365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart Hot

If you had an opportunity to ask the Dalai Lama for advice on one aspect of your life, what topic would you choose? Chances are, there’s something in this book that speaks directly to the issue most important, puzzling, or painful to YOU.

The book began at the request of Alain Noel, who suggested that the Dalai Lama “give some simple pieces of advice aimed at a broad cross-section of people with differing personalities, social backgrounds, and professions.” As the title suggests, there are 365 of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s meditations contained within this collection. It’s up to the reader to choose how to partake of this wisdom – from first entry to last, by random selection, or according to topic. And what a wide-ranging group of subjects we have here! The Dalai Lama offers brief thoughts on aging, poverty, homosexuality, politics, death and dying, loneliness, religion, business, war, the future, and numerous other subjects for a total of 54 different themes.

The Dalai Lama is known for his simple and thoughtful manner of speaking, and his meditations in DAILY ADVICE FROM THE HEART are in keeping with his gentle and forthcoming approach to teaching. Kindness and compassion do not preclude plain speech, however. When addressing the issue of abundance, the Dalai Lama tells us that “…if we are able, thanks to our wealth, to do something useful and yet do not act, we are mindless idiots.” Here and there, he interjects humor into his responses; in some cases, he is adamant about the correct way to proceed in a given circumstance. These offerings are more than just platitudes – they are glimpses of a sharp, well-trained, and compassionate mind.

Nothing here is pretentious or buried in obscure philosophy; rather, the responses are gentle yet profound. The physical book is also clean and simple, with a visually appealing layout free of clutter and unnecessary adornment. DAILY ADVICE FROM THE HEART is a never-ending supply of spiritual guidance, with meditations that reveal something unexpected and valuable each time one comes to them. This is one of those books that gives up new secrets with every reading and appeals on so many levels that anyone –not just the spiritual seekers—will find it both practical and inspiring.