Go back to the Main Resources Page

Books of the 14th Dalai Lama

  • From Here to Enlightenment - An Introduction to Tsong-kha-pa's Classic Text The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment - When the Dalai Lama was forced into exile in 1959, he could take only a few items with him. Among these cherished belongings was his copy of Tsong-kha-pa’s classic text The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment. This text distills all the essential points of Tibetan Buddhism, clearly unfolding the entire Buddhist path.
  • Healing Emotions. Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Psychology, Meditation, and the Mind-Body Connection - The book is a record of the third Mind and Life Conference, a meeting that took place in Dharamsala, India, gathering Buddhist teachers and Western scholars to discuss questions that provide a framework for an ongoing dialogue between psychology and Buddhism. Edited with a new foreword by Pulitzer Prize nominee Daniel Goleman, this exploration of stress, death, meditation, self-compassion, and much more underscores the timeliness and significance of working together—across scientific and religious aisles—for the greater benefit of humankind.
  • Stages of Meditation - The Buddhist Classic on Training the Mind - The Dalai Lama explains the principles of meditation in a practice-oriented format especially suited to Westerners. Based upon the middle section of the Bhavanakrama by Kamalashila—a translation of which is included—this is the most extensive commentary given by the Dalai Lama on this concise but important meditation handbook.
  • Dzogchen: Heart Essence of the Great Perfection - Exploring the esoteric subject of Dzogchen, His Holiness offers insights into one of Buddhism’s most profound systems of meditation. He discusses both the philosophic foundations and the practices of this system—taking into account the approaches of various schools and teachers.
  • The Bodhisattva Guide - A Commentary on The Way of the Bodhisattva - One of the most beloved of all Buddhist texts, The Way of the Bodhisattva is a practical guide to generating the qualities of love, compassion, generosity, and patience. In this commentary on key sections of the text, the Dalai Lama shows how any of us can develop a truly “good heart,” and why aspiring toward the happiness and enlightenment of others is central to any genuinely spiritual path. His Holiness’s profound wisdom—the result of a lifetime of practice and study—shines brilliantly throughout this extraordinary book.
  • An Introduction to Buddhism - Speaking to an audience of Western students, the Dalai Lama shows us how to apply basic Buddhist principles to our day-to-day lives. Starting with the very foundation of Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, he provides the framework for understanding the Buddha’s first teachings on suffering, happiness, and peace.