Live in a Better Way: Reflections on Truth, Love, and Happiness

Occasionally a book comes along that you want to take outside, shove into the hand of every passerby, and say, "Read this and be enlightened." The Dalai Lama's latest collection of lectures is like that. As you read, you begin to think what a wonderful world it would be if everybody thought like the Dalai Lama. Though the highest ranked leader of a world religion, the Dalai Lama insists that some of the most important aspects of Buddhist practice are nonreligious, particularly the training of the mind. This he sees as essential to cultivating basic decency in the day-to-day life of all people. To understand the motivations of others, to rein in negative emotions, to examine one's own motivations--these are the steps to living peacefully and responsibly in the world. On a deeper theoretical level, the Dalai Lama also introduces the importance of seeing through reality to the two levels of truth as well as exploring karma and the nature of existence. Impromptu question-and-answer sessions round out some of the lectures, giving the listeners a chance to pose their own questions. Read this and be enlightened. --Brian Bruya