My Spiritual Autobiography
My Spiritual Autobiography is a book published in 2009, compiled by Sofia Stril-Rever from speeches and interviews of the 14th Dalai Lama, ISBN 9781846042423.
Description[edit]
The book is a compilation of unpublished texts of the Dalai Lama, which is accompanied by comments from the translator and collaborator of the Dalai Lama, Sofia Stril-Rever. Initially, the book was published in French, and in 2010 it became available translated and published in English and Russian.[1]
The title "My spiritual autobiography" may be a little misleading, for in some ways the book does not resemble an autobiography.[2]
The book identifies three characteristics –
- his Compassionate motivation,
- lack of self-importance and
- flexibility of mind
– while showing the internal coherence of the Dalai Lama's views in their temporal development, and the continuity of these points of view.[2]
The book is composed of three parts.[1]
- The first considers universal questions;
- in the second, the Dalai Lama -as a Buddhist Monk- expressed his hopes for the spiritual transformation of the world through the transformation of each person's mind, and the
- third provides a History of the Dalai Lama, spiritual master of the Tibetan people, and 14th Dalai Lama's life in exile.
The book ends with a poem, 'Never Give Up', written by the American writer Ron Whitehead in 1994, inspired by the Dalai Lama.[1][3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Mooney J. (9 December 2010). AARP The Magazine (ed.). "The Dalai Lama's Spiritual Journey". Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ a b Paine J. (23 January 2011). The Washington Post (ed.). "The forging of a holy man". Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ The Story Behind the Ron Whitehead poem "Never Give Up" insomniacathon.org, accessed 23 May 2018
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My Spiritual Autobiography Hardcover – January 1, 2010
by HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
Kindle
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This book is a first. There has never been one entirely dedicated to the spiritual life of the Dalai Lama. Yet as one of the world's most recognised, and respected, spiritual leaders there is already great interest in such a work from His Holiness' thousands of friends and followers around the world. The Dalai Lama sees himself first and foremost as a human being, secondly as a monk and thirdly as the former political leader of Tibet. In this extraordinary autobiography we read many hitherto unknown stories from his childhood, his formation as a monk and his gradual development as a leader of his people. We are offered a view of his daily spiritual practise, invited to listen in on the dialogue he has been pursuing with other religions, with non-believers and with scientists in his search for ethical and environmental principles, and shown how he brings a sense of goodness and conscience to political life around the globe. In a world that is so profoundly interdependent, the Dalai Lama explains how he transforms himself through spiritual means in order to have a positive effect on the world, and he encourages us to do the same by working on ourselves first of all.
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Editorial Reviews
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"A symbol of serenity, a spiritual leader second only to the Pope" * Independent * "The Dalai Lama is the most influential person in the world" * Time magazine * "He draws crowds that no other spiritual leader or politician could hope to match...he seems to look at life in a different way to everyone else" * The Times * "A man of great intelligence and charm...He has become the lynch pin of hope for a great many people" * Professor Robert Thurman, author of Infinite Life * "A subtle, quick, complex and extraordinarily intelligent man who brings three qualities to a spiritual discourse - gentleness, clarity and laughter" *
My Spiritual Autobiography Hardcover – January 1, 2010
by HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
Kindle
from $14.09Read with Our Free App
This book is a first. There has never been one entirely dedicated to the spiritual life of the Dalai Lama. Yet as one of the world's most recognised, and respected, spiritual leaders there is already great interest in such a work from His Holiness' thousands of friends and followers around the world. The Dalai Lama sees himself first and foremost as a human being, secondly as a monk and thirdly as the former political leader of Tibet. In this extraordinary autobiography we read many hitherto unknown stories from his childhood, his formation as a monk and his gradual development as a leader of his people. We are offered a view of his daily spiritual practise, invited to listen in on the dialogue he has been pursuing with other religions, with non-believers and with scientists in his search for ethical and environmental principles, and shown how he brings a sense of goodness and conscience to political life around the globe. In a world that is so profoundly interdependent, the Dalai Lama explains how he transforms himself through spiritual means in order to have a positive effect on the world, and he encourages us to do the same by working on ourselves first of all.
Read more
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A symbol of serenity, a spiritual leader second only to the Pope" * Independent * "The Dalai Lama is the most influential person in the world" * Time magazine * "He draws crowds that no other spiritual leader or politician could hope to match...he seems to look at life in a different way to everyone else" * The Times * "A man of great intelligence and charm...He has become the lynch pin of hope for a great many people" * Professor Robert Thurman, author of Infinite Life * "A subtle, quick, complex and extraordinarily intelligent man who brings three qualities to a spiritual discourse - gentleness, clarity and laughter" *
Professor Robert Kieley, Harvard University * --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. Today, he lives in exile in Northern India and works tirelessly on behalf of the Tibetan people, as well as travelling the world to give spiritual teachings to sell-out audiences. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Sophia Stril-Rever is a Buddhist scholar and translator. She lives in France. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product details
Publisher : RIDER (January 1, 2010)
4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
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R.L.D.
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice mixtureReviewed in the United States on August 29, 2012
This is NOT an in depth book about Buddhism. This is NOT an in depth story of Tibet and its struggles. This is NOT an in depth autobiography of the Dalai Lama. But it is a nicely put together book about all of those items--with many added pieces by the translator.
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Mossy
5.0 out of 5 stars My Spiritual Autobiography by His Holiness the Dalai LamaReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2011
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This book is well worth reading by people of all faiths or none. It shows His Holiness's deep humility and compassion for every person in the world. His many talks at conferences make up much of the book with explanatary additions by the editor. In my opinion it should be read slowly, a little at a time, to fully absorb the nuances of his thought.
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Sarah in the Highlands
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyableReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2014
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I am reading this book at the moment. Savouring it. I am enjoying reading about the historical facts behind the Dalai Lama's life story and his mixing in of Buddhist spiritual teaching as he shares about himself.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2016
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great book
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Nick Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing the nature of the manReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2012
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The first section is an initmate and moving account of how the 14th Dalai Lama sees his life as a human being. Anyone would benfit from reading it. The rest of the book tells of events in his life including his life in exile and his attitude to the international community.
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BT
5.0 out of 5 stars Adlai Lama My Spiritual autobiographyReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2012
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Everybody should read this book. It highlights the political and environmental challenges that we all face in our world but which are generally ignored.
