The Art of Living: A Guide to Contentment, Joy and Fulfillment Book

The Dalai Lama is one of the world's most loved and respected religious leaders. Exiled from his native Tibet since the 1950s, he has probably done more to introduce the West to Buddhism than any other figure, not just through his teaching, but through the example of his life, his quiet dignity, humility, calmness and obvious love for mankind. These are the qualities which shine through in The Art of Living. Subtitled "A guide to contentment, joy and fulfilment", this book is the text of a series of lectures the Dalai Lama gave at Wembley, London, in 1993. The talks deal with the problems of suffering, of living, of dying, with straightforward language, common sense, and compassion. You don't have to be a Buddhist to find the teachings here valuable. For example, the Dalai Lama quotes the Indian scholar Shantideva: "If there is a way to overcome the suffering, then there is no need to worry; if there is no way to overcome the suffering, then there is no use in worrying." The talks in this book cover such areas as "Dealing with anger and emotion", and "Giving and receiving: a practical way of directing love and compassion". In the final short chapter, "The challenge for humanity: an interfaith address", the wisdom of the Dalai Lama is clear in his plea for mutual understanding between the plurality of the world's religions. The text of this book has been published before, both in The Power of Compassion and in The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. What makes this edition different, as with the Dalai Lama's A Simple Path, is the accompaniment to the text of Ian Cumming's breathtakingly beautiful colour photographs of mountains, monasteries and monks in Tibet and India. --David V BarrettRead More