The Art of Living

"Yes he is the 14th Dalai Lama and, like Thich Nhat Hanh, he has become rather an icon in the West. Tibetans believe the Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of one of the bodhisattvas in Buddhism – Avalokitesvara, who is the epitome of compassion. I could have chosen many different books by him but I went for this one because it is the record of lectures he gave in both Tibetan and English in Wembley in 1993. It is a very accessible book and shows the Dalai Lama speaking to the West about what he feels is important to everyone, not only Buddhists. “According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha was at first quite reluctant to ordain women.” Speaking from his Buddhist perspective, he affirms, for instance, that everyone likes happiness and not pain. He then stresses that this happiness must not infringe on the rights of others. And then gradually he tells people what happiness really means – a happiness which is free from the craving for material things that Buddhism sees as the root of our suffering. Happiness, he says, can be about developing one’s own potential but it must have no conceit and pride about it. So, in a very accessible way he speaks about what some Buddhists would call the four noble truths. He also mentions contemporary topics like birth control, how we should approach death and how we should deal with suffering and anger. It is a very useful book for me and for anyone who wants to touch what Buddhism can offer through the words of a teacher."