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Summary: 7 days in Tibet- Eastern mysticism meets pop psychology
Review: How nice for Mr. Cutler! He had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama and used the experience to write principally about himself and his own profession of psychiatry. Occasionally we get some pearls from His Holiness, but mostly we see Cutler's desire to cash in on the "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" fluff phenomenon.To Cutler's credit, he does make an attempt to clarify Buddhist ideas on the source and transcendence of suffering. He then succumbs, however, to the tendency to find instant solutions, formulae, and tricks for dealing with such suffering. His discussion detours and fixates entirely too much on the desires for wealth and romantic love. The book contains little or no discussion of the core Buddhist concepts such as mindfulness, right action, impermanence, or even meditation. For a better treatment, read "Heart as Wide as the World" or anything else by Susan Salzberg. Like Cutler, she uses her own experiences to flesh out spiritual concepts, but in her case, it's inspiring and not all about her.
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Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: This book is continually of much benefit to my experience. Yes, of course most of us would appreciate more of His Holiness's direct communication which does not negate for me the perspective of the author. This title is a wonderful primer on reducing suffering in our existence. It also offers precious glimpses in to the nature of His Holiness the person which are consistent with his teachings and with the experience of those who have had the fortune of meeting him in person. I am continually inspired and encouraged (and again through this book) by His Holiness as a real person who so elegantly integrates his practice into the everyday of his life and interactions. I highly recommend this book to those interested in a common sense approach and perspective on living a life with happiness, clarity, and compassion. Also, the audiobook has audio of His Holiness speaking to an audience which although brief provides a nice introduction.
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Summary: Dalai Lama + Joe Blow = ?
Review: The big disappointment here is that there is very little Dalai Lama in this book. It is not the Lama's handbook for living, it is Howard Cutler's handbook for getting rich off the Dalai Lama's good name. Howard Cutler is a professional psychologist, and -- one quickly concludes -- a rather average one. The one fascinating thing about this book is observing how the Dalai Lama interacts with a perfectly ordinary, totally western person. Howard Cutler asks the same kinds of questions that you or I might ask, and is just as puzzled as we might be. He is not much of a writer, but he writes without artifice or elaboration. Through Cutler's unornamented prose, the reader can sense the Dalai Lama's reactions to such honest questions as "What is wrong with romantic love?" The Lama questions the question, and with a thoughtful words opens all the distinctions between our cultures. He transcends cultural bias easily, which is perhaps what makes him such a powerful figure in our age. Much of the book, however, consists of Cutler dissecting, analyzing, and providing examples from his own practice to elucidate the Lama's brief responses. Cutler's thinking is far weaker, but does serve to illustrate the vast gulf between ordinary thought and the thinking of someone who has devoted his life to it. Were I titling this book, I might have come up with something like "A Psychological Response to Selected Teachings of the Dalai Lama: A Collision Between East and West". (Fortunately for all of us, I do not have a job in publishing!) Although it is disappointing that the interviewer is not sophisticated enough to take these questions deeper, it is worthwhile to examine the Dalai Lama's approaches and responses to ordinary questions. All told, this is not a book I am happy to have bought. I would not file this under Dalai, or Lama (how does one alphabetize a title like that?), but under Cutler. The real problem is that his interviews with the Dalai Lama cover only a few paragraphs in each chapter. The bulk of the material is Cutler digesting and regurgitating the thoughts in various ways. Were I Cutler's therapist, I might find this more interesting, but as someone still searching for happiness myself, I find his perspectives both trite and unhelpful.
Rating:
Summary: Guide to Life
Review: The Dalai Lama is a revered spiritual leader, for many people, Buddhist or not. However, in this book, he makes many Buddhist teachings incredibly universal to everyone's life, regardless of their faith. This book is applicable to all, due to the way that he eloquently adapts major Buddhist teachings so that they are common to every human being. This is truly a handbook for living, in terms of coming to accept yourself as well as others and your environment. He discusses in detail the whole concept of living life in order to avoid suffering, and how simple steps taken in everyday life can allow you to reach a much more peaceful place in your existence, and he discusses how to deal with pain and how to learn from it. This is definitely a multifacted, inspirational book for everyone out there even remotely interested in their spirituality or simply, how to live a better life .
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: The Dali Lama should be an example to everyone regardless of faith tradtion.
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Summary: Westerner's Introduction...
Review: If you are a Buddhist, or have an interest in learning from the Dalai Lama's words, you may not want this book for yourself. However, for your friends, family, loved ones who do not understand Buddhism, this book is an excellent introduction. If you are seeking to help others understand, you may find this book opens more hearts and minds than others. A very good introduction for those who may not know what they are seeking. This book will make comprehension more possible.
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Summary: Counter to the negative reviews
Review: I have noticed several reviews that blast Howard C. Cutler for the way he wrote this book. I would like to say that I think he did a good job. As an enthusiast of Buddhism, I am inclined to agree that I would have liked to heard more from the Dalai Lama himself, but I understand that the intent of this book was to allow non-buddhists to learn to appreciate and to implement this marvelous system of Buddhist psychology in their lives. In some senses, Buddhism is a science of understanding and mending the human psyche. For myself, I already understood a lot of the principles in the book, but it was very nice to hear a western psychologist's viewpoint. Sometimes I get lost in the volume of material there is to read about the practice of Buddhism. There are many different approaches to Buddhist thought. This book is perfect for any non-Buddhist who would like to get a taste of the basic psychology derived from the teacings of one of the most brilliant men in history, The Buddha. The Dalai Lama is a wonderful man in his own right, and is a very wise and worldly translator of this complex system of thought. His profound and well thought out answers to the questions posed by Cutler reflect the depth of his understanding of the human condition and the remedies prescribed by the Buddha to end the suffering that we all must endure. The Dalai Lama does not give a full exposition of the Buddhist teachings on any of the subjects presented in the book, but his answers are profound and can be put to use in the daily life of any westerner who desires to be happy. Cutler is a reassuring figure in the book who is there to raise the questions that any westerner might raise. More importantly, he is there to compare and contrast the words of the Dalai Lama to the work of western psychologists and to confirm and even exalt the approach of the Dalai Lama.
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Summary: A lesson towards happiness
Review: This is an easy-to-read guiding book that discuss what really takes to reach that state of happiness that we are all looking for. It is put in a clear way and even if you do not share Dalai Lama's beliefs, you will pretty much get the message anyway. It is inspiring and certainly one of those books that you want to keep around just in case you feel that need to read something that can make a whole lot of difference in your life.
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Summary: Life is what we are...
Review: I just started reading this book, and it is very difficult to put it down. I have been getting so deep inside the words that i havent gotten very far at all! It's so amazing in the first few chapters that i can't imagine whats next...
Rating:
Summary: A true handbook for sources of happiness
Review: This book presents a fundamentally different way to discovering happiness from within one's self. Cutler tried to describe in the Dalai Lama's terms, finding happiness by consciously developing patience, contentment, compassion, and empathy to human beings. The book also suggest ways to developing these virtues and logically convinces the reader about the futility of the ways. Although some examples may seem obvious, the book is a must read for every body and a great education for life.
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