Books in the Core Teachings of Dalai Lama series

Based on a lecture given by the Dalai Lama on the wisdom chapter of A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life, this book comments on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy in a clear and direct way.Shantideva's A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life is one of the most important texts in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhist practice. Its ninth chapter, the section on transcendent wisdom, is known among Buddhist scholars as a challenging exposition of Madhyamika philosophy and difficult to understand without a commentary. This extraordinarily clear discussion of the wisdom chapter is based on an oral teaching given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama before an audience of thousands of Tibetans and Westerners. This invaluable volume with its precise explanation of core issues of Tibetan Buddhism stands as a key work in Buddhist literature. This book was previously published under the title Transcendent Wisdom.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a series of lectures at Harvard University, they fulfilled magnificently his intention of providing an in-depth introduction to Buddhist theory and practice. He structured the presentation according to the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and expanded their meaning to cover most of the topics of Tibetan Buddhism. The Dalai Lama's combination of superb intellect, power of exposition, and practical implementation are evident in these lectures. He covers a broad spectrum of topics, including the psychology of cyclic existence, consciousness and karma, techniques for meditation, altruism, valuing enemies, wisdom, and much more. This book was previously published under the title The Dalai Lama at Harvard.