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BOOK REVIEWS
book reviews
THE BUDDHA AND THE TERRORIST
- The Story of Angulimala By Satish Kumar, 75pp, Green Books, 2004, www.greenbooks.co.uk
can recite Jain stories to their children from memory. This book is an example of how such translations, if done well, can be so beneficial. Complex philosophies can be simply explained through stories like these. We would need more such translations to make Jainism understood by one and all.. ATUL SHAH
Angulimala is in the jungle, the Buddha decides to face him. What happens after this encounter is the true legend of Angulimala and a story that explains the beauty of Buddhism and its core values of non-violence and forgiveness. Later in the story, even Lord Mahavir makes an appearance. The real beauty is in the way the words and dialogues are written and how the sometimes complex concepts become simple and easy to understand. I see echoes of some of the most pressing problems in modern society like terrorism and intolerance, and also some beautiful and simple practical solutions. I read it aloud to my eleven-year-old daughter, who found it very interesting.
THE BUDDHA AND THE TERRORIST
good story lasts a lifetime. Its characters and narrative take us into an exciting world and if there is a
moral message, it can help us understand the science of ethical living. In this small and compact book, Satish Kumar retells a story his mother used to tell him as a child, one that he remembers to this day.
Angulimala is a very evil and wicked murderer, who kills people and chops their fingers off to make a necklace. He wants people to fear him and thereby give him power over them. There is one person who is not afraid of him - the Buddha. Knowing that
Satish Kumar is a Jain and the founding Chairman of Jain Spirit. He is an accomplished writer and editor of Resurgence magazine. Jains have a vast story literature, but very few of them have been translated and expressed in contemporary English. know very few mothers in the West who
SATISH KUMAR
THE ORDINARY PERSON'S GUIDE TO EMPIRE
Arundhati Roya
By Arundhati Roy, Flamingo, 2004, s ISBN 0 00 718163 9
WWW.JAINSPIRIT.COM
to dam the Narmada valley in central India. She argues that we will make no progress in resolving serious conflicts until governments start listening to the concerns of peaceful protesters. Otherwise, the message goes out that violence is more effective. "Any government's condemnation of terrorism is only credible if it shows itself to be responsive to persistent, reasonable, closely argued, non-violent dissent." Roy opens our eyes to our increasingly divided world, focusing on the illegal war in Iraq, American imperialism and the influence of global corporations, suggesting non-violent solutions - boycotts, protests and open
This is a collection of essays and speeches written between June 2002 and August 2003. Her first
essay, Ahimsa - non violent resistance - is her campaign for the indigenous Adivasi people of Madhya Pradesh, who are faced with
clieplacement by government plans Jain 229.ation International
The Ordinary Person's Guide To Empire
discussions. - KAJAL SHAN
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