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the joy of living and dying
core teachings of tibetan buddhism. the path to enlightenment
181 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
43 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Dalai Lama XIV
1,554 books6,198 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 15, 2023
A book to come back to. I liked the different chapters and the meditation instructions especially about meditating on death. Patience is sometimes difficult for anyone. Wisdom is something we all strive for in life.
The mind can be a beautiful and also dangerous if we let our emotions overwhelm it.
The mind can be a beautiful and also dangerous if we let our emotions overwhelm it.
August 21, 2022
Bought a book in a thrift shop. Was not particularly interested in a topic before, but, the book made me interested in Buddhism phylosophies. I will reread it in a few years.
March 8, 2017
This book improved my understanding on why it is so important to love and help one another. It educates u on the ways of Buddhism. Although I am not Buddhist, I acknowledge and respect, and also have learnt many beneficial characteristics from stories and wisdom of the Dalai Lama, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. Thanks guys :)
January 9, 2020
I purchased this book for ₹195 (~2.75USD) while visiting the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamshala. Although I wasn’t necessarily looking to learn a great deal about Buddhism, I do admire the Dalai Lama and was hoping to take something from it that would make me a more peaceful and compassionate person, and help me not fear death.
For starters, it didn’t help soothe my anxiety concerning death at all, namely because whereas I view it as an ending, Buddhists view it merely as part of the cycle of rebirth—“like changing clothes,” in the words of the Dalai Lama. There were numerous passages that definitely rung true and can help you be more intentional in your efforts to be kind to others, but nothing here really helped me come to terms with my mortality. As I was reading this book I tried to really meditate on what the Dalai Lama was saying and how I could apply these lessons in my own life, even if only secularly. For example, ”You can praise people to their faces, but it can seem like flattery; it is better to praise them to others,” (p. 72). His perspective of enemies as opportunities to be patient and beggars as opportunities to be generous, (p. 87) is also a really positive view I hope I can emulate.
Chapter 5 —Patience— started out especially insightful, as patience is something that I often struggle with, but then it got weird with the victim-blaming… and only worse with the story of Vishvantara’s generosity. Giving away your children into servitude is not commendable, and what’s worse is that it’s not even the only story that involves abandoning your children and wife (in the introduction, he tells of Buddha Shakyamuni’s sacrificing “all the comforts of the palace, including the companionship of his wife and son,” as if this is an admirable act).
From here, despite still offering a lot of lessons that are beneficial to meditate on, the book never really recovered for me. In fact, and I hate to say this but, Buddhism’s fixation on freeing yourself of worldly possessions in order to obtain enlightenment seems less convincing to me now than it did before I’d read any Buddhist literature. Look, I originally wrote three lengthy paragraphs about how I disagree with the position that in order to eliminate negativity and suffering you can’t have offspring, spouses, parents, friends or contribute to society, citing specific passages from the book, but I’ve removed them because this is a book review, not a platform for philosophical/spiritual debate. Besides, the Dalai Lama does eventually admit towards the end that “if you sincerely practice, even if you stay and lead the life of a householder, nirvana will be yours,” (p. 121).
I will still keep the Dalai Lama’s teachings in mind because I do believe they can help me be more generous and patient and less angry and jealous, but the religious aspect of the book wasn’t convincing.
For starters, it didn’t help soothe my anxiety concerning death at all, namely because whereas I view it as an ending, Buddhists view it merely as part of the cycle of rebirth—“like changing clothes,” in the words of the Dalai Lama. There were numerous passages that definitely rung true and can help you be more intentional in your efforts to be kind to others, but nothing here really helped me come to terms with my mortality. As I was reading this book I tried to really meditate on what the Dalai Lama was saying and how I could apply these lessons in my own life, even if only secularly. For example, ”You can praise people to their faces, but it can seem like flattery; it is better to praise them to others,” (p. 72). His perspective of enemies as opportunities to be patient and beggars as opportunities to be generous, (p. 87) is also a really positive view I hope I can emulate.
Chapter 5 —Patience— started out especially insightful, as patience is something that I often struggle with, but then it got weird with the victim-blaming… and only worse with the story of Vishvantara’s generosity. Giving away your children into servitude is not commendable, and what’s worse is that it’s not even the only story that involves abandoning your children and wife (in the introduction, he tells of Buddha Shakyamuni’s sacrificing “all the comforts of the palace, including the companionship of his wife and son,” as if this is an admirable act).
From here, despite still offering a lot of lessons that are beneficial to meditate on, the book never really recovered for me. In fact, and I hate to say this but, Buddhism’s fixation on freeing yourself of worldly possessions in order to obtain enlightenment seems less convincing to me now than it did before I’d read any Buddhist literature. Look, I originally wrote three lengthy paragraphs about how I disagree with the position that in order to eliminate negativity and suffering you can’t have offspring, spouses, parents, friends or contribute to society, citing specific passages from the book, but I’ve removed them because this is a book review, not a platform for philosophical/spiritual debate. Besides, the Dalai Lama does eventually admit towards the end that “if you sincerely practice, even if you stay and lead the life of a householder, nirvana will be yours,” (p. 121).
I will still keep the Dalai Lama’s teachings in mind because I do believe they can help me be more generous and patient and less angry and jealous, but the religious aspect of the book wasn’t convincing.
April 21, 2014
This is book is must read for every practitioner of Buddhism or anyone who has some interest of in the religion.
May 4, 2019
Somewhat dry and tedious, although still containing useful instructions on living a selfless and happy life.
May 4, 2018
Not one of my favorite books. Have read one from the Dalai Lama before (ethics for the new millennium) and found it much better. Projected too much of a utopian mindset. Made attachment seem as if it were a sin, because it doesnt matter in the end you will die and that attachment was worthless. Much prefer the readings from Thich Nhat Hanh, who brings up how we should view the impermanence of things so that attachment isnt so bad, because nothing vanishes. I interpreted what Dalai Lama said to mean that life is silly. We all die alone and with nothing. Valuing anything is silly, because in the end it doesnt matter.
It is in the title so maybe it is tailored for people who are looking to become monks, but book is not overly practical for normal people. Was a fine book, but would recommend others before this one.
It is in the title so maybe it is tailored for people who are looking to become monks, but book is not overly practical for normal people. Was a fine book, but would recommend others before this one.
October 27, 2024
Encontrei este livro cá por casa e como gosto de teologia e sempre quis saber mais sobre o budismo não hesitei em começar a ler. É de facto uma leitura interessante embora por vezes um pouco aborrecida e repetitiva. Mas sem dúvida que o Dalai Lama XIV consegue transmitir as ideias base do budismo tibetano, sendo que este livro por vezes parece um manual de iniciação a quem quer seguir os passos necessários a ser monge.
July 24, 2021
Read this many years ago and found it very enlightening.
Now reread it and less bowled over
Good philosophical points but quite dogmatic at times. Too dogmatic for me!
Now reread it and less bowled over
Good philosophical points but quite dogmatic at times. Too dogmatic for me!
November 29, 2023
Fica-se na dúvida se ele aprendeu verdadeiramente os ensinamentos do Buda
September 15, 2008
excellent book for those interested in buddhism. nothing "new" per se from the dalai lama, but alot of food for thought.
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January 21, 2009I really liked this book! He is an amazing thinker.
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December 31, 2013Nederlandse uitgave.
March 5, 2017
A bit of a gloomy subject but still offers enlightening advice from the ever-wise Dalai Lama.
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December 14, 2023read during my trip to Ladakh 2022
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews