Chan's intimate conversations with the Dalai Lama reveal His Holiness's personal fears; under which circumstances he believes he could be capable of violence; how the experience of profound spiritual insight feels in the body and mind; and more.
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Chan's intimate conversations with the Dalai Lama reveal His Holiness's personal fears; under which circumstances he believes he could be capable of violence; how the experience of profound spiritual insight feels in the body and mind; and more.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Wisdom of Forgiveness: Intimate Conversations and to cart. $1.70, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Riverhead Books.
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Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Add this copy of The Wisdom of Forgiveness: Intimate Conversations and to cart. $2.44, good condition, Sold by Used Book Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Egg Harbor Township, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Penguin Publishing Group.
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Good. Shows minimal signs of wear and previous use. Can include minimal notes/highlighting. A portion of your purchase benefits nonprofits! -Note: Edition & format may differ from what is shown in stock photo & item details. May not include supplementary material (toys, access code, dvds, etc).
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A Hasidic story tells how some devoted students followed their Rebbe (a Hasidic teacher and spiritual master) as closely as they could during the course of a day -- not only to classes and meals, but at home, shopping trips, in the bedroom, in the bathroom and the like. One of the students was asked what purpose this attention served during the times the Rebbe was not engaged in teaching. The Hasid replied that "I don't follow the Rebbe just to hear him teach. I follow him to learn how he ties his shoe-laces".
I was reminded of this story in reading Victor Chan's account of his meetings with H.H. the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Mr. Chan wants to impress upon the reader the force of associating with a holy person. There is much to be learned from the contact with such a person, with observing his demeanor, small talk, daily routines and attitudes towards others. Spiritual growth and inspiration can be imparted from these contacts, just as with formal teachings.
Mr. Chan first met the Dalai Lama in 1972 in a roundabout, virtually accidental way following his graduation from college. He subsequently became interested in Buddhism and Tibet, writing a travel guidebook to the latter, and gaining the confidence and friendship of the Dalai Lama. Mr. Chan's book, "The Wisdom of Forgiveness" consists of nineteen short chapters in which he accompanies the Dalai Lama on various journeys, interviews him repeatedly and at length, and shares in his day-to-day activities.
Thus, the book shifts from place-to-place as Mr Chan joins the Dalai Lama on trips to Ireland, Norway, on pilgrimages to Buddhist holy sites in India, and in the Dalai Lama's headquarters in Dharamsala, India. We meet many members of the Dalai Lama's entourage, including interpreters, advisers, and bodyguards, as well as a variety of other people famous, such as Desmond Tutu and Oprah Winfrey, and obscure.
The book gives a good picture of the Dalai Lama in teaching and in character. In his discussions with Mr. Chan, he discusses at length the value of a gracious and forgiving heart particularly as it involves in the Dalai Lama's own case the Chinese communists who overran Tibet in the 1950s and destroyed its holy places. We also receive teachings on emptiness and on controlling one's mind.
The book shows admirably the Dalai Lama's sometimes unpredictable sense of humor, his ability to put people at ease, the unpretentious manner in which he wears his learning and his practice, his serenity, and his devotion. We learn a great deal of the Dalai Lama in the closing chapters of the book when we see him respond to a serious, potentially fatal illness. There are also good moments in the final chapters of the book when the Dalai Lama turns the tables on Mr. Chan and asks him questions on what Buddhism has meant to him and on how his contact with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people has influenced his life.
The book is a bit short, and Mr Chan seems to wander at times. I would have liked to hear more of the Dalai Lama. Thus, I think some of the books in which the Dalai Lama speaks and teaches for himself are a better way of getting to know him than is this account. Still, this book is worth reading.
The title of the book, and much of its early chapters, concentrate on the importance of being able to forgive. A famous verse in the "Dhammapada", a collection of short verses which is part of the Scripture of all forms of Buddhism speaks eloquently of the importance of forgiveness and of not bearing grudges. It reads:
He abused me, he stuck me, he overpowerered me
he robbed me. Those who harbour such thoughts
do not still their hatred. (Dmammapada, v.3)
The Dalai Lama's character and his life, as reflected in this book, offer living testimony to the power of forgiveness.
