Author: Rajiv Mehrotra
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 258
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0143101307
Description
A special collection of the Dalai Lama's inspirational writings and discourses.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the pre-eminent spiritual teacher of our times. He reaches out across nations, religions and ideologies, even as he embodies the highest aspirations of the Buddhist path. His writings and ideas have impacted millions worldwide; to many he is a living Buddha. This substantive selection brings together the best, most important and useful of his teachings and insights.
Edited by Rajiv Mehrotra, a personal student of the His Holiness, the book focuses on the Buddhist and secular perspectives which form the basis of the Dalai Lama's engaging and universally accessible philosophy—the techniques of achieving a happy, ethical and enlightened life, even as we can and must make a difference to a world plagued by individual and collective suffering. It enables us to understand ourselves and see our lives afresh, from work and relationships to meditation and religious practice. Articulated in his most appealing voice, The Essential Dalai Lama combines practical advice and techniques with a compassion that transforms us.
This is the perfect compilation for all admirers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's writings and for anyone yet to be introduced to his compelling wisdom.
Contents
PREFACE
I. THE VISION
Words of Truth
The quest for Human Happiness
Our Global Family
Compassion
Universal Responsibility
II. BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVES
Introduction
Laying he Groundwork
The Buddha
Four Noble Truths
Karma
The Bodhisattva Ideal
Interdependence
Dependent Origination
Awareness of Death
III. THE PRACTICE
Creating the Perspective for Practice
Refuge: The Three Jewels
Meditation: A Beginning
Transforming the Mind Through Meditation
Environment/Symbols/Posture/Breathing
The Nature of the Mind
Practice of Calm Abiding
Generating the mind of Enlightenment
Eight Verses for Training the Mind
Meditation on Emptiness
Tantra-Deity Yoga
Relying on a Spiritual Teacher
IV. A WORLD IN HARMONY
Ethics and Society
Science and Spirituality
Buddhist concept of Nature
A Wish for Harmony
Buddhist Perspectives on the Teachings of Jesus
The Sheltering Tree of Interdependence
Copyright Acknowledgements
The foundation for Universal
Responsibility of His Holiness the Dalai Lama