very few people are able to give me hope about mankind and our future as a species. the dalai lama delivers that and so much more in all his books, but this one stands out to me because of my interest in science, and especially my fascination with (if complete misunderstanding of) the universe and quantum physics, etc. this book contains all those big universe questions that are usually way too scary to ask (where did time begin? how big is space? what existed before the big bang?) but presents them in conjunction with religion, and not in contrast to it, like pretty much everyone else likes to see those 2 institutions. this is the kind of book where I read 10 pages, then have to close the book and just think for about a half hour, then pick up and start reading again.