false 2084522 4 <p>One of the most acclaimed and perceptive observers of globalism and Buddhism now gives us the first serious consideration&#8212;for Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike&#8212;of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama&#8217;s work and ideas as a politician, scientist, and philosopher.<br><br>Pico Iyer has been engaged in conversation with the Dalai Lama (a friend of his father&#8217;s) for the last three decades&#8212;an ongoing exploration of his message and its effectiveness. Now, in this insightful, impassioned book, Iyer captures the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama&#8217;s position: though he has brought the ideas of Tibet to world attention, Tibet itself is being remade as a Chinese province; though he was born in one of the remotest, least developed places on earth, he has become a champion of globalism and technology. He is a religious leader who warns against being needlessly distracted by religion; a Tibetan head of state who suggests that exile from Tibet can be an opportunity; an incarnation of a Tibetan god who stresses his everyday humanity.<br><br>Moving from Dharamsala, India&#8212;the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile&#8212;to Lhasa, Tibet, to venues in the West, where the Dalai Lama&#8217;s pragmatism, rigor, and scholarship are sometimes lost on an audience yearning for mystical visions, <i>The Open Road</i> illuminates the hidden life, the transforming ideas, and the daily challenges of a global icon.</p> 2954390 25 3 2008 The Open Road: The Global Journey of the XIVth Dalai Lama total:170|5:45|4:66|3:48|2:10|1:1| 170 654 396 61 2 2 false false Wed Mar 04 22:19:58 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 22:32:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat May 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 18:13:18 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 18:31:59 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 07 15:38:40 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 15:41:06 -0800 2009 STOP SMILING review of The Open Road:

We are not accustomed to thinking of our leaders as perennially jolly, which has at times proven to be a problem for the Dalai Lama. Though he is one of the world's wisest and certainly one of its most spiritual men, Pico Iyer reminds us that...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:57:03 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:57:03 -0800 2009 In his study of the Dalai Lama, Iyer offers a rich historical context made stronger by his own diligent research and vast knowledge of global politics (not to mention a personal connection). Given the current unrest between Tibet and China, Iyer's book takes on additional weight by lending urgency t...

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I felt as if Iyer's observations, while trivial,...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Jun 01 16:03:54 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 01 16:04:32 -0700 2008 2 0 false false Sun Sep 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 12:20:53 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 13:09:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 12 11:45:15 -0700 2009 Mon Nov 09 08:02:12 -0800 2009
Iyer is also more focused on the tragic political situation in Tibet rather than on Tibetan Buddhis...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 13 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Apr 14 17:33:02 -0700 2008 Sat Dec 13 20:29:43 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 15:25:29 -0700 2008 Fri May 09 12:58:09 -0700 2008 on the road. . .

How are we to think about the Dalai Lama? He is a Nobel laureate, a king kept from his country, a spiritual leader, a pop culture darling and an unswerving voice of global compassion. In the past half century he has been thrust onto the worldâ€...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Mar 26 20:24:29 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 31 11:26:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jun 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Feb 07 23:00:28 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 23:01:12 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Sep 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 07:41:51 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 07:49:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Oct 13 05:43:01 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 13 05:46:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 06 20:15:22 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 06 20:15:52 -0700 2008 The author's purpose is, I believe, to peal away the layers of myth and cult surrounding the Dali Lama and give the reader an insight into the Dali La...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 09:46:28 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 09:49:41 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 06:53:11 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 06 13:36:17 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 05 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 16:37:06 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 16:42:06 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 03 10:09:10 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 23 10:36:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 09 21:44:56 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 12 13:18:52 -0700 2008
This book is a portrait and overview of the Dalai Lama. Iyer's father was friends with His Holiness and Iyer has known him for more th...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2084522