How to See Yourself As You Really Are (Paperback)

by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Author), Jeffrey, Ph.D. Hopkins (Translator)
Key Phrases: meditative reflection, ultimate love, subtle laxity, Tenzin Gyatso, Absorbing Yourself, Noticing How Everything Depends (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we each possess the ability to achieve happiness and a meaningful life, but the key to realizing that goal is self-knowledge. In How to See Yourself As You Really Are, the world's foremost Buddhist leader and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize shows readers how to recognize and dispel misguided notions of self and embrace the world from a more realistic -- and loving -- perspective. Through illuminating explanations and step-by-step exercises, His Holiness helps readers to see the world as it actually exists, and explains how, through the interconnection of meditative concentration and love, true altruistic enlightenment is attained.

Enlivened by personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama's own life experiences, How to See Yourself As You Really Are is an inspirational and empowering guide that can be read and enjoyed by anyone seeking spiritual fulfillment.

About the Author
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born in 1935 to a peasant family in northeastern Tibet and was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The world's foremost Buddhist leader, he travels extensively, speaking eloquently in favor of ecumenical understanding, kindness and compassion, respect for the environment, and, above all, world peace.

Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., served for a decade as the interpreter for the Dalai Lama. A Buddhist scholar and the author of more than thirty-five books and translations, he is emeritus professor of Tibetan and Buddhist studies at the University of Virginia, where he founded the largest academic program of Tibetan Buddhist studies in the West. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atria (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743290461
• ISBN-13: 978-0743290463
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,121 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Dalai Lama
  #8 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Tibetan
  #33 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Inspirational

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The path to enlightenment, April 7, 2007

By	Steve Burns "Life long learner" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: How to See Yourself As You Really Are (Hardcover)

I believe the Dalai Lama is the closest thing we have to a Buddha on earth. His writing is full of grace and enlightenment. In this book he takes on the difficult task of explaining the true condition of a human being-impermanent conditional consciousness. This topic is very difficult to explain by putting it into words. The Dalai Lama does a great job and then follows up with many exercises. Here is how I would summarize this books teachings:

We are not our body, nor even our mind. if we were we could not say my mind or my body. Then what are we? We are "like" and illusion existing through our 5 aggregates, body, thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and consciousness. No "I" can be located. The closest we can come is understanding that we are consciousness observing the present moment, all else is thought and mental formation. Who we think we really are is just a mental formation we hold in our mind of our beliefs about ourselves our religion, height, weight, name, etc. Enlightenment is simply understanding this and the nature of reality.
I hope I did some justice to this books topic, but I highly recommend reading this book to move farther down the road to enlightenment.

123 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buddhist practice in a nutsehll, January 9, 2007

By	Z. M. Ridgway (Waco, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How to See Yourself As You Really Are (Hardcover)

This is a very comprehensive guide to Buddhist meditation practices. Delivered as always in the Dalai Lama's distinctive style - full of humor, joy, and gentle compassion.

The one proviso regarding this book - unlike many of the Dalai Lama's other books, this book is actually intended as a guide to practitioners of Buddhist meditation, and not as an informative source for interested non-practitions (like "The Art of Happiness).

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Number One Pick, March 2, 2007

By	buddhaboy bob - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to See Yourself As You Really Are (Hardcover)

I have over 100 books on buddhism and meditation and if I had to pick my favorite this is it. To me it contains everything an aspiring buddha needs to know and practice.Especially good if you don't have access to a teacher or a spiritual center.