The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism
By Dalai Lama and Robert A. F. Thurman
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About this ebook
"The essence of all spiritual life is your attitude to others." --His Holiness the Dalai Lama
With clarity and candor, the Dalai Lama expounds on the core teachings of Buddhism. Fusing ancient wisdom with a modern sensibility, he gently encourages each of us to embrace lives of love and compassion; to embrace individual responsibility.
His pithy reflections encourage us to rid ourselves of preoccupation with the ephemera of daily life and to find refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Inspiring, provocative, and thoughtful, this slim volume will be read and treasured for years to come.
Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and a beacon of inspiration for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. He has persistently reached out across religious and political lines and has engaged in dialogue with scientists in his mission to advance peace and understanding in the world. In doing so, he embodies his motto: “My religion is kindness.”
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The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism - Dalai Lama
Copyright © 2015, 1999 by H. H. The Dalai Lama
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Hampton Roads Publishing, Inc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. This work first published as The Little Book of Buddhism, in 1999 by Penguin Books India.
Cover design by Jim Warner
Cover photo © 360b / ShutterStock
Interior designed by Kathryn Sky-Peck
This revised edition published in 2015 by
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
Charlottesville, VA 22906
Distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
www.redwheelweiser.com
ISBN: 978-1-57174-729-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request
Printed on acid-free paper in Canada
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CONTENTS
Foreword, by Robert Thurman
Introduction, by Renuka Singh
The Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism
Glossary
About the Author
About the Editor
FOREWORD
I am honored to write a little introduction
to His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Little Book of Buddhism! In an age when the internet is trolled in a misguided search for truths,
one can find many quotes there attributed to His Holiness; many of these quotes are things that I am sure he did not say, though usually the misattributions are well-meaning, if not a bit cloying and over-sentimental. How lucky we are to have this current volume, directly authored by His Holiness. This Little Book is so encouraging and precious—His Holiness' patient and gentle but highly acute intelligence and unfailingly honest and direct expression come shining through. All of the short aphorisms are well chosen by the formidable compiler and editor, Ms. Renuka Singh, who has known His Holiness and worked on many Buddhist projects over the years. Her deep experience of the subject is well demonstrated by her excellent selections for this collection.
The other day a good friend of mine complained to someone else in a conversation I was part of, "Tell me—isn't the Dalai Lama ever wrong?"
The other person remained silent, though he was clearly trying to think of something to fault, just to show he wasn't idealizing the man. In an effort to help out, I intervened, "Well, I think he is wrong sometimes!"
My friend looked excited.
I said, "I think he is too nice sometimes, always polite and gentle, not wanting to push people beyond what he thinks they can absorb, so he can be over-solicitous of people."
My friend was a bit disappointed.
The thing about such reactions to the Dalai Lama's remarkably no-nonsense persona is that it resembles the reaction most modern people have to the Shakyamuni Buddha as a figure in history. Scholars about Buddhism
are, surprisingly, mostly like that, as are also ordinary
people; they just cannot grasp that there might be such a thing as an enlightened person.
They are so full of misplaced confidence in the absolute rightness of