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Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart
In the second volume by the Dalai Lama in the historic new Library of Tibet series, His Holiness provides lucid, practical instructions for developing compassion in our daily lives.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 1991
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About the author
Dalai Lama XIV
1,554 books6,222 followersJetsun 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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April 20, 2016This book is a two-hundred and thirty page exposition of a four and a half page poem, which itself was an expansion of a thirty-two line poem and this is a reflection of a them of the whole work which is the sense of the increasing difficulty and effort involved in Buddhist spiritual practise . In this it reminded me of .
Preliminary Ramblings
I have a sense that in the good old days people could simply achieve Enlightenment. This was mysterious, perhaps incommunicable through language, yet all the same people did it. However since then people had thought long and hard about it and realised that it was far more complex than originally thought. Now one might spend many lives working to achieve subsidiary goals such as awakening the mind, which the Dalai Lama at one point mentioned he still hasn't managed to do .
Two things occurred to me about this point. First was that I quite liked what was being said, this was like my younger days going to the library and reading science-fiction because this business of struggling through universes of thought and feeling across unending regenerations swearing not to rest but to work for the emancipation of all sentient beings struck me as more exuberant and audacious than all those books with space ships on their covers than I ploughed through as a youngster .
The other idea I had was that seems to be a tendency in the mind to balance the cosmic see-saw, for instance in Christianity, and perhaps in the rest of the monotheistic religions too, the greater the love that God has for creation the worse that creation has to be. Here maybe the more fantastic and aeon spanning the compassion of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas the more difficult and demanding the spiritual tasks have to be. The positive virtue is taken to be equal to the scale of the undertaking.
Anyhow, enough blathering.
When I was receiving teachings from Khun-nu Lama, he told me a story of someone in Lhasa doing circumambulations. Someone else was meditating there, and the other one circumambulating asked, "what are you doing?" The other replied, "I am meditating on patience." The first retorted, "Eat shit!" and the meditator jumped up, shouting in anger. This clearly shows that the real test of patience is whether we can apply it when we encounter disturbing situations (pp72-3).
Secondary Ramblings
This is a transitional work. It marks the transition from an oral teaching culture to one that is literary. The initial work, and the first response to it were poems. We can imagine that they were memorised and recited. Learning would have begun with memorising the work.
The story associated with this tradition of mind training was that one monk had mastered the technique and precisely because he thought it was important he didn't teach it to everybody but only those he considered suitable, or capable of benefiting from it.
We can see from this how slender the lines of an oral tradition can be.
Further , although not strictly pertinent to his theme, the comments on emptiness I found particularly clear and they clarified for me how (he at least) can understand a system of reincarnation without having a soul.
Preliminary Ramblings
I have a sense that in the good old days people could simply achieve Enlightenment. This was mysterious, perhaps incommunicable through language, yet all the same people did it. However since then people had thought long and hard about it and realised that it was far more complex than originally thought. Now one might spend many lives working to achieve subsidiary goals such as awakening the mind, which the Dalai Lama at one point mentioned he still hasn't managed to do .
Two things occurred to me about this point. First was that I quite liked what was being said, this was like my younger days going to the library and reading science-fiction because this business of struggling through universes of thought and feeling across unending regenerations swearing not to rest but to work for the emancipation of all sentient beings struck me as more exuberant and audacious than all those books with space ships on their covers than I ploughed through as a youngster .
The other idea I had was that seems to be a tendency in the mind to balance the cosmic see-saw, for instance in Christianity, and perhaps in the rest of the monotheistic religions too, the greater the love that God has for creation the worse that creation has to be. Here maybe the more fantastic and aeon spanning the compassion of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas the more difficult and demanding the spiritual tasks have to be. The positive virtue is taken to be equal to the scale of the undertaking.
Anyhow, enough blathering.
When I was receiving teachings from Khun-nu Lama, he told me a story of someone in Lhasa doing circumambulations. Someone else was meditating there, and the other one circumambulating asked, "what are you doing?" The other replied, "I am meditating on patience." The first retorted, "Eat shit!" and the meditator jumped up, shouting in anger. This clearly shows that the real test of patience is whether we can apply it when we encounter disturbing situations (pp72-3).
Secondary Ramblings
This is a transitional work. It marks the transition from an oral teaching culture to one that is literary. The initial work, and the first response to it were poems. We can imagine that they were memorised and recited. Learning would have begun with memorising the work.
The story associated with this tradition of mind training was that one monk had mastered the technique and precisely because he thought it was important he didn't teach it to everybody but only those he considered suitable, or capable of benefiting from it.
We can see from this how slender the lines of an oral tradition can be.
Further , although not strictly pertinent to his theme, the comments on emptiness I found particularly clear and they clarified for me how (he at least) can understand a system of reincarnation without having a soul.
November 10, 2015
Lots of good stuff in here (a little repetitive at places), mostly irrefutable. But the best and unique part about this instruction is that it doesn't try to convince you of anything, but asks you to accept them only after you analyze them for yourself. Deepens my respect for the Dalai Lama XIV and Buddhism.
March 28, 2019
Challenges the individual to rethink his/her's place in society and observe the sufferings of both themselves and the people around us. Can be a bit repetitive in times but is probably necessary for successfully nailing down key points the Dalai Lama wants to address.
May 28, 2021
His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s book is based on the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and on the way to achieving enlightenment through meditation.
The book suggests that meditation is the acquiring of understanding that nothing is permanent and the only phenomenon intrinsic is impermanence; everything else is a creation of the mind. It leads one to the path of enlightenment or avoiding the circle of rebirth and miseries that entail it, through altruism and kindness towards other sentient beings. The central idea is to discipline and pacify the mind and relieve it of disturbing emotions like hostility, attachment, and ignorance. It teaches that by practising the art of giving and pure selflessness, one gets closer to enlightenment. The prime concern of a Buddha should be the well-being and happiness of others. Only in such a way can true Buddhahood be achieved.
The underlying principle of meditation to seek happiness is based on the notion of taming the mind into having positive, thus powerful thoughts that create a rippling effect turning every occurrence around, positive. It also stresses the importance of all religions as it believes that every religion has something to teach.
Readers may however find the approach towards cultivating a positive attitude and negating the negativity impractical and the call to surrender oneself completely to the inimical beings, it being your responsibility to end their pain, unrealistic. The piece also underscores that meditation is the only way of achieving true Buddhahood and castigates the ones opposed to religion as narrow-minded and anxious. This is a hint at the atheism practised in China but holds good for atheism around as well and is thus ill-placed. It is targeted more at achieving otherworldly happiness and can be drab for readers.
In totality, this book is a modest narrative of how enlightenment can be achieved through meditation but monotonous as it could seem irrelevant.
The book suggests that meditation is the acquiring of understanding that nothing is permanent and the only phenomenon intrinsic is impermanence; everything else is a creation of the mind. It leads one to the path of enlightenment or avoiding the circle of rebirth and miseries that entail it, through altruism and kindness towards other sentient beings. The central idea is to discipline and pacify the mind and relieve it of disturbing emotions like hostility, attachment, and ignorance. It teaches that by practising the art of giving and pure selflessness, one gets closer to enlightenment. The prime concern of a Buddha should be the well-being and happiness of others. Only in such a way can true Buddhahood be achieved.
The underlying principle of meditation to seek happiness is based on the notion of taming the mind into having positive, thus powerful thoughts that create a rippling effect turning every occurrence around, positive. It also stresses the importance of all religions as it believes that every religion has something to teach.
Readers may however find the approach towards cultivating a positive attitude and negating the negativity impractical and the call to surrender oneself completely to the inimical beings, it being your responsibility to end their pain, unrealistic. The piece also underscores that meditation is the only way of achieving true Buddhahood and castigates the ones opposed to religion as narrow-minded and anxious. This is a hint at the atheism practised in China but holds good for atheism around as well and is thus ill-placed. It is targeted more at achieving otherworldly happiness and can be drab for readers.
In totality, this book is a modest narrative of how enlightenment can be achieved through meditation but monotonous as it could seem irrelevant.
July 29, 2025
I started reading this book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a genuine desire for wisdom and spiritual insight. The very premise of a book from such a revered figure, offering guidance on inner peace and compassion, is inherently inspiring. There are undoubtedly profound and uplifting messages woven throughout its pages and the stories and teachings shared are, in their essence, truly beautiful and thought-provoking.
However, despite the undeniable wisdom contained within, I found myself unable to fully connect with the book, ultimately leaving it unread about a quarter of the way through. While the individual insights and anecdotes are powerful, I personally found the overall flow or perhaps the presentation of the material didn't quite hold my sustained attention. It felt more like a series of profound reflections that, for me, required a level of contemplative engagement I wasn't able to consistently maintain during my reading.
However, despite the undeniable wisdom contained within, I found myself unable to fully connect with the book, ultimately leaving it unread about a quarter of the way through. While the individual insights and anecdotes are powerful, I personally found the overall flow or perhaps the presentation of the material didn't quite hold my sustained attention. It felt more like a series of profound reflections that, for me, required a level of contemplative engagement I wasn't able to consistently maintain during my reading.
August 27, 2017
This was disappointing. I am not sure who’s the target audience for this book. It certainly won’t tell anything new to practicing Buddhists. To the ones trying to learn about the faith, it may be an off-putting experience with all the talk of rebirth and afterlife. One gets to hear a lot about how Buddhist principles could help one lead a peaceful life even if they are not necessarily devout or pious. If its true, this is certainly not the work that would be of much use.
March 7, 2024
I really wanted to like this as a offering from HHDL (of which I have loved other books). I had to stop this one towards the end. It is written very repetitively and I felt it could have been shorter and less direct. At times I felt as though it was adding words just for the sake of adding words (even when the concepts had been covered several times already).
June 12, 2017
Very insightful and an easy read. Helped me to comprehend similarities when compared with Islamic teachings. The last chapter was a little complex, left me hanging for most parts but overall a good read.
June 2, 2020
At the outset, i state that the language is very fluent and easy to understand to any layman. Some content is repeatative but it covered the topic in short.
Every person must read this book to understand the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism.
Every person must read this book to understand the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism.
July 29, 2021
Dalai Lama talks of the advantages of meditation, being calm in every situation, and he teaches the reader how to be a Buddhist in your mind. Buddhism is a state of mind rather than a religion according to him.
Over-all, a good read to learn a few tricks to keep our busy lives and mind, calm.
Over-all, a good read to learn a few tricks to keep our busy lives and mind, calm.
July 27, 2022
It was a wonderful & peaceful experience ...Tibetan Buddhism & techniques are explained precisely by his holyness ..The Dalai lama in a simple way.
December 4, 2009
Very insightful book, the Dalai Lama is describing and analyzing the practice of Seven Point Mind Training. It was easy to read, well organized, and sprinkled with interesting and even funny anectdotes. It is also includes several practical, helpful hints but is much more interestingly done than other introductions I have seen. Some highlights:
"The awakening mind is like a seed for the attainment for Buddhahood. It is like a field in which to cultivate all positive qualities. It is like the ground on which everything rests. It is like the god of wealth who removes all poverty."
"The essence of Buddhist teachings can be summarized as the view of interdependence coupled with the conduct of nonviolence. These are the fundamentals I want you to remember." (p. 30)
"Whereever great compassion exists, there is the Buddha's doctrine." (p.92)
"The awakening mind is like a seed for the attainment for Buddhahood. It is like a field in which to cultivate all positive qualities. It is like the ground on which everything rests. It is like the god of wealth who removes all poverty."
"The essence of Buddhist teachings can be summarized as the view of interdependence coupled with the conduct of nonviolence. These are the fundamentals I want you to remember." (p. 30)
"Whereever great compassion exists, there is the Buddha's doctrine." (p.92)
March 4, 2008
Too much theology but if that's what you're looking for than it's a good book. The concepts and philosophys the book discussed I liked and applied to my life.
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August 14, 2009So far so good, will report more later.
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April 2, 2010lojong
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February 24, 2018The second volume by His Holiness the Dali Lama in the "Library of Tibet" series shows how to awaken compassion for others and motivates us to better our world.
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