Most Popular Books by Dalai Lama

What is the essence of the mind? Could computers ever have consciousness? Can compassion be learned? When does consciousness enter the human embryo? These are just some of the many questions that were discussed during a historic meeting that took place between several prominent Western scientists and the Dalai Lama. Gentle Bridges is a chronicle of this extraordinary exchange of ideas.

Available for the first time in trade paperback, the multi-million copy bestselling guide to happiness from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Nearly every time you see him, he''s laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He''s the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman. Why is he so popular? Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can''t help feeling happier. If you ask him if he''s happy, even though he''s suffered the loss of his country, the Dalai Lama will give you an unconditional yes. What''s more, he''ll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that the very motion of our life is toward happiness. How to get there has always been the question. He''s tried to answer it before, but he''s never had the help of a psychiatrist to get the message across in a context we can easily understand. The Art of Happiness is the book that started the genre of happiness books, and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology. Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. Together with Dr. Howard Cutler, he explores many facets of everyday life, including relationships, loss, and the pursuit of wealth, to illustrate how to ride through life''s obstacles on a deep and abiding source of inner peace. Based on 2,500 years of Buddhist meditations mixed with a healthy dose of common sense, The Art of Happiness is a book that crosses the boundaries of traditions to help readers with difficulties common to all human beings. After being in print for ten years, this book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits around the world.

Remarkable insights into the mind of one of the world''s greatest spiritual icons His Holiness the Dalai Lama is celebrated as Buddhism’s preeminent spiritual master and teacher, embodying the highest aspirations of this rich tradition that is more than 2,500 years old. With both profundity and simplicity, he has carried the nuanced teachings of the Buddha to the far corners of the globe, and in the process has touched and transformed millions of lives. Like the Buddha himself, the Dalai Lama, with his ever-smiling face, reaches out to people in ways that connect to their individual mental dispositions, abilities, and everyday realities. Buddhism, which never seeks to proselytize, has been made accessible by the Dalai Lama to both non-Buddhists and Buddhists alike so that we may all learn from one of the most valuable strands of our shared heritage. This fascinating book brings together extracts from some of His Holiness’s most powerful writings and talks. As he explains the elements of the Buddha’s teachings and the basic practices of meditation, he also engages and reconciles the innovations of modern science with Buddhist perspectives. Ultimately, His Holiness calls for the celebration of diversity and the recognition of interdependence that breeds a sense of Universal Responsibility—which must govern all of our relationships in this increasingly fragmented world. Serving as the perfect introduction to the Dalai Lama’s philosophy, both Buddhist and secular, In My Own Words is just the book for gleaning insights into the mind of one of the world’s greatest spiritual icons.

"Beyond Religion" is a stirring call to move beyond religion for the guidance to improve human life on individual, community, and global levels--including a guided meditation practice for cultivating key human values.

With characteristic humour and a down-to-earth approach to the Buddhist path, the Dalai Lama offers us an inspirational way to transform our hearts and minds and create the happiness we seek. He shows us how our state of mind, in terms of our attitudes and emotions, plays a crucial role in shaping the way we experience happiness and suffering.

Learn from the Dalai Lama the three steps to awakening: 1) renunciation, 2) the awakening mind, and 3) emptiness. His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s commentary on Tsongkhapa’s Three Principal Aspects of the Path helps us integrate the full Buddhist path into our own practice. His Holiness offers a beautiful elucidation of the three aspects of the path: true renunciation based on the wish for freedom, the altruistic awakening mind ( bodhichitta ), and the correct view of emptiness. These three aspects of the path are the axis of all the practices of both sutra and tantra, and they encapsulate Tsongkhapa’s vision of the Buddhist path in its entirety. In their absence, it is impossible for us to develop the great compassion that aspires to liberate other sentient beings from samsara and we will not be able to go beyond this cycle of existence. Practitioners will find The Three Principal Aspects of the Path invaluable as a manual for daily meditation. The universal and timeless insights of this text speak to contemporary spiritual aspirants, East and West. The root verses are presented in both Tibetan and English translation to accompany these profound teachings.

Designed as a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Western neuroscientists, this book takes readers on a journey through opposing fields of thought—showing that they may not be so opposing after all Is the mind an ephemeral side effect of the brain’s physical processes? Are there forms of consciousness so subtle that science has not yet identified them? How does consciousness happen? Organized by the Mind and Life Institute, this discussion addresses some of the most troublesome questions that have driven a wedge between Western science and religion. Edited by Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston, and B. Alan Wallace, Where Buddhism Meets Neuroscience is the culmination of meetings between the Dalai Lama and a group of eminent neuroscientists and psychiatrists. The Dalai Lama’s incisive, open-minded approach both challenges and offers inspiration to Western scientists. This book was previously published under the title Consciousness at the Crossroads.

Born out of a decade of discussion between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and international management consultant Laurens van den Muyzenberg, The Leader’s Way is the unique meeting of two worlds: the global business landscape and Buddhism. At first sight, these seem to be an unlikely pairing. After a closer look, however, the best business practices and Buddhist principles in fact have much in common; both are concerned with making rational, holistic decisions and turning them into responsible, effective action. Indeed, the teachings of Buddhism have much to offer business leaders. The world today faces many unique challenges: the worst global recession in over seventy-five years, with millions out of jobs and entire economies in a tailspin; billions of people living in abject poverty; the imminent threat of an environmental meltdown. Even prosperous businesses and leaders feel insecure about the future. A new kind of leadership is needed–one that sees events as they really are and understands the interconnectedness, impermanence, and interdependence of individuals, companies, and the global economic system. Through fascinating insights and day-to-day examples, His Holiness the Dalai Lama offers practical tools and advice on how to lead in our twenty-first-century world. Drawing on the wise teachings of Buddhism, he says, we can become better, more informed leaders as individuals, achieve more progressive leadership in our organizations, and help address some of the world’s most pressing problems. Moreover, we can improve the quality of life for all by promoting responsible, ethical, and profitable business practices. That is the leader’s way. A rewarding, surprising view into the life and thoughts of one of the world’s most inspiring leaders, The Leader’s Way provides a powerful manifesto for leading change at every level–in our lives, our organizations, and the wider world.

A little book for those in search of words to calm and inspire. In this mini ebook His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches us how to deal with suffering.

In Becoming Enlightened, His Holiness the Dalai Lama powerfully explores the foundation of Buddhism, laying out an accessible and practical approach to age-old questions: How can we live free from suffering? How can we achieve lasting happiness and peace? Drawing from traditional Buddhist meditative practices as well as penetrating examples from today''s troubled planet, he presents step-by-step exercises designed to expand the reader''s capacity for spiritual growth, along with clear milestones to mark the reader''s progress. By following the spiritual practices outlined in Becoming Enlightened, we can learn how to replace troublesome feelings with positive attitudes and embark on a path to achieving an exalted state -- within ourselves and within the larger world. Full of personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama''s experiences as a lifelong student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Becoming Enlightened gives readers all the wisdom, support, guidance, and inspiration they need to become successful and fulfilled in their spiritual lives. This is a remarkable and empowering book that can be read and enjoyed by seekers of all faiths. Readers at every stage of their spiritual development will be captivated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama''s loving and direct teaching style.

Schooled behind ancient palace walls to become the leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has become a spiritual leader to the world and a leading civil rights advocate. My Land and My People tells the story of his life. In the Himalayan City of Lhasa, the four-year-old son of a humble farmer sat on a huge, gilded throne. His childhood would be unimaginable in both its isolation and a people''s adoration. His destiny would be one of immense tragedy and the awesome transformation of a man. Written by the Dalai Lama as a young man in exile, this dignified testament re-creates the miraculous search that identified him as the reincarnated leader of his country. It paints a rare intimate portrait of Tibetan Buddhism-a way of life that would end with a terrifying foreign invasion surpassing sanity and reason. And it reveals the evolution of a man from a gentle monk to a world leader-one struggling to this day to free his country... one able to touch our hearts with the goodness that makes him on of the most beloved men of our time. He was once a small boy was chosen to rule the most mysterious land on Earth. Now the Dalai Lama tells his, and his country''s, poignant story.

Reveals the Dalai Lama''s inimitable wit and gently exemplifies the nature of a Bodhisattva.--East-West Journal

Opening the Eye of New Awareness is a succinct, thorough overview of the doctrines of Buddhism as they have been practiced for a thousand years in Tibet. The Dalai Lama here discusses the need for religious practice and the importance of kindness and compassion. Originally written for Tibetan lay people, this was the Dalai Lama''s first book on Buddhist philosophy to appear in English, and Prof. Lopez''s new introduction places these teachings in their proper historical context. This is an invaluable handbook for both personal use and academic study of the Buddhist path. "Written for both Tibetan and Western readers, Opening the Eye of New Awareness is the Dalai Lama''s first religious work. It is not an edited transcript of public lectures, but is His Holliness'' own summation of Buddhist doctrine and practice. Completed in 1963, just four years after his escape from Tibet and four years after completing his religious education, it is a work of consummate scholarship by a twenty-seven year-old geshe, wise beyond his years. Nowhere in his many subsequent works does one find a more clear and concise exposition of the essentials of Buddhist thought. Indeed, all of His Holinesss''s many publications are in some sense commentaries on this first book."

"We all have the same human mind - each and every one of us has the same potential. Our surroundings and so forth are important, but the nature of mind itself is more important... To live a happy and joyful life, we must take care of our minds." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama At the heart of this book is The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel of the Oral Tradition, an accessible and nonsectarian treatise on penetrating the nature of mind by Khonton Peljor Lhundrub, a teacher of the Fifth Dalai Lama. His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama''s broad-ranging overview of this work insightfully distills some of the most central themes of Buddhism: why the mind is so essential to the tradition, what distinguishes the levels of consciousness, and how different schools of Tibetan Buddhism elaborate those distinctions. Profound and erudite, it brings the reader closer to a fresh and direct experience of Buddhism''s central truths. Along with his lucid translations, Jose Cabezon provides an introduction to the root text and presentations of the life and works of Khonton Rinpoche, all richly annotated.

"This is the first volume in the Wisdom of Tibet series published under the auspices of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. this series is unique in that each volume has been chosen by the Dalai Lama as revealing a true oral tradition. This first volume was written, in two parts, by the Dalai Lama himself specially for readers in the West. In it he explains simply and clearly: *the basic tenets and practices of the Buddhism of Tibet *the relationship of Tibetan Buddhism to Hinayana *the meaning and aspirations of Mahayana *the profound theory of ''emptiness'' *the key to meditation and tranquility. This book by the Dalai Lama is both beautiful and revealing in that it covers both the practice and wisdom of Buddhism and is inspired directly by the living oral tradition of Tibet.

Short passages advising people from all walks of life.

Only during a time when we have so little faith in one another, so little confidence in the willingness of others to do what is right, can a strong voice emerge to dispel disillusionment and show us hope. It takes a person of great courage, such as the Dalai Lama, to face these times and say there is hope. There is an argument to be made for basic human goodness. The number of people who spend their lives being violent or dishonest is tiny compared with the number of people -- the vast majority we don''t hear about -- who would wish others only well. According to the Dalai Lama, our survival has depended and will depend on our basic goodness. "Much more effective and important than legislation is our regard for one another''s feelings at a simple human level....Here, I refer to the capacity we all have to empathize with one another...to arrive at the inability to bear the sight of another''s suffering." The Dalai Lama presents an ethical system that not only is based on commonsense and reason, as opposed to religious dogma or punitive legislation, but has at its goal ultimate happiness for every individual. The Dalai Lama demonstrates that human beings are better than we think we are, and that a society and a life that cultivate love and compassion are completely within our reach. If enough people operate from the understanding of their "original purity," a global revolution of peace will ensue.

This practical little gem will guide and inspire Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

Based on the Dalai Lama’s talks in London this ebook addresses the current difficulties facing humanity including: racial hatred, gender and environmental protection.

The meeting captured headlines; the waiting list contained nearly 2000 names. If you were unable to attend, this book will take you there. Including both the conference papers and the animated discussion and debate they generated, it reveals scientists and monks reaching across a cultural divide to share insights, studies, and enduring questions.

A comprehensive introduction to Buddhism.

Gallileo, Copernicus, Newton, Niels Bohr, Einstein. Their insights shook our perception of who we are and where we stand in the world and in their wake have left an uneasy co-existence: science vs. religion, faith vs. empirical enquiry. Which is the keeper of truth? Which is the true path to understanding reality? After forty years of study with some of the greatest scientific minds as well as a lifetime of meditative, spiritual and philosophical study, the Dalai Lama presents a brilliant analysis of why both disciplines must be pursued in order to arrive at a complete picture of the truth. Science shows us ways of interpreting the physical world, while spirituality helps us cope with reality. But the extreme of either is impoverishing. The belief that all is reducible to matter and energy leaves out a huge range of human experience: emotions, yearnings, compassion, culture. At the same time, holding unexamined spiritual beliefs–beliefs that are contradicted by evidence, logic, and experience–can lock us into fundamentalist cages. Through an examination of Darwinism and karma, quantum mechanics and philosophical insight into the nature of reality, neurobiology and the study of consciousness, the Dalai Lama draws significant parallels between contemplative and scientific examination of reality. “I believe that spirituality and science are complementary but different investigative approaches with the same goal of seeking the truth,” His Holiness writes. “In this, there is much each may learn from the other, and together they may contribute to expanding the horizon of human knowledge and wisdom.” This breathtakingly personal examination is a tribute to the Dalai Lama’s teachers–both of science and spirituality. The legacy of this book is a vision of the world in which our different approaches to understanding ourselves, our universe and one another can be brought together in the service of humanity.

Imbued with a friendly tone and pithy wisdom, this handsome handbook to approaching life "in a better way" includes six of His Holiness The Dalai Lama''s most accessible and inspirational public lectures. Following each talk are the original question-and-answer sessions in which His Holiness opens himself up to his listeners and-now-to readers everywhere. His characteristically candid guidance on living fully and responsibly, especially at the start of a new millennium, focuses on specific themes that range from religious tolerance to compassion and nonviolence. The book also includes a practical and highly readable introduction to Buddhism and The Dalai Lama''s own spiritual heritage, written by the renowned Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.

A little book for those in search of words to calm and inspire. In this gift book His Holiness the Dalai Lama imparts his message: the importance of love, compassion and forgiveness.

This book addresses some of the most fundamental and troublesome questions that have driven a wedge between the realms of Western science and religion for centuries.

This book contains the essential guide to some of the central Buddhist teachings based on the recent UK lectures by his holiness.

This book contains excerpts of the unusually beautiful and inspiring words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. His message of the universal need for kindness and consideration at every level of human relations, from person-to-person to global concerns, is one that transcends all cultural and religious boundaries. Guidelines for Living should be read by anyone who cares about the fate of our increasingly interdependent and imperiled Earth.

Sayings, prayers and stories drawn from the life and teachings of the Dalai Lama - one of the world''s greatest spiritual teachers - are collected in this volume as reflections for each day of the year.

Predominantly on political issues of Tibet after 1951.

Tibet''s exiled spiritual and secular leader describes his childhood, the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and how exiled Tibetans have rebuilt their lives, and explains Tibetan Buddhism along with his philosophy of peace.