Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution by David R. Loy | Goodreads
Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution
by David R. Loy
3.88 · Rating details · 251 ratings · 29 reviews
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What's Wrong with Sex?
How to Drive Your Karma
Consciousness Commodified
The Karma of Food
The Three Poisons, Institutionalized
Why We Love War
These are just some of the chapters in this brilliant book from David R. Loy.
In little time, Loy has become one of the most powerful advocates of the Buddhist worldview, explaining like no one else its ability to transform the sociopolitical landscape of the modern world.
In this, his most accessible work to date, he offers sharp and even shockingly clear presentations of oft-misunderstood Buddhist staples-the working of karma, the nature of self, the causes of trouble on both the individual and societal levels-and the real reasons behind our collective sense of "never enough," whether it's time, money, sex, security... even war.
Loy's "Buddhist Revolution" is nothing less than a radical change in the ways we can approach our lives, our planet, the collective delusions that pervade our language, culture, and even our spirituality.
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Review
"I know of no other book that holds more promise for the survival and relevance of Buddhism in the modern world."--Lin Jensen, author of Pavement
"This book is revolutionary! The clear and concise explanations of Buddhist perspectives on rarely approached topics such as sex, war, and money are an inspiration. If you are interested in personal or societal change, this is a book you need to read."--Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx
"Loy is a subversive, undermining our cherished opinions and revealing a revolutionary world of human possibility. He describes an emerging Buddhism that speaks to the Western heart and mind and offers hope in a world that has too little. Long live this revolution!"--James Ishmael Ford, author of If You're Lucky, Your Heart Will Break
"A work of deep and urgent relevance."--Ethan Nichtern, author of One City: A Declaration of Interdependence
"For Loy, Buddhism is not just some gentle spiritual path; it's a tool for social criticism and change. But the revolutionary sword cuts both ways, and just as the West needs Buddhism, says Loy, a living, vital Buddhism also needs the West."--Shambhala Sun
"David Loy's is an urgent and vital voice in the Buddhist world, and his latest work is a passionate and bold survey of some of the big issues that face us individually and collectively. This thoughtful, probing work warrants the attention of anyone interested in creative change on either an individual or social level. I strongly recommend it."--Western Buddhist Review
"Direct, articulate, and profound. David R. Loy succinctly analyzes primary areas of our collective modern entanglements with suffering: consumerism, money values, ecological collapse, sexuality, relationships, time, language, identity, godlessness and the commodification of consciousness. In each case he brings to bear the core teachings of the Buddha in profound, up-to-date reflections on our collective situation."--Inquiring Mind
"David Loy's Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution might have a flashy title, but it is a serious and substantial book that poses real challenges to the reader. Loy argues with conviction that in order to have relevance in the West, the dharma must find the middle way between its many traditional Asian forms and the contemporary Western feel-good consumerism that characterize much of today's spiritualism."--Buddhadharma
"Loy's thought provoking book has wide appeal: for people not so familiar with Buddhist thought and practice his emphasis is on why this 2500 year old religion is relevant today. For seasoned Buddhist practitioners, the book keeps us from thinking too small. Loy's analysis is a challenge to practice in the world wholeheartedly."--Mountain Record --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
David R. Loy's previous books include the acclaimed Money, Sex, War, Karma,The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, and The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons, a finalist for the 2006 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award. He was the B
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What's Wrong with Sex? How to Drive Your Karma Consciousness Commodified The Karma of Food The Three Poisons, Institutionalized Why We Love War
These are just some of the chapters in this brilliant book from David R. Loy.
In little time, Loy has become one of the most powerful advocates of the Buddhist worldview, explaining like no one else its ability to transform the sociopolitical landscape of the modern world.
In this, his most accessible work to date, he offers sharp and even shockingly clear presentations of oft-misunderstood Buddhist staples-the working of karma, the nature of self, the causes of trouble on both the individual and societal levels-and the real reasons behind our collective sense of "never enough," whether it's time, money, sex, security... even war.
Loy's "Buddhist Revolution" is nothing less than a radical change in the ways we can approach our lives, our planet, the collective delusions that pervade our language, culture, and even our spirituality. (less)
Paperback, 176 pages
Published March 10th 2008 by Wisdom Publications (first published 2008)
Original TitleMoney, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution
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Kevin Lawrence
Jan 10, 2014Kevin Lawrence rated it liked it
I appreciated Loy's identifying urgent social and psychological issues that would likely preoccupy the curious reader who might want to seriously explore Buddhism as a belief/philosophy that can bring solace and wisdom, but who might also be suspicious that Buddhism's quietude tradition would entail abandoning any meaningful engagement with contemporary social and political issues that transcend the concerns of one person. Loy does a good job here (but a better job in his other book, The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, in my opiinion) of demonstrating the relevancy of pursuing a Buddhist perspective in order to understand the human impulses that create these social/political problems in the first place (such as environmental degradation, celebrity culture, unchecked capitalist greed, etc.). Loy also does a fine job of introducing some important Buddhist concepts in a lucid and plain-speaking style that I think enriches his argument without descending into obscure academic-speak. Where the book could have been better, in my opinion, is to talk about how Buddhist practices could help advance solutions and not just explanations of the various social/political issues we all face in the 21st century. I was taken aback that there really was no introduction to the Eight-fold Path and how pursuing this as a Buddhist practice might inform the ways in which we deal with the issues we confront. Maybe that is a whole other book, but I really felt it should have been touched upon and the absence of any discussion of practice really made the book read as a rushed job and an incomplete argument. But it is only one of a series of writings that Loy has done for showing how Buddhism is relevant to the group concerns we all contribute to and face if we are to bring about a better world for not only us but all living creatures, and I deeply respect Loy's ongoing commitment to Buddhist Social Activism. (less)
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Christian
Feb 12, 2019Christian rated it liked it
While the title is a bit hokey in its attention-grabbiness, the idea behind Money Sex War Karma is pretty good: a series of short essays on how some of the concerns of modern life might be viewed through a Buddhist lens. After all, the argument goes, if 21st century Buddhism doesn't have anything substantive and helpful to say about how we make and spend money, or treat the environment, or regard ourselves in the media, then what actual good is it to anyone?
As a project or a prospect, I find thi ...more
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Joseph
Nov 18, 2008Joseph rated it liked it
Shelves: intellectual-history
A collection of thoughtful magazine essays, but overall not as meaty (Buddhist pun) as Loy's other books. He does a solid job of translating some key Buddhist ideas into today's context, and his examination of how they apply to current dukkha-causing aspects of modern life should be helpful to anyone interested in socially engaged Buddhism.
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Whitaker
Dec 10, 2010Whitaker rated it really liked it
A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for
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John Fredrickson
Jan 03, 2018John Fredrickson rated it really liked it
Shelves: essays, zen-buddhism
I enjoyed this book, though it sounds odd to say so. The book is a terrific set of essays, as seen through the lens of Buddhism - each of the essays focus on individual aspects of our culture that affect our ability to deal properly with reality,. Much of the book deals with the way that our culture (even more than this, any culture) screws us up as we define our "I" in our own cultural context, but is written in such a straightforward way that it is pretty compelling.
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Hughie Carroll
Sep 09, 2020Hughie Carroll rated it it was amazing
Essential perspective from a wondrous teacher!
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Rossdavidh
Jan 12, 2014Rossdavidh rated it really liked it
Shelves: white
Subtitle: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution. It passed through my mind to tell you that it was a sort of zen Anarchist's Cookbook, with recipes for pipe bombs and drug use and such, just because it would sound so absurd to western ears. We associate buddhism (in the west) with nonviolence and tolerance, and I think David Loy uses the word "revolution" in part to get our attention. To a certain degree, though, it is more than a gimmick, and if his "notes" were followed widely it would be more than a little disruptive.
The title is actually fairly descriptive. Money, sex, war, and karma are all discussed as problematic parts of modern society, and of course then he presents his ideas on how Zen Buddhism would address the issues they each raise.
In the three cases of money, sex, and even war, Loy does not completely condemn them. However, he points out the self-sustaining bureaucracies (either government, corporate, or alliances of the two) which cultivate and thrive upon satisfying our need as a society for all of these. The way in which bureaucracies can acquire a life of their own and act in self-perpetuating ways is reminiscent of Dawkins' "selfish gene", or the libertarian observation that government agencies tend to act in ways which justify their continued existence.
To his credit, Loy does not shrink from critiquing traditional Buddhism along with western capitalism, and the section on karma is a good example of this. The opening words of the relevant chapter are, "What are we going to do about karma? There's no point in pretending that karma hasn't become a problem for contemporary Buddhism." Hearing a religious thinker say something like that about their own religion is a refreshing change. He ends up retaining the concept for his own beliefs, but not without substantial changes relative to how it is practiced in many Buddhist nations.
Most of the book, though, is taken up with an analysis of the obsessions of western culture with money, sex, and war. It owes as much to Chomsky as Dogen, but unlike Chomsky (who is brilliant at analyzing the failures of existing power structures, without being particularly effective at suggesting how to change them or what we would want to change them to) Loy spends equal amounts of time on the problem, and how we might go about taking it on.
Does any of it matter? Well, if it requires a nation to become majority Buddhist first, then no. It is my impression that most thoughtful and knowledgeable people would find Loy's analysis useful even if they were not Buddhist (before or after reading it), but I don't know if I'm the right person to evaluate that. Most importantly is probably that it seems to address the western Buddhist community on such topics, making it in some ways the "liberation theology" of Zen. Catholicism (or at least the previous two popes) turned its back quite decisively on liberation theology. It will be intriguing to see how asian Buddhism responds to Loy's book, if at all.
Most religions are only able to remain truly revolutionary when they are young, and as they grow older and successful, they have a lamentable tendency to become enamored of the status quo. In the west, Buddhism is a young upstart, but in east Asia it has long been used to justify keeping those at the top who are already there. Not perhaps more than other religions of similar size, but not really any less so.
Anything that helps to shine a different light on how our modern mix of money and power drives us, and itself, is a welcome addition to one's intellectual arsenal. (less)
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Frank Jude
Sep 24, 2009Frank Jude rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: All Yogis (of all types), activists and all inclined to question authority.
Shelves: cultural-history, buddhism
David Loy is a leading Buddhist scholar/teacher/practitioner who has spent much of his career writing about the encounter between Buddhist teachings and practices and the contemporary world. His basic thesis is that the existential sense of 'lack' (building on the traditional teaching of anatta) is the driving force behind individual and collective suffering. The three poisons of greed, ill-will and delusion have been institutionalized in the social institutions of the Corporation (greed; ie. they are never profitable enough), Militarism (ill-will) and the Media and Advertising (delusion).
Just one example of his interesting critique is in how he asserts that the issue of money is not that it makes us more materialistic, but that in fact it makes us LESS so! We begin to value the symbolic value of money above what we can actually buy with it! A wealthy person may be more concerned with how her luxury sporty car advances her social prestige rather than with simply enjoying its practical comforts! The price of the bottle of wine and how it reflects upon one's perceived value becomes more important that the taste of the wine itself!
This book is an easy to read, conversational passionate appeal to its readers to break out of complacent acceptance and to question how and what kinds of alternative visions we can collectively create to quite literally save the life of our planet. As he writes, "We need an alternative to 'there's no alternative'" kinds of thinking! (less)
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Kevin
Nov 26, 2008Kevin rated it really liked it
Shelves: favorites
Offers a really interesting perspective on what Buddhism and the modern western world have to offer each other, tying together Buddhist tenets of no-self, non-duality, etc. with recent ideas of western psychology and philosophy; it's pretty cool to have light shed on these somewhat esoteric Buddhist ideas by comparison to Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Freud, etc., especially regarding how language misleads us (but is still necessary) and how the self is a psychological and social construct (according to this book, the basic problem of "suffering" or "lack" in the Buddhist sense comes from the "groundlessness" the self senses and the misguided methods it tries to use to reassure itself of its reality - e.g., money, sex, war...).
The other main thing that's new to me is the attempt to apply these ideas to the modern world and see where they can help. One conclusion is that we have institutionalized collective delusion, that the delusions of the sum of us are greater than our individual delusions. The author's analysis of karma as something more practical than the old reincarnation-as-a-dung-beetle-or-something stereotype - something psychological rather than mystical - makes the solution to all this anxiety, alienation, violence, and delusion pretty obvious, albeit not easy. (less)
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Neil Hayes
May 23, 2015Neil Hayes rated it it was ok
This book is a selection of essays, and there is no doubting David Loy's scholarship and insight, and therefore his qualifications to attempt a work such as this. However, I was disappointed by the book, because the content was so patchy. Some essays offer a Buddhist perspective on social issues which is little more than a re-statement of a social issue using the language of Buddhism. Others offer exciting insight, and valuable perspective that is a delight in the way that it challenges the way we relate to the world. In general, I found the earlier essays to be in the former category, and the later essays to be the latter. I would not recommend the book, although I will continue to buy and read everything that Loy writes. (less)
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