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The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings By and About the Dalai Lama
Who is the Dalai Lama? Beginning with his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, this collection of addresses, interviews, and biographical essays affords readers an in-depth view of His Holiness's personal life, his wide-ranging interests, and his thoughts on issues of global concern. The portrait that emerges is of a highly pragmatic man dedicated to finding non-violent solutions to human problems in all arenas--personal, political, and environmental.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
13 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Dalai Lama XIV
1,554 books6,208 followersJetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub), the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is influential as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the world's most famous Buddhist monk, and the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India.
Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.
On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.
After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.
Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.
Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.
On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.
After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.
Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 22, 2021
A good collection of some of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's speeches and interviews on the importance of kindness in life.
February 28, 2015
I need to read this book every couple of years because it re-sets me. Lol. The philosophy is kindness. The purpose is compassion and love. Sums it up rather nicely. It's nice to be nice! I love the Dalai Lama.
September 18, 2009
Life is better with a policy of kindness.
September 12, 2024
I initially read this book in 2021. I decided to re-read it in 2024. Like the first time I read it, I am continuously impressed by the Dalai Lama's positivity and optimism in the face of extreme adversity. When this book was published the outrageous Chinese takeover of Tibet was around 40 years old. It has now been 74 years of occupation with every type of brutality imaginable. I heard recently the Chinese were making Tibetans marry them in an effort to water down the Tibetan population through forced breeding. It is a very old tactic used by occupying armies throughout history. One would hope such brutal tactics would remain in the garbage pile of history and not occur during the 21st century. Alas, where the Chinese communists are concerned, this tactic and other tortures are totally acceptable. I know His Holiness' time here on Earth is diminishing and as his light fades so does the light of freedom for Tibet. At least we will be left with his words and unforgettable images of his smile. Through these he will continue to manifest and provide a lasting example for the world.
January 3, 2024
"Though we might regard someone as an enemy, on a deeper level an enemy is also a human being, also wants happiness, and has the right to be happy."
Kindness, compassion, and self-love are at the root of all life. In order to take on challenges and solve problems, we first have to have an understanding of ourselves. And I absolutely loved that while the Dalai Lama is true to his beliefs, he also respects other religions, views, and how people cannot all be the same. But fundamentally, at the end of the day we are all human beings and everything else comes second.
Kindness, compassion, and self-love are at the root of all life. In order to take on challenges and solve problems, we first have to have an understanding of ourselves. And I absolutely loved that while the Dalai Lama is true to his beliefs, he also respects other religions, views, and how people cannot all be the same. But fundamentally, at the end of the day we are all human beings and everything else comes second.
May 21, 2018
This book was not what I expected. It is interesting, and has wonderful seeds of wisdom and insight - but it’s a random mash of writing about the Dalai Lama with interviews and speeches of his mixed in. It was disjointed to read. Like a scrapbook of HHDL related stuff. It is also from long enough ago that some of the language and views are outdated or no longer relevant.
April 28, 2019
Kindness is what the world needs the most. This book most definitely delivers it! It takes you into the life of this inspiring man.
Want to read
January 29, 2020hey i want to read this book can ANYONE point me to a free copy of this book
March 28, 2021
As with every other Dalai Lama book, very insightful and beautiful.
July 21, 2007
So I'm walking down the Ave, killing time..waiting for Avianca and I stop by this wonderful store named Laughing Buddha. If you have never been in there please stop by. John, I believe, is the owner and he just the most peaceful, positive being in which I've had a please of running into in a long time. We had a great conversation about buddhism and my spirituality...Which was sparked by my Mantra engraved bracelet that I have had since I was 17. "OM MANI PADME HUM" -Hail the jewel in the lotus" which has much deeper meaning and can be translated hundreds and thousands of different ways..( a good chant for all you meditators out there)..
Even though my parents main focus was of western religion (Christianity & Catholicism), Buddhism has been a part of my life since I was a little girl growing up in Japan.
I just started this book and it has brought so much peace to me in just the first 28 pages. This book reminds us of the history of the Tibetan people..Not only of their struggle but of their accomplishments in the past 50 years. I myself would like to focus on my spiritual development so this book means a lot to me. If only here, in the US, we could have a leader that shared the same views in regards to war and the respect for human life as does his holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.
I will keep you updated..
Even though my parents main focus was of western religion (Christianity & Catholicism), Buddhism has been a part of my life since I was a little girl growing up in Japan.
I just started this book and it has brought so much peace to me in just the first 28 pages. This book reminds us of the history of the Tibetan people..Not only of their struggle but of their accomplishments in the past 50 years. I myself would like to focus on my spiritual development so this book means a lot to me. If only here, in the US, we could have a leader that shared the same views in regards to war and the respect for human life as does his holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.
I will keep you updated..
April 1, 2023
Am currently watching China's inexcusable actions in Xinjiang and getting a sad case of déjà vu...
I am also currently reading Buddha's Warriors, and in looking at Dunham's bibliography, I realize I not only have a lot of these books, but sadly need to update my "Tibet" GR bookshelf. I read this book (and many others I'll be adding) back in the mid-'80s to early-'90s, and as such don't remember any specifics about this (or most of the other) books, and so will generally be giving them all 3 stars based on the subject matter and my own interest alone. However, His Holiness can never be given less than 4 stars on principle alone, so this one will be an outlier.
(Purchased in one of Thamel's wonderbul bookshops in Spring 1991, as part of a trek to the Langtang glacier on the Tibetan border and a visit to several refuge camps as part of research for a book that never got written. Maybe time to revisit...)
I am also currently reading Buddha's Warriors, and in looking at Dunham's bibliography, I realize I not only have a lot of these books, but sadly need to update my "Tibet" GR bookshelf. I read this book (and many others I'll be adding) back in the mid-'80s to early-'90s, and as such don't remember any specifics about this (or most of the other) books, and so will generally be giving them all 3 stars based on the subject matter and my own interest alone. However, His Holiness can never be given less than 4 stars on principle alone, so this one will be an outlier.
(Purchased in one of Thamel's wonderbul bookshops in Spring 1991, as part of a trek to the Langtang glacier on the Tibetan border and a visit to several refuge camps as part of research for a book that never got written. Maybe time to revisit...)
July 24, 2013
I rate this book a 4.2 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being best.
“Of course, it is very difficult to achieve such a worldwide movement for peace of mind, but it is the only alternative. If there were another method that was easier and more practical, it would be better, but there is none. If through weapons we could achieve real lasting peace, all right. Let all factories be turned into weapon factories. Spend every dollar for that--if we achieve definite lasting peace. But this is impossible.
Weapons do not remained stockpiled. Once a weapon is developed, sooner or later someone will use it. Someone might feel that if you do not use it, then millions of dollars are wasted, so somehow you should use it--drop a bomb to try it out...
Therefore, although it is difficult to attempt to bring about peace through internal transformation, this is the only way to achieve lasting world peace.”
“Of course, it is very difficult to achieve such a worldwide movement for peace of mind, but it is the only alternative. If there were another method that was easier and more practical, it would be better, but there is none. If through weapons we could achieve real lasting peace, all right. Let all factories be turned into weapon factories. Spend every dollar for that--if we achieve definite lasting peace. But this is impossible.
Weapons do not remained stockpiled. Once a weapon is developed, sooner or later someone will use it. Someone might feel that if you do not use it, then millions of dollars are wasted, so somehow you should use it--drop a bomb to try it out...
Therefore, although it is difficult to attempt to bring about peace through internal transformation, this is the only way to achieve lasting world peace.”
June 23, 2011
I found the selection of articles / speech transcripts somewhat mixed in terms of their relevance and interest. Some seem to be essentially the same message. But there are a few real gems here such as the "Talk to Western Buddhists" where the Dalai Lama examines which aspects of a tradition are essential and which are due to cultural influence. He advises Westerners to tread a middle way between conservatism and radicalism to arrive at a culturally Western form of Buddhism. The short section on inter-religious dialogue was also moving and worth reading.
April 7, 2024
I have a soft spot for this book. It is one of the first dharma books I owned
October 29, 2014
En lisant ce livre on peut voir que le Dalai Lama est très optimiste vis a vis les hommes. Peut être trop, mais seul l'avenir nous le dira!
May 30, 2018
This book is probably great as introductory material to Buddhism but for anyone who's read more than a bit it will seem redundant.
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February 24, 2018Who is the Dalai Lama? Beginning with his Nobel Peace Prize lecture, this collection of addresses, interviews, and biographical essays affords readers an in-depth view of His Holiness's personal life, his wide-ranging interests, and his thoughts on issues of global concern. The portrait that emerges is of a highly pragmatic man dedicated to finding non-violent solutions to human problems in all arenas--personal, political, and environmental.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews