Be Brave

by Dalai Lama XIV, Renuka Singh (Editor)

“We must think globally, but act locally.” —His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Simple and accessible wisdom from His Holiness the Dalai Lama on how we are human, how we are not alone, and how we must help each other.
 
A global pandemic has revealed to us how the world can be shaken up within a very short period. Such a crisis—experienced by all humans on the earth—has given rise to uncertainty, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. As societies and nations struggle to come to terms with and contain it, economic breakdown, migration, environmental crises, and a dwindling spirit stare us in the face. In this climate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is calling upon us to be brave —to have the courage to step up to the recognition that we are all part of the same global community.

His Holiness reminds us that it takes courage to give up our self-centered sense of individuality; it takes courage to find a sense of oneness with seven billion human beings. Bravery is admitting that we are not alone, and that without community we cannot survive. In Be Brave, His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches us that practicing compassion and cultivating peace of mind are the paths to inner strength, peace, clarity, and happiness.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Spirituality, Buddhism, Religion

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2022

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

[Marley Schrockman]

“The past cannot be changed but our future depends upon our present.”

[Lily Laverton]

"We are a part of nature. Nature will always be more powerful than us despite our knowledge, technolog, and super-weapons. If the earth's average temperature increases by even two to three degrees, we will trigger a hostile climate breakdown. Morally, as beings of higher intelligence, we must care for the world and its inhabitants. Members of the animal and plant kingdoms do not have the means to save or protect this world; it is our responsibility to undo the serious environmental degradation caused by thoughtless and inappropriate human behavious."

[Jezzeri]

What is important is not how long you live but whether you live a meaningful life. The very purpose in life is to serve as much as we can. Individuals who cultivate peace of mind lead to creating a more peaceful society, and that in turn contributes to a more peaceful world. Real happiness depends on the mind itself; the key is to establish peace of mind. We must learn to appreciate the opportunity that those who cause us the most difficulty can provide and develop compassion toward them. Our compassion must contain the ability to listen with an open mind.

[Ciociosan]

I respect every words the Dalaï Kama says. But when he says that AI will never take over, or that people who have a hard time and want things to change he says that look at how the world changed in the last hundred years. Stephen Hawkins said that AI will take over and if things have to change to be better you cannot afford to wait a 100 years. What he says is beautiful but sometimes it lacks reality

[JDK1962]

Good and wise words...but with little organization and sometimes repetitive. With content like this, I think a much better packaging would be as something like quote-a-day, like the "365 Tao" daily meditations book. That way, you're thinking about these on a regular basis throughout the year, rather than simply reading a mass of quotes in an hour's time and moving on.

[Jackie]

Words of Wisdom from selected writings or teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. "Be Brave" in a world of pandemics, wars, global changes, and division among the people, we all need to hear words of Hope.

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Agnes Zhu]

In China，Dalai Lama’books are all forbidden.So when I borrow this book，I felt curious.
I like this book‘s ideas. It also raised my further curiosity about his life and related history. I will surely read more.

[J]

Read in one sitting

[Kalin Schwab]

Not the best one I read. I liked the other two better. But it is full of great insights and thoughts

[Ronda Canary]

3.6

[Kelly]

Wonderful insights and thoughts. It did get a little preachy, but it's the Dalai Lama, so it's forgivable.

[Jay Dancer]

“Being courageous is not to do being fearless, but rather to do despiste being fearful…” WOW.

[Lynn]

Very repetitive and an odd format that deserves 2 stars, but it’s all good advice and I mean, hey…it’s the Dalai Lama.

[Jake Artley]

I greatly admire the Dalai Lama and his wisdom. This book disappointed me in that it is just a bunch of quotes from him, compiled by the editor. Some great quotes/thoughts are here, but for me at least it seemed lacking in the expected context given the title and book description. His book with Desmond Tutu on Joy, on the other hand, is fantastic.

[Dee Griffin]

This is my least enjoyable Dalai Lama book

Very short snippets from conversation … many, many were repetitive. Would not recommend and definitely my least enjoyable in the “ Dalai Lama Be Inspired” series.

[Josie]

Great insight into humanity.

[Cherie]

This little book is full of lovely quotes from the Dalai Lama. Could be a nice book for a Buddhist's collection; the kind of book where you might read one quote a day.