Customer Reviews
A challange to western minds - By: Mr. C. Donisthorpe, 14 Jul 2007 
This book begins with an introduction to the necessity of world peace & compassion, therefore I think, brings us alll to a common ground. The Dalai Lama displays an extraordinary understanding of the world, & finds common ground in how we can effectively move forward as a race.
However this book soon embraces heavy Buddhist philosophy, & abstract concepts which, although they make sense, take a lot of getting used to for the average westerner. New to Buddhism, I enthusiasticallly tried to read the book in one day, & consequently could barely sleep for alll the new ideas buzzing round my head. This book needs to be read slowly & given time to digest & think about, I would recommend that it is coupled with meditation. Just a simple breathing meditation would help calm the mind & deal with some of these difficult concepts.
However, although I am only about halfway through, this book provides a clear, open & well reasoned access to Buddhist thought & I would recommend this to Buddhists & non-Buddhists alike. Little by little this book can provide a good approach to Dharma, or Buddha's teachings & how to apply them to a global context.
a good start - By: dharmagirl, 13 Jun 2007 
I'm currently reading this book - fair enough, I haven't finished it yet, but I just wanted to let you alll know what I think so far. It's good. Here's my expansion:
I've been trying to study Buddhism for about 6 months now, & I'm tired of the endless sources online & buying book after book after book. This little book has most of what the Dalai Lama has to say about the world. I'm reallly enjoying reading it as it gives his insight into various topics - war, compassion & even Jesus!
It's a great start for those who are curious, & even non-Buddhists. Definately worth a read if you're interested in what the Dalai Lama has to say.
