Money, Sex, War, Karma: Notes for a Buddhist Revolution

This pithily written and provocative book seems to be aimed at two audiences--groups of readers between whom, one guesses, there will be little overlap. First, it seems to target those whose life on earth is one of suffering: pain occasioned by the "lacks" (to use Loy's term) that define their being: lack of wealth, lack of fame, lack of sex, etc. The other audience Loy appears to be addressing would be those with an investment in Buddhism, those who would be bereft if, in the twenty-first century, Buddhism withered away and died, and so want to find a way to make it relevant to our times. I say the groups are unlikely to overlap because one very much doubts that any of those wannabe Donald Trumps or Britney Spearses would even notice if Buddhism disappeared, and it is just as unlikely that those with well-worn meditation cushions who purchase books such as this one are actually consumed with suffering because they lack money or fame. Surely even those who have only progressed a step or two on the path will (like many of those not on the path at all) have other things on their minds than getting rich and famous. I'll write more, and, I hope, more deeply about Loy's Notes for Buddhist Revolution in a forthcoming review in Kyoto Journal.