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Recommended Books and Movies About Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism

About and by the His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Please purchase your books from the links below and 100% of the profits will go to IBC to help us build and support our new Indiana Buddhist Center. May the compassion and generosity generated from reading and utilizing these resources cause all sentient beings to accumulate merit and achieve buddhahood in this life.

[Books Page 1]  [ Books Page 2]  [ Audio Tapes Page 1] [DVD's Page 1]

My Land and My People: The Original Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet (Paperback - Dec 1, 1997) "ah ling" has written one of several book reviews about this book. I started this book with the thought that I would gain a better sense of the history surrounding the current events in Tibet, where I recently visited. What I didn't anticipate was that the book would generate such strong feelings of compassion and emotion within me. Read it slowly and allow yourself to fully digest the Dalai Lama's simple but compelling portrayal of the suffering his people have encountered, as well as the incredible courage they displayed- as a testament of their deep devotion to him and their unwavering belief in their most valuable posession: Buddhist religion. I had to stop every so often and calm the inner turmoil I felt, as I read.


amazon.com review: The Dalai Lama's autobiography should leave no one in doubt of his humility and genuine compassion. Written without the slightest hint of pretense, the exiled leader of Tibet recounts his life, from the time he was whisked away from his home in 1939 at the age of 4, to his treacherous escape from Tibet in 1959, to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The backdrop of the story is the 1950 Chinese invasion of Tibet. He calmly relates details of imprisonment, torture, rape, famine, ecological disaster, and genocide that under four decades of Chinese rule have left 1.25 million Tibetans dead and the Tibetan natural and religious landscapes decimated. Yet the Dalai Lama's story is strangely one of hope. This man who prays for four hours a day harbors no ill will toward the Chinese and sees the potential for good everywhere he casts his gaze. Someday, he hopes, all of Tibet will be a zone of peace and the world's largest nature preserve. Such optimism is not naive but rather a result of his daily studies in Buddhist philosophy and his doctrine of Universal Responsibility. Inspiring in every way, Freedom in Exile is both a historical document and a fable of deepest trust in humanity. --Brian Bruya

In 365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart, a beautiful hardcover book, the Dalai Lama gives personal, heartfelt advice for all people from all walks of life. He shows how anyone and everyone can adopt a sane and healthy attitude, and transform suffering into serenity.


A Simple Path by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Thupten Jinpa with beautiful photography by Ian Cummings is a softbound book of 176 pages. This book received the maximum of 5 stars by the 21 readers who reviewed it on Amazon. Most of them commented on the beauty of the photographs and the readability of the text. Some thought the book is perfect for beginners. Others thought the book was for graduated students! The text was taken from a speech given by His Holiness in England. My own sense is that the book is extremely valuable for anyone who wants to learn more about Buddhism. As with all of the teachings given by His Holiness, this book has something for everyone and can be understood at what level you're on now. Then read it again in a few more years for even deeper meaning.

Note: The text in this book has previously appeared in different editions: The Four Noble Truths as well as The Heart of the Buddha's path (a volume that combines The Four Noble Truths with The Power of Compassion

Essential Teachings: his Holiness the Dali Lama presents the first English translation of a series of talks given in 1974 by the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya, India - the site of the Buddha's enlightenment - to a gathering of Tibetan refugees and Western Buddhists. His precise and eloquent commentary on the "Path of the Bodhisattva," one of the most important teaching texts of the the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, offers a step-by-step guide to thirty-seven practices designed to help cultivate the spirit of compassion for all life and service to others that is at the heart of Buddhism.

In Part Two, "The Key of Madhyamika," the Dali Lam draws on many important Tibetan texts to present a well-reasoned and clear explanation of the principle of the Middle Way.


How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life (Hardcover) by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama 

I am completely new to Buddhism and am thoroughly impressed by the Dalai Lama's clear, simple explanation. He effectively describes how even a complete Western beginner like myself can begin to end suffering by practicing. Throughout the book, the Dalai Lama's enlightenment and compassion shine off of the pages through modest stories of his life and experiences. The Dalai Lama starts out the book with the basics of Buddhist morality, moves on to the practice of meditation, and ends with the details of wisdom and tantra. There are images for meditation, lists of moral and amoral thoughts and deeds, and even a short explanation of the concept of emptiness. - Elaine Thompson (California, USA)

Note: This book is also available as an ebook for about half the price of the hardback.

Mind of Clear Light : Advice on Living Well and Dying Consciously (Paperback) "Everyone dies, but no one is dead," goes the Tibetan saying. It is with these words that Advice on Dying takes flight. Using a seventeenth-century poem written by a prominent scholar-practitioner, His Holiness the Dalai Lama draws from a wide range of traditions and beliefs to explore the stages we all go through when we die, which are the very same stages we experience in life when we go to sleep, faint, or reach orgasm (Shakespeare's "little death"). The stages are described so vividly that we can imagine the process of traveling deeper into the mind, on the ultimate journey of transformation. In this way, His Holiness shows us how to prepare for that time and, in doing so, how to enrich our time on earth, die without fear or upset, and influence the stage between this life and the next so that we may gain the best possible incarnation. As always, the ultimate goal is to advance along the path to enlightenment. Advice on Dying is an essential tool for attaining that eternal bliss.

The Power of Compassion by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

I loved this book. I didn't know what compassion was until I read this book. It is true that there is a definition in the dictionary, but unless you can get some data around it, it is meaningless. If you are curious about compassion, the Dalai Lama or Buddhism, it is a must read - even though it is hard to find!

Also available as an Audiobook

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