The Psychology of Peace: Forging a Path to Peace with Psychology and Buddhist Philosophy

Most will agree that humanity is a mess. Particularly since political forces in America began destroying democracy with authoritarianism. Darwinian evolution says that all species are doomed to compete among themselves for the right to contribute to the gene pool. Human beings like to think we are superior to animals, but the evidence shows we are no different from animals in this respect. Every generation finds reasons to conduct atrocities and wage wars. The idea that we can coexist peacefully seems for many, like an idealistic, overly-optimistic dream, rather than anything founded in reality. The Psychology of Peace explores the optimistic proposal that humanity may be ready for a crucial shift in this paradigm. It does this by offering ideas and tools that have been applied on an individual basis to produce inner peace in Buddhist cultures for centuries. This is one of many critical conversations that must take place if we desire to escape the chains of past destructive collective behavior patterns that seem to be propelling us ever-nearer to the abyss of the extinction of our species. The author is a practicing Buddhist of the Mahayana tradition. He explores this challenging topic along with two fellow deep thinkers; Dexter Amed, Ph. D., a professor of psychology with an academic career spanning decades, and Lama Lakshey Zangpo Rinpoche, a highly respected Tibetan Buddhist Lama who traveled to America from Tibet in 2007 to introduce Americans to the benefits of Buddhist mindfulness, meditation and compassion practice. We all desire to be happy. But few understand how to accomplish this. The tools offered in this book are intended to point you in the right direction.

About the Author :
Michael Jaquish is a practicing Buddhist of the Mahayana tradition following the path of the Bodhisattva. He is also the author of numerous books, and a journalist. Following a career as a peace officer in America he traveled to West Africa to serve as director of security for US Embassy operations in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia and for the NASA Space Shuttle Abort Landing site. In his spare time, Michael spent many years roaming the jungles in search of adventure and exotic creatures and sketching and writing about what he found. He currently lives in Spokane, Washington, in the United States, where he continues to write, teach meditation and the Dharma, and ponder the meaning of life while practicing compassion for all beings.