Be it the unrivaled work of history’s greatest playwright or the pacifist teachings at the heart of a major world religion, it’s difficult to imagine two more disparate subjects than that of Shakespeare or Buddhism. But with SHAKESPEARE MEETS THE BUDDHA: Using Shakespeare’s Words to Illustrate Buddhist Teachings, Edward Dickey successfully explores these seemingly incompatible worlds, utilizing the characteristics of one topic to analyze the other.
Following a disclaimer addressing the intention (and inherent limitation) of his work, Dickey starts things off by telling the story of a Buddhist retreat he once attended. While the two-week experience included loads of meditation and reflection, Dickey admits that the retreat offered little in the way of life-altering insights. But all that changed when the author returned home to Washington, D.C., and went to a performance of Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre. In a jet-lagged haze, Dickey found that the three-hour performance elicited a similar state of calm as the retreat he’d just attended. Sure, the Buddha and Shakespeare might have felt like ambassadors from conflicting points of view, but Dickey began to see the correlations between the two worlds. Be it the mutual recognition that our thoughts shape our experiences or the underscored importance of suffering and the role it plays in our day-to-day lives, Dickey realized that a tangible overlap existed between Shakespeare and the Buddha’s teachings.
From there, Dickey takes readers on a wholly unique ride, touching upon both the major tenets of Buddhism and a brief overview of some of Shakespeare’s most enduring works. Chapters are devoted to a myriad of core values such as love, contentment, and forgiveness, with Dickey citing excerpts from some of history’s most famous plays and then tethering them to a Buddhist perspective. While few would argue with the universal applicability of Buddhist teachings, the real takeaway here might just be the massive amount of insight this book provides on Shakespeare, both the man and his work. Not only does Dickey hinge this analysis on a novel premise, the author then eloquently shows his work, crafting something that is arguably far more ‘readable’ than the topics in question. At its core, SHAKESPEARE MEETS THE BUDDHA is a meticulously researched essay, the sort of work that would likely garner high marks in an academic setting. Obviously, previous experience with either of these subjects will provide readers with a frame of reference for Dickey’s unique perspective, but the real winners here will be those who come to SHAKESPEARE MEETS THE BUDDHA with little or no preconceived notions. Even those with a complete lack of familiarity with either topic are likely to learn something—both the novel’s length (less than a hundred pages) and Dickey’s conversational tone throughout make for a ‘quick’ read.
With SHAKESPEARE MEETS THE BUDDHA, Edward Dickey succeeds in providing a brief, thoughtful examination of two seemingly incompatible topics and, in the process, offers a new perspective on both.
~James Weiskittel for IndieReader