My Land and My People: The Original Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet (Paperback)

~ The Dalai Lama (Author) "I was born in a small village called Taktser, in the northeast of Tibet, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Wood..." (more)
Key Phrases: true cessation, monk officials, true suffering, Dalai Lama, Lord Buddha, Chou En-lai (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A narrative that gains in drama by the simplicity of its telling." -- -The New York Times Book Review

"MY LAND AND MY PEOPLE is, without a doubt, one of the most moving memoirs I have ever read." -- -Stanley Gosh, Saturday Review

Product Description

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 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 one of the most beloved men of our time.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446674214
• ISBN-13: 978-0446674218
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,130 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #3 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( D ) > Dalai, Lama
  #12 in	Books > History > Asia > Tibet
  #17 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Dalai Lama

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book, August 9, 1998

By A Customer

H.H.the Dalai Lama, as he is known to we Tibetans, is an amazing personality. I have read this book in Tibetan when I was about 16 years old. His sincerety will touch you, his genorisity will move you and his compassion will transform you into a better human being. I live in Taiwan now. One of my Taiwanese journalist friends went on to interview him. She had prepared lot of questions for His Holiness. She later told me that when she met him in person, she forgot all her questions and just felt like asking him one question: "What is the purpose of life and why we are here on this earth?" Such is the power of his presence and the charm of his compassion. The book is one of his earliest works. A must read for anyone willing to be a better human being.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing story, who's ending has not yet been written., September 18, 1999

By A Customer

Whether you are a fan of H.H. Dalai Lama or not, this book is fascinating. It is written with the energy of a young man in a passionate struggle to save his people. It will grip, inspire and anger you. Read the book, and you'll be moved to give your support to the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet in their fight for freedom.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the failure of genocide, December 14, 2001

By A Customer

The cry to "free Tibet" takes on new meaning and a more personal conviction after reading this book. This original autobiograhpy, published in 1962, is an intimate narrative of the Dalai Lama's life from his humble beginnings as the son of a Tibetan farmer to his evolution as the greatest spiritual leader known to the modern world.
It is also the story of a young man struggling with responsibilities that are unimaginable for someone so young and of a remarkable people who were willing to give up their lives in order to protect their unique way of life.
But, more importantly, this book tells the story of an attempt by a mighty military power to eliminate a small peace-loving culture thus eliminating it's religion, a religion based simply on having compassion for all living things. In this regard, the efforts of the mighty power failed. The government of China may have been successful in taking the beautiful land from the Tibetans (thanks in part to the rest of the world turning a blind eye to what was happening) but the culture and religion is still thriving thanks to the efforts of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his government in exile.
In conclusion, this book reminds us that we all need to be aware of how frangible freedom is and that all peace-loving people must join hands throughout the world, regardless of cultural and religious beliefs, to protect that precious thing called freedom.