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, Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, 4CDs, 5.5 hours, $29.95

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 Dalaia 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.