Shakespeare Meets the Buddha

Book excerpt: The Buddha taught his followers to transcend the cycle of birth and death by doing no harm, training the mind, and benefiting others. Shakespeare wrote plays about romantic love, sex, war, royal power, betrayal, jealousy, murder and revenge. What can these two figures, separated by 2000 years and living in such different societies, possibly have in common? More than you might think. Both recognized that our thoughts shape our experience. Both were concerned with suffering and its causes. Both embraced qualities that counter suffering, including love, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Both were concerned with impermanence and death. Both understood the illusory nature of existence. Both believed that ill-intentioned actions bring bad consequences for the actor. And both realized that the self to which we cling has no enduring reality. Our book explores each of these areas, drawing on passages from Buddhist teachings and passages from many of Shakespeare's works. Through our exploration we will find that Shakespeare's mirror-like mind reflected universal wisdom that resonates with the some of the Buddha's basic teachings.