Dalai Lama - In Praise of Great Compassion

Another insightful volume in an important series, In Praise of Great Compassion is a deep and wonderful book that offers crucial lessons for our time and for all time.

Daniel Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University

In Praise of Great Compassion is a welcome arrival that illuminates the interface between two Buddhist traditions, Mahyna and Theravda, through the common ground of compassion. These valuable teachings are a gift and a powerful message to the world.

Ajahn Sundara, Amaravati Monastery

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, together with Bhiku Thubten Chodron, lucidly present the Buddhas teachings to a wider readership. The inclusion of different Buddhist traditions practices on the important topic of great compassion is especially welcome, and I am delighted to see a chapter on Chinese Buddhism and its introduction to the Seven Round Compassion Contemplation, as well as the Four Great Vows. These are powerful practices not only to develop compassion but also to eliminate ones own karmic obstacles. May all beings benefit from this latest volume of the valuable Dharma series, the Library of Wisdom and Compassion.

Bhiku Jian Hu, abbot of Sunnyvale Zen Center

THE LIBRARY OF WISDOM AND COMPASSION

The Library of Wisdom and Compassion is a special multivolume series in which His Holiness the Dalai Lama shares the Buddhas teachings on the complete path to full awakening that he himself has practiced his entire life. The topics are arranged especially for people not born in Buddhist cultures and are peppered with the Dalai Lamas unique outlook. Assisted by his long-term disciple, the American nun Thubten Chodron, the Dalai Lama sets the context for practicing the Buddhas teachings in modern times and then unveils the path of wisdom and compassion that leads to a meaningful life, a sense of personal fulfillment, and full awakening. This series is an important bridge from introductory to profound topics for those seeking an in-depth explanation from a contemporary perspective.

Volumes:

Approaching the Buddhist Path

The Foundation of Buddhist Practice

Sasra, Nirva, and Buddha Nature

Following in the Buddhas Footsteps

In Praise of Great Compassion

More volumes to come!

The Buddhas journey to full awakening could have ended with liberation, but his infinite compassion in the face of the suffering of all beings led him to continue his journey by sharing what he had learned with others. In this fifth volume of the Library of Wisdom and Compassion, the Dalai Lama explores in depth just how central compassion and empathy are to the path to awakening. Its a comprehensive look at the teachings on compassion in every Buddhist tradition and is wonderfully complemented by the reflections and meditation suggestions of his co-author, Thubten Chodron.

S HARON S ALZBERG ,
author of Lovingkindness and Real Change

I N P RAISE OF G REAT C OMPASSION , the fifth volume of the Library of Wisdomand Compassion, continues the Dalai Lamas teachings on the path to awakening. While previous volumes focused on our present situation and taking responsibility for creating the causes of happiness, this volume concerns opening our hearts and generating the intention to make our lives meaningful by benefiting others.

We are embedded in a universe with other living beings, all of whom have been kind to us in one way or another. More than any other time in human history, we depend on one another to stay alive and flourish. When we look closely, it becomes apparent that we have been the recipient of great kindness. Wanting to repay others kindness, we cultivate a positive attitude by contemplating the four immeasurables of love, compassion, empathic joy, and equanimity, and the altruistic intention of bodhicitta. We learn to challenge the self-centered attitude that leads to misery and replace it with a more realistic perspective enabling us to remain emotionally balanced in good and bad times. In this way, all circumstances become favorable to the path to awakening.