Amazon.com Review As a primer on living the good life, few books compete with How to Practice, another profound offering from the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Westerners may be confused by the book's title, assuming that it focuses solely on Buddhist meditation and prayer techniques. Though it does address meditation and prayer, at its core this is a book that demonstrates how day-to-day living can be a spiritual practice. There are two ways to create happiness:
The first is external. By obtaining better clothes, better shelter, and better friends we can find a certain measure of happiness and satisfaction. The second is through mental development, which yields inner happiness. However, these two approaches are not equally viable. External happiness cannot last long without its counterpart.... However, if you have peace of mind you can find happiness even under the most difficult circumstances.
As he has in previous books (An Open Heart, The Art of Happiness), the Dalai Lama reminds us that developing peace of mind means paying attention to our daily attitudes and choices as well as taking the time to meditate and be prayerful. The six-part book covers Buddhist meditation techniques and visualization exercises as well as daily thoughts and actions that foster morality and wisdom. --Gail Hudson
Product Description As human beings, we possess one common desire: the need for happiness and a meaningful life. According to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the ability to find true fulfillment lies within each of us. Now, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, Nobel Prize winner, and bestselling author helps readers begin the path to enlightenment in a very special book -- an easy-access reference for daily practice as well as stunning illumination of the timeless wisdom of His Holiness.
How to Practice will guide you toward opening your heart, refraining from doing harm, maintaining mental tranquility, and more. Divided into a series of distinct steps that will lead spiritual seekers of all faiths toward enlightenment, this accessible book is a constant and daily companion in the quest to practice morality, meditation, and wisdom. The Dalai Lama shows us how to overcome our everyday obstacles, from feelings of anger and mistrust to jealousy, insecurity, and counterproductive thinking. Imbued with His Holiness' vivacious spirit and sense of playfulness, How to Practice offers the Dalai Lama's own sage and very practical insight into the human psyche and what binds us all together.
The way to a meaningful life - by Dalai LamaAugust 25, 2008 Very nice and meaningful book, which might help you with day to day inner conflicts and teach you how to find a way out to cope with stress of life. The delivery by amazon was right on time as expected.
IF you want to study Buddhism...August 17, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
www.fpmt.org The Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition has home study courses set up with DVDs, books, transcripts and MP3s of lectures given by true Buddhist teachers. It starts with the basics and takes you step by step through such topics as the Mind, Meditation, Death, etc. Each topic is a correspondence course type setup with no obligation to go on, no registration fees, etc. You see the list of what is recommended you buy for each lesson, and you order what you want. Not simply intellectual teaching, this program is also experiential. You PRACTICE Buddhism, from the ground up. Although buying random books in search of information is what most of us do, there is another way. There is this Buddhism for Beginners section, and a formal university setting (or correspondence course) for those who are more advanced in their practice. Go to the website and browse their selection of books, look at the programs offered, and decide for yourself.
East is East and it's not WestMarch 30, 2008 1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have been studying and practicing Buddhism for over 4o years - I still do not understand it. For Non Tibetans (this excludes most Asians too) - forget about tantras and mantras and all the hocus-pocus! We will never be able to understand it. We may imitate it but we will not live it inside out. It will be best to stick to some simple western (rational!) method of meditation and stick to a good, moral life. It IS that simple. No need to look to the Himalayas for enlightenment - it is right inside you. DO not waste time (and life) reading about meditation: Just do it! PRACTICE.
A very helpful and thoughtprovoking book.February 8, 2008 A very helpful and thought provoking book. A pleasant read that leaves you wanting to learn more. Not overly term-laden. Just enough to help educate you as to the terminorlogy of Buddhism, without being incomprehensible. The wisdom and goodness of the Dalai Lama comes through in every chapter. I feel as if this book is a good starting point for embracing the Buddhist way.
Thought provoking readJanuary 17, 2008 An all around good read for anyone looking for some self introspect or not committed to any one particular religion.
