How to Practice : The Way to a Meaningful Life

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: 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: A great deal of wisdom for people of all faiths
Review: Many people choose not to read the books by his Holiness the Dalai Lama because they believe that this will offend or counter their own religious beliefs. Quite to the contrast, everybody can take the simple practices of this book to better their everyday lives.

One line in this book has stood out in the my mind. "You should realize that difficult present circumstances are entirely due to your own past undisciplined actions, so when you experience a difficult period, do you best to avoid behavior that will add to the burden later on." (p 38). This is just one example of the suggestions given to living a more fulfilling life. I believe that he is right in his suggestion that money and posessions will not make a person happy in life. Each of us must discover what gives meaning to our life. To find this is really not that difficult as His Holiness reveals where it lies.

This book is highly recommended for anybody seeking personal and spiritual growth.

Rating:
Summary: To Practice Peace and Kindness
Review: This book by H.H. the Dalai Lama may be read by those wishing an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and by those wishing to begin or develop their practice.

The Dalai Lama attempts to answer the basic question: "How can people be happy?" His answer outlines a path of spiritual growth and practice. Although based upon Tibetan Buddhism, there is wisdom in the book for anybody seeking spiritual growth, within or without any specific religious practice.

The book consists of six short sections. It begins with a brief discussion of the life of the Buddha which, as the Dalai Lama points out, encompasses the basic teachings of the Buddhist path: morality, concentrated meditation and wisdom. The Dalai Lama then explains the basis of each teaching in short chapters. It is good that the book gives its focus to moral practice -- curing anger, lust, hatred, and agression and wishing well to oneself and others.

Chapter III of the book discusses meditation practices and will introduce the beginner to the value of meditation and to several meditation techniques. The Dalai Lama stresses the need for consistent practice and for patience and for the need of controlling one's expectations.

There are several chapters which discuss the difficult but key Buddhist teaching of independent origination. Much of this material the Dalai Lama also covers in an earlier book called "The Meaning of Life."

There is a concluding section on Tantra, a uniquely Tibetan practice. I think it is better for the average person to remain with the practices of morality and concentration described earlier in the book.

Some of the unique features of this book are the Dalai Lama's anecdotes of his life in Tibet before the Chinese Invasion of 1950 and of his teachers. There is a substantial discussion of sexuality in the book and of how it may be used (and abused) in the search for peace and kindness. (pages 192-196) There is a translation of the Heart Sutra, a key Buddhist text with a commentary by the Dalai Lama. (159-163)

I found the Dalai Lama's concluding paragraph captures much of the tenor and the value of this book (page 223):

"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. Please implement whatever in these pages appears to be helpful. If you follow another religion, please adopt whatever might assist you. If you do not think it would be helpful, just leave it alone."