousness	305
	Presenter: Francisco Varela
14.	The Protean Brain	334
	Presenter: Richard Davidson
	Afterword: The Journey Continues	355
	Notes	377
	About the Participants	393
	About the Mind and Life Institute	399
	Acknowledgments	407
	Index	411