From the
1995 Mind & Life Conference

Visions of Compassion:
Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists
Examine Human Nature
Edited by Richard J. Davidson and Anne Harrington
Oxford University Press

This book examines how Western behavioral science--which has generally focused on negative aspects of human nature--holds up to cross-cultural scrutiny, in particular the Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the human potential for altruism, empathy, and compassion. Resulting from a meeting between the Dalai Lama, leading Western scholars, and a group of Tibetan monks, this volume includes excerpts from these extraordinary dialogues as well as engaging essays exploring points of difference and overlap between the two perspectives.  It offers both a Western and Buddhist perspective on compassion, and includes an essay by the Dalai Lama.

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