The Compassionate Life
His Holiness the Dalia Lama

Collected here for the first time are four of the Dalai Lama's most accessible and inspiring teachings on compassion. The purpose of life is to be happy, His Holiness reminds us. To be happy, we should devote ourselves to developing our own peace of mind; the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own peace of mind. Therefore, we must develop compassion for others in order to be truly happy.

In these four teachings—imbued with the gentle humor and extraordinary kindness of this incomparable teacher—His Holiness explores altruism and the need for compassion on an individual as well as a global scale. He offers specific practices for developing loving-kindness and compassion in even the most difficult situations.

Previous installments of Wisdom of the Week

Meditation for Life – Martine Batchelor

Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet’s Beloved Saint, Milarepa – Brian Cutillo (translator)

Duaghters of Emptiness: Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns – Beta Grant (editor)

The Art of Just Sitting –  John Daido Loori (editor)

Only a Great Rain: A Guide to Chinese Buddhist Meditation – Master Hsing Yun –

Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place – Melvin McLeod (editor) –

Keep Me in Your Heart A While: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri – Dojo Mike Port

The Essence of Zen – Sekkei Harada

The Attention Revolution – B. Alan Wallace

Food for the Heart – Ajahn Chah

Never Turn Away – Rigdzin Shikpo

The State of Mind Called Beautiful – Sayadaw U Pandita

Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha's Path – Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Ordinary Wisdom, Sakya Pandita’s Treasury of Good Advice – Sakya Pandita (John Davenport, translator)

Mud & Water: The Collected Teachings of Zen Master Bassui – translated by Arthur Braverman