Violence and Compassion

In 1993, well-known French screenwriter Carriere traveled to Dharamsala, India, the encampment and center of exiled Tibetans, to interview the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of a country occupied by China since 1950. In these wide-ranging talks, the Dalai Lama calls for democratic elections in Tibet, supports birth control and women's rights and stresses the global need for population control as a step toward combating poverty and environmental destruction. He suggests that Buddhism, with meditation as its core practice, can be an antidote to racism and fundamentalism of every stripe, because it teaches tolerance, peace of mind, compassion and the interdependence of all things. He touches on a variety of topics, from reincarnation to the big bang. These conversations, introduced by Carriere's interlinking commentaries, apply practical spiritual intelligence to contemporary worldwide problems. (Jan.)