Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

This book is a wonderful, simple, and quick read. Of course the subject matter does get unpleasant, but it's good to know the facts from the perspective of His Holiness at the time that he wrote it in 1962.

The book tells the story which everyone knows: how the Chinese invaded Tibet and the Dalai Lama was forced to feel to India. But this book goes in to detail and as a reader, it was great to finally get the "real" details of that story, again from his perspective. Prior to reading this, I only knew the story based on films and summaries in guide books, etc.

I highly recommend this book, and I would suggest reading this one prior to reading his second autobiography, "Freedom in Exile" from the early 1990's.

I started this book with the thought that I would gain a better sense of the history surrounding the current events in Tibet, where I recently visited. What I didn't anticipate was that the book would generate such strong feelings of compassion and emotion within me. Read it slowly and allow yourself to fully digest the Dalai Lama's simple but compelling portrayal of the suffering his people have encountered, as well as the incredible courage they displayed- as a testament of their deep devotion to him and their unwavering belief in their most valuable posession: Buddhist religion. I had to stop every so often and calm the inner turmoil I felt, as I read. While I have deep respect for the Dalai Lama and his own struggle to save his people & religion and to keep the Tibetan story alive, it is truly the Tibetan people who have proved their heroism and strength. When I read about them surrounding the Potala, armed only with sticks and determination, in order to protect their holy leader, it just overwhelmed me to remember that human struggles of the most basic kind are still occuring and need to be remembered and championed by those of us so far away. When I was in Tibet, I thought that it would be a tragedy to lose such a rich and vibrant culture but now after reading this, it's even more unimaginable. There are few cultures that cultivate such inner strength and whose people demonstrate such devotion for what is meaningful to them- I hope Tibetans will find a way to survive the continued oppression of China and that China will soon recognize the value of what they seem intent on destroying.

Having long been a fan of the Dalai Lama and his other books, I was anxious to read his autobiography. It is an amazing story that he has to tell. We should hope that our world had evolved beyond invasions after World War II, but that proved not to be true when China invaded Tibet and eventually ousted the ruling party in 1959.

Having been previously familiar with the story of the exile of the Dalai Lama to some degree, I was anxious to learn about it in more detail. Truly the people of Tibet are and continue to be victims of China. China crept into Tibet saying only that it would help to modernize the "backwards" people of Tibet. After numerous broken promises the Dalai Lama exited just ahead of the first morter blasts that rocked his palace. China's only real goal was to take possession of the land at any cost.

Few religions place a greater emphasis on peace than the Tibetan form of Buddism. While the author gives readers some of the basic principles of the faith, the language should not be confusing to those not familiar with Buddism. This amazing story, though it ends with the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, is still fresh and eye-opening today.

I enjoyed this narrative, my first experience with the writing of H.H. Dalai Lama. He writes so well. It's clear, descriptive, and engaging from the first sentence to the last. Suitable for all ages, the earlier the better. It has really sparked my interest in this country,, or at least how it once was. It has been almost two generations since this tragedy and I doubt things will ever be the same. Well, at least the chinese have thier railroad at the expense of an entire nation. Oh, but the writing isn't bitter at all. Just me.

A very honest and personal but also historical and buddhist account of the Dalai Lamas life written in his very own words. Besides the tragedy of the the subjugation of the tibetan people, which was the cause for the Dalai Lamas exil and indirectly for the writing of this book, it shows the development of a and of this Dalai Lama, the monk Tenzin Gyatso, as he likes to call himself. Without pretention he reports about his priviledged education as "a prisoner" of the Potala, the castle of Lhasa. During the last decades, this book was an introduction into matters tibetan for many western people and it can still be recomended warmly.

This book was a starting reminder that the "People's Republic of China" is still COMMUNIST China. Having read many times over that His Holiness was forced to flee his homeland, I didn't fully appreciate what he, and his people went through in the years prior to his exile. There is no room for doubt, after reading this book, that COMMUNIST China is engaged in genocide of the Tibetan people. Chairman Mao offered his indictment to the Dalai Lama that "religion is poison." This book offers much insight into the fact that the whole existence of Tibet was intertwined with its religious practices and beliefs. These are not a people who want to be "liberated" from a non-existent feudal rule! AFter reading this, I hope you will agree that Tibet truly does need liberation, from COMMUNIST CHINA. I am truly in awe of the 14th Dalai Lama, who is able to still call for non-violence and negotiation with those who have wreaked havoc and destruction on both his people and his country, and forced him into exile. I am left wondering what will happen to the future of Tibet, and Tibetan Buddhism, when this Dalai Lama passes on.

Even if you already know the life story of His Holiness, this is a great read. Written in the Dalai Lama's usual clear and forthright style, the story is deeply moving. Recommended for students of both Buddhism and history.