Ashoka, Buddhism and Globalization

These articles include two syntheses of my arguments in To Uphold the World that appeared in Tricycle and Tikkun, a Washington Post blog piece, and an excerpt from the new preface to the Penguin/Random House paperback November 2017 revised edition of To Uphold the World, published under the new title of Ashoka in Our Time: the Question of Dharma for a Globalized World, There are also three interviews where I reflect not only on the need for a global ethic for a globalized world but a bit on my own evolution as an author.

Ashoka in Our Time: An Excerpt

Ashoka in Our Time: An Excerpt

This is an excerpt from the Preface to the new 2017 Penguin edition of To Uphold the World, published with a new title, Ashoka in Our Time: The Question of Dharma for a Globalized World.

Ashoka in Our Time: An Excerpt

This is an excerpt from the Preface to the new 2017 Penguin edition of To Uphold the World, published with a new title, Ashoka in Our Time: The Question of Dharma for a Globalized World.

To Uphold the World: What Two Statesmen from Ancient India Can Tell Us about Our Current Crisis

To Uphold the World: What Two Statesmen from Ancient India Can Tell Us about Our Current Crisis

In the words of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the 2011 Davos World Economic Forum, the global economy has become a “global suicide pact.” How can we imagine alternatives? Are there historical precedents for a global ethic of care, and has any government ever tried to put it into practice?

To Uphold the World: What Two Statesmen from Ancient India Can Tell Us about Our Current Crisis

In the words of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the 2011 Davos World Economic Forum, the global economy has become a “global suicide pact.” How can we imagine alternatives? Are there historical precedents for a global ethic of care, and has any government ever tried to put it into practice?

To Uphold the World

To Uphold the World

The Catholic theologian Hans Küng observed that “a global market economy requires a global ethic.” Yet at the very moment when the need for just such an ethic is more urgent than ever, our national and global systems of governance seem effectively paralyzed in moving toward it.

To Uphold the World

The Catholic theologian Hans Küng observed that “a global market economy requires a global ethic.” Yet at the very moment when the need for just such an ethic is more urgent than ever, our national and global systems of governance seem effectively paralyzed in moving toward it.

BP and a Global Ethic

BP and a Global Ethic

Bruce Rich shows how in our day of globalization and multicultural tensions we have much to learn from Ashoka’s policy of nonviolence and compassion. Here, he argues that the BP oil spill makes the need for a global ethic all the more pressing.

BP and a Global Ethic

Bruce Rich shows how in our day of globalization and multicultural tensions we have much to learn from Ashoka’s policy of nonviolence and compassion. Here, he argues that the BP oil spill makes the need for a global ethic all the more pressing.

Interview: What Can Ancient India Tell Us About Our World

Interview: What Can Ancient India Tell Us About Our World

Question: What’s the most important take-home message for readers?"I examine the lives and writings of Ashoka and Kautilya as archetypes, metaphors and sources of inspiration for a reflection on what many contemporary thinkers view as the overarching challenges of our age: a global world system and a global economy require a global ethic.

Interview: What Can Ancient India Tell Us About Our World

Question: What’s the most important take-home message for readers?"I examine the lives and writings of Ashoka and Kautilya as archetypes, metaphors and sources of inspiration for a reflection on what many contemporary thinkers view as the overarching challenges of our age: a global world system and a global economy require a global ethic.

Interview: Iconic India

Interview: Iconic India

Question: What do you like to take back from India? Visiting India is a great personal and intellectual adventure, with her almost limitless treasure chest of history, culture and landscape. As always, I hope to take back a greater knowledge of the world, of human adventure, and of myself.

Interview: Iconic India

Question: What do you like to take back from India? Visiting India is a great personal and intellectual adventure, with her almost limitless treasure chest of history, culture and landscape. As always, I hope to take back a greater knowledge of the world, of human adventure, and of myself.

Interview: A Lesson for Hawaii's Modern Society

Interview: A Lesson for Hawaii's Modern Society

I went on a book tour in Hawaii where To Uphold the World had a surprising resonance--Hawaii has the highest percentage Buddhist population of any American state. This interview is with the Hawaii Independent, a state-wide online newspaper.

Interview: A Lesson for Hawaii's Modern Society

I went on a book tour in Hawaii where To Uphold the World had a surprising resonance--Hawaii has the highest percentage Buddhist population of any American state. This interview is with the Hawaii Independent, a state-wide online newspaper.