149 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Teachings of the Dalai Lama, November 16, 2001
This review is from: An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life (Hardcover)
This latest book by the Dalai Lama is a compilation of speeches he gave in NYC in the past. It lists the main traits one should practice to fulfill a healthy lifestyle: compassion, empathy, wisdom, and so on. If you have already read 'Ethics For The New Millenium' or 'The Art of Happiness' you will find that this book repeats much of the material in those books. The main difference I see in this edition is that some basic meditation techniques are covered. Overall, it is a book that reminds us of the most important qualities one should practice to create a centered life. I also recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold which is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking and inspirational quotations.
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64 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Message for East and West, October 9, 2001
This review is from: An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life (Hardcover)
An Open Heart is an interesting book and informative book. The Dalai Lama has a strong message for both Eastern and Western Civilizations. For the West he says, I think that anger and hatred actually cause more harm to us than to the person responsible for the problem. He tells us, in essence, to give being victims to our anger and hate. This message is also being presented more and more frequently by American authors who have been trained in western psychology but have modified their training to incorporate more advanced spiritual concepts See An Encounter With a Prophet by C. A. Lewis and There is a Spiritual Solution to every problem by Wayne W. Dyer.
The Dalai Lama also has a strong message for the East. He provides a new interpretation of The Third Nobel Truth of Buddhism - Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases. In the past this Truth, also contained in modified form within the Hindu religion, has caused many sincere followers of both religions to content themselves with poverty. He tells his Buddhist followers living in poverty, You yourselves must make effort; you must take initiative, with self-confidence, to bring about change.
An Open Hear is definitely a worthwhile read.
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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dalai Lama in New York City, November 29, 2001
This review is from: An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life (Hardcover)
In 1999, the Dalai Lama gave two teachings in New York City. The Dalai Lama gave the first teaching (which constitutes the Introduction to this book) in Central Park on August 15, 1999 to a gathering of 200,000 people. He gave the second teaching as a series of lectures to an audience of 3,000 people in Manhattan's Beacon Theater.
The individual lecture and the series of lectures each capture something essential about the Dalai Lama's teaching and his manner of presenting it. The Central Park lecture appears designed for a large, lay audience of diverse backgrounds and religious interests. It presupposes no particular knowledge of or interest in Buddhism. In the lecture, the Dalai Lama speaks simply and eloquently about the desire of all people to secure happiness. He talks about how this goal can be achieved, with time and effort, by understanding and curbing our desires for material things, by recognizing the essential equality of human nature and human drives everywhere, and by generating compassion. There is topical material included in this lecture on matters such as protecting the environment, the noise and bustle of New York City, and the sometimes drastic consequences of fanaticism and nationalism.
The series of lectures, in contrast to the Central Park lecture, is specifically Buddhist in character. The Dalai Lama tells us that the lectures are based in large part on two Buddhist tests: the "Middle-Length States of Meditation", by an eight-century Indian writer, Kamalashila, and "The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas" by a fourteenth century Tibetan, Togmay Sangpo.
In very short succinct chapters, the Dalai Lama's lectures explain the heart of Buddhist practice for a Western audience. They discuss the origin of suffering and unhappiness in our emotions, desires, and angers which color in turn the ways we perceive the world and make us unhappy. The Dalai Lama presents and discusses meditation and reflection as making a beginning toward breaking out of the unhappy character of impulsive, emotion-driven existence. By learning about ourselves, by trying to understand the "emptiness" of reality, and by generating compassion for others, we achieve equanamity and happiness for ourselves.
It is the mark of the Dalai Lama's wisdom that he is able to explain deep and difficult teachings in a lucid, inspiring manner. The teachings themselves are difficult to grasp and difficult to implement. The Dalai Lama emphasizes that it will do little good simply to read a book and then forget about it. The teachings need to be thought about and put into practice. Each person must work from where he or she is and strive to make progress.
Thus this book consists of a single lecture for those who may have little exposure to or interest in the Dalai Lama's teachings and a more detailed treatment for those with further background and interest. Either way, the book may light a spark in the receptive reader's heart.
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