Rating: 
Summary: MAKE EACH DAY A SPIRITUAL PART OF LIFE'S JOURNEY
Review: As a strong believer in Buddhist Philosophies, I have read the majority of the Dalai Lama's books and, to date, each and every one is deserving of a five star rating and more. His words of wisdom resound around the world and have been respected by many individuals regardless of their religion or personal beliefs. This book demonstrates how our daily living can become a spiritual awareness and covers such topics as meditation and visual exercises. While the Dalai Lama's teachings are not always easy to implement adhere to, he would invariably point out that "life itself is not easy." Living a life of peace and contentment generally means taking a look inside one's self and weeding out the negative and self-defeating habits and attitudes. Like all the Dalai Lama's books, this one in highly enlightening and filled with important aspects of life that many individuals take for granted and never seriously stop to ponder. The book is highly recommended and worth a multitude of stars.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book of wisdom
Review: Don't let looks deceive you - this book may be small in size, but its scope is all-encompassing. Morality, wisdom, compassion - these are the building blocks for a meaningful life, and the keys to them are contained in the Dalai Lama's words within this book. Drawing on his experiences and the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, /How to Practice/ is your guide to becoming a more compassionate and, ultimately, more content person. You won't find the meaning of life in this book, nor will you find a step-by-step guide to what you should think and feel every day. This book is like a raft, meant to carry you from the shores of anger and preconceptions to the shores of wisdom. It takes careful (and sometimes repeated) reading of this book to digest the ideas within, and each time you read it you will discover something new. This book will inspire you, it will make you think, and if you let it it will change your life for the better. Whether you are a Buddhist or not, the core ideas in this book transcend religion, race, and culture. Everybody can read /How to Practice/ and take something away from it to help them become a better person and, in turn, make the world a little bit better as a whole. Looking for a quick fix for happiness? This isn't it. Looking for a spiritual guide to point you in the right direction? /How to Practice/ will likely get you on your way. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: You don't have to be a Buddhist to read this book!
Review: Don't think that you should be interested in Buddism to read this book. This book is for people from all cultures, all religions, and ideologies. His Holiness The Dalai Lama is one of the more enlightened spiritual leaders we have in this world today. In his tireless work toward world peace, he has risen above the boundaries of religion, culture, race, and ideologies. In this book, the Dalai Lama has provided an instruction manual to live a meaningful and happy life. It is not quite a self-help book for people who are lost. It is more a direction for people who wants to explore deeper into this live that we are living. To me, it is more a philosophy than a religion. Read it, and come back to it a few years later. With your life experience expanding, you will find different things in this book to inspire you.
Rating: 
Summary: Not much different from other intros to Buddhism
Review: Given the title of the book I wished to find practical advice. I did indeed find some, but they were not as detailed or as personal (Dalai Lama-specific) as I wanted them to be. The book consists of six chapters. In the first his holiness describes what he considers steps to enlightenment, viz. via equipping oneself with sound morality, practicing meditation, and then cultivating wisdom. These three practices are explored independently in separate subsequent chapters, followed by a succinct chapter on Tantra, and a final chapter that summarizes what had already been written. The style of exposition takes form of annotations on fundamental Buddhism constructs. Conspicuously lacking were technical details on how to meditate, how to practice Tantra (for e.g. how to breathe, what is good posture). What I enjoyed most were the brief anecdotes. Most of them had to do with how through observances over other practitioners his holiness gained insight. Other parts (the majority of the book) read much like any other introductory Buddhism text.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Suggestions Within
Review: H.H. the Dalai Lama is the worlds best known monk, without a doubt. In "How to Practice" he provides us with useful techniques and disciplines to train the mind. In it he will not only cover the basics for beginners, he also has translation and commentary of The Heart Sutra for us. Covering Tantra, and steps designed to develop one's concentration of mind, it's hard to name anything The Dalai Lama did NOT put in this book. For those interested in Tibetan Buddhism who are looking for a "step in the door", this book is probably your best bet. Just to give you an idea of what is in this work, I would like to share an excerpt from the Introduction with you: "I believe that the practice of compassion and love-a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood-is the universal religion. It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian, Moslem or Hindu, or whether you practice religion at all. What matters is your feeling of oneness with humankind." This, for me, sums up what our practice is all about. Instead of focusing only on our differences, we should always strive toward finding common ground. To go further, this snip actually expresses how this book is really for anyone. The Dalai Lama doesn't make it a secret that he wrote this book for Buddhist practitioners, yet also points out it is really for anyone in pursuit of "happiness." Truly, it's a good book. The further you read in, the more you get out. Please enjoy this book, it's a sure winner!
Rating:
Summary: Nice Suggestions Within
Review: H.H. the Dalai Lama is the worlds best known monk, without a doubt. In "How to Practice" he provides us with useful techniques and disciplines to train the mind. In it he will not only cover the basics for beginners, he also has translation and commentary of The Heart Sutra for us. Covering Tantra, and steps designed to develop one's concentration of mind, it's hard to name anything The Dalai Lama did NOT put in this book. For those interested in Tibetan Buddhism who are looking for a "step in the door", this book is probably your best bet. Just to give you an idea of what is in this work, I would like to share an excerpt from the Introduction with you: "I believe that the practice of compassion and love-a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood-is the universal religion. It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian, Moslem or Hindu, or whether you practice religion at all. What matters is your feeling of oneness with humankind." This, for me, sums up what our practice is all about. Instead of focusing only on our differences, we should always strive toward finding common ground. To go further, this snip actually expresses how this book is really for anyone. The Dalai Lama doesn't make it a secret that he wrote this book for Buddhist practitioners, yet also points out it is really for anyone in pursuit of "happiness." Truly, it's a good book. The further you read in, the more you get out. Please enjoy this book, it's a sure winner!
Rating:
Summary: Simplicity in Action
Review: His Holiness the Dalai Lama always inspires with his word. He is a wonderful writer and simple in his descriptions and outlook. Very helpful to the average follower of simplistic living. This book reminds me of "The Child Whisperer" by Matt Pasquinilli. Pasquinili must have some level of enlightenment and teaches others how to apply simple techniques to working with children. I suggest buying "The Child Whisperer" if you are a parent or childworker. Buy both books to have a comprehensive understanding of mindfulness and what a meaningful life looks like.
Rating:
Summary: Buddhism for Beginners
Review: I am completely new to Buddhism and am thoroughly impressed by the Dalai Lama's clear, simple explanation. He effectively describes how even a complete Western beginner like myself can begin to end suffering by practicing. Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama's enlightenment and compassion shine off of the pages through modest stories of his life and experiences. The Dalai Lama starts out the book with the basics of Buddhist morality, moves on to the practice of meditation, and ends with the details of wisdom and tantra. There are images for meditation, lists of moral and amoral thoughts and deeds, and even a short explanation of the concept of emptiness. Most striking of all is the Dalai Lama's comment at the very end of the book, "Though my own knowledge is limited and my experience is also very poor, I have tried my best to help you understand the full breadth of the Buddha's teaching." With these words, the Dalai Lama sets a startling example for the aspiring student by both showing humility and providing a reminder of the breadth and depth of Buddhist enlightenment. I higly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in beginning to follow the Buddhist path.
Rating:
Summary: Yes and No, real
Review: I am impressed with the bold reality taken here in that it is first acceptable to find pleasure in the material world. This admitted truth drew me into this book, then I found myself in agreement with the spiritual teachings. Teachings of yes and no are not the only solutions, a broad spectrum and highly dimensional way opens the mind to reality. We first have to accept each other mentally, not with the hand shake or "How are you?". This great teacher brings simple truths and expands on them to our innermost wants and gives us direction that can't do anything but elevate anyone reading this. This is a truthful book, not written to snow or sell copies. The Dalai Lama is definitely a world class teacher and spiritual leader, I can imagine the change this person could make if everyone read this book, we would be at peace with each other, true mental peace. Realizing that we are clothed in a material world but trully live in a mental universe.
A surprising unprejudiced book written by a western personality that I also found very enlightening, and must recommend is SB 1 or God by Karl Mark Maddox
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest guide to Buddhism
Review: I am simpithetic to the previous two readers. They obviously did not want to learn of the religion. if they had they would have learned much more as I did learn.
The first thing to note is that this book is on of the Dalai Lama's books. In it he incorporates experiences of his own life to portray that even if you don't become an oficial Buddhist you can still incorporate these pratices into your own life. The book give you fully detailed explainations on each step of the path. At the end of every section is a Summary of Daily Practice which simplifies the section so you don't fall behind or get lost.
The book also explains how to use the religion in daily life and how to treat Buddhism properly. This book Inspired me to become a Buddhist, I only hope that it inspires you.
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