The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings [Hardcover]

Rajiv Mehrotra (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

An inspiration to millions of people worldwide, the Dalai Lama has long wanted one book that he could recommend as a basic sourcebook for his essential ideas. Now, for the first time, The Essential Dalai Lama brings together the best of the Dalai Lama’s writings on all aspects of life from work to meditation. Divided into four sections—The Vision, Buddhist Perspectives, Practice, A World in Harmony—The Essential Dalai Lama contains eloquent applications of the principles of ancient Buddhist thought to contemporary issues, all expressed in the Dalai Lama’s uniquely compelling voice. Covering topics such as the quest for human happiness, foundations of Buddhism, Karma, focusing the mind, ethics and society, the Buddhist perspective on the teachings of Jesus, and much more, The Essential Dalai Lama will be the perfect gift for anyone who wishes to have one source for the Dalai Lama’s teachings or who seeks an introduction to the philosophy and practice of Buddhism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Dalai Lama reaches out to a global following with a vision that is transforming, secular, and accessible to all. (Rajiv Mehrotra) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, is recognized as a spiritual leader and peace statesman. His previous books include The Path to Tranquility, Wisdom of Forgiveness, The Art of Happiness, and Ethics for the New Millennium.
Rajiv Mehrotra is the author of The Mind of the Guru: Conversations with Spiritual Masters and is currently working on a biography of the Dalai Lama.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (October 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670034444
• ISBN-13: 978-0670034444
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,521,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to Buddhism, June 7, 2007

By 

A. Chiu "happy camper" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings (Hardcover)

Before reading this book, I have read his two other phenomenal books by His Holiness - The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living and The Art of Happiness at Work. These two books are very practical books with concepts that we can easily relate to and apply to our day to day lives. I read them in a time of sadness and confusion, and they have really helped to put me on the right track again.

The Essential Dalai Lama provided a great introduction of the essential Buddhist concepts to me. The books is actually a collection of chapters from various books by His Holiness. The pace is good for beginners and the ideas are presented in great clarity.

From my point of view, most of the teachings from His Holiness are actually religiously neutral. Many of the concepts are simply ancient wisdoms that have been passed through the experience of many generations. These wisdoms can serve as short-cuts to help all of us, regardless of religious and cultural background, to understand our mind better, to live happier and healthier, and to make this world a better place for our fellow human beings.

To summarize, I think this book could be a bit theoretical as the first introduction to Buddhism. It's easier to read the two books that I mentioned earlier or other books by Thich Nhat Hanh such as Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. On the other hand, for someone who wants to learn the key buddhist concepts in a systematic way for the first time, the Essential Dalai Lama offers an excellent choice.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressive, December 10, 2007

By 

guest (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings (Hardcover)

Normally I am very impressed after reading Dalai Lama books; however, this one didn't leave me with the same feeling.

I suppose the title of this book: "The Essential Dalai Lama - His Important Teachings", was chosen because each chapter of this book consists of an excerpt taken from other Dalai Lama books. I think the best aspect of this book is that even though this book in its entirety is a compilation of sections taken from about 20 different Dalai Lama books, it flows and reads well, as if all the chapters were written for this one book.

The most disappointing feature of this book is that I didn't get anything out of it. Even the chapters that are sections out of what I think are from the "best" Dalai Lama books, are uninspiring in this book because this book lacks the many pages of "lead-in" that the original more thorough books have.

Fortunately, I have read many other Dalai Lama books prior to this one. I find that some of the Dalai Lama books are a waste of time to read, while others are some of the most enlightening books I've ever read.

To date, my two most favorite (5 Star)and highly recommended (essential) Dalai Lama books are:

A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night - A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life

The Heart of the Buddha's Path

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Great, July 27, 2011

By 

Nicholas Morrow (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Dalai Lama: His Important Teachings (Hardcover)

I think the Dalai Lama is an amazing man. He exudes peace and calmness. A few years back I was lucky enough to listen to him speak while he was visiting in Seattle. All of Key Arena sat in rapt attention while he spoke.

However, this book doesn't quite do him justice. The beginning few chapters discussing every persons search for happiness is very interesting but doesn't delve into enough depth for me. If you're looking for a more thorough discussion of his views on happiness, conflict, suffering, and injustice, pick up his book The Art of Happiness, 10th Anniversary Edition: A Handbook for Living.

From there it goes on to give an overview of Buddhism and its practice which weren't as thorough as I'd like. If you're looking for a great introduction to Buddhism and the practice of Buddhism, check out Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World