Essential teachings: His holiness the Dalai Lama

by Dalai Lama XIV

Essentail Teachings

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion

129 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 1995

About the author

Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub), the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is influential as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the world's most famous Buddhist monk, and the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India.

Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.

On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.

After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.

Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.

Reviews

[Kathie Yang]

first part was pretty understandable but second part about Form and Emptiness was quite confusing (but intriguing!)

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A translation of the Dalai Lama's talk series given in 1974 in Bodh Gaya, India, this is a helpful guide to the 37 Practices, told in his simple and loving style.
Recommended as an accessible and enjoyable explanation of the Path of the Bodhisattva.

[V.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some criticisms of this book have been directed towards the Buddhist nature of the text. Umm... these are essential teachings by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, one of the most revered lamas in Buddhist tradition. It would be crazy for this book not to be about Buddhism or Buddhist ideology. If you want a self-help book that 'Westernizes' Eastern practice and attributes such appropriation to His Holiness, then you can probably find it easily enough (check all the other books associated with - not written by - The Dalai Lama). But if you want something that teaches you how to follow the Path of the Bodhisattva, for example, you're going to need to dive in further than using meditative practice solely to deal with your demanding boss at work or coping with annoying in-laws. Overall, I found this book concise and straightfoward. As such, it can only provide a brief overview of the central ideas, but it seemed to me a good place to start. The final section was a bit more philosophical in nature and appealed to me as a parallel to phenomenology as well as other various conceptions Western philosophy has only recently adopted.

[Drficticity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read a bunch of books by Dalai Lama in a kind of a frenzy and felt very motivated and positive at the end

[NormaJean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Glad this book told me to read it. Wow. I have no idea what I read. Maybe that's a good start?

[Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really think I would have rated this higher if it just had a different title. I've read many books by the Dalai Lama and to call this the Essential Teachings of...just seemed to be a misnomer.
This would better be titled "The Essential Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism." That would give a completely different perspective while reading.
Compared to the other many Dalai Lama books, this just didn't seem to have the same interfaith reading that anyone could enjoy and from which much valuable insight could be obtained. This book is for the Buddhist practictioner. Nothing wrong with that, but if this were the first Dalai Lama book, I think someone could be turned off and that would be a tragedy.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intellectual book. I was fine with 75% of the book and got lost in the concept of emptiness in the last part of the book. Love the Dalai Lama just not at his level yet! Still a worthwhile read. Could someone come up with a book for Dummies for understanding the writings of the Dalai Lama?

[Ron Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains H.H. The Dalai Lama's commentary on two important texts, The 37 Practices of the Boddhisattva and The Key to Madhyamika.

[Elisabeth Do Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

It confirmed what I am thinking of life, relationships, and human being.

[Handri Sur · Rating 5 out of 5]

fav

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read...seems to be several different pieces mashed together for a book release. A little disjointed between chapters/sections but the overall message is outstanding.