This book explores a deeply spiritual culture's struggle to survive and maintain compassion amid severe aggression. The Chinese Communist invasion in 1949 resulted in widespread destruction and repression, leading to Tibet's ongoing occupation. In 1994, photographer Phil Borges traveled to Tibet and regions in Nepal and northern India housing Tibetan refugees, capturing their experiences to understand the impact on their country and culture. His journey sparked a fascination with Buddhist philosophy and the Tibetan commitment to nonviolence. Tibetan Buddhists believe that compassion and forgiveness are vital to countering global suffering. Their unique practices and beliefs offer a path to mental peace and enlightenment, which they are encouraged to pursue from a young age. They prioritize contentment and fulfillment, viewing one's state of mind as the only lasting possession across lifetimes. As Tibetans strive to preserve their culture and reclaim their homeland, they grapple with reconciling their nonviolent principles with the anger that arises from suffering. This internal conflict tests their dedication to compassion, religion, and cultural identity.
Dalai Lama XIV Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho Books
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism, whose teachings and public addresses spread messages of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony. His commitment to preserving Tibetan culture and education for refugees has inspired people worldwide. As the first Dalai Lama to travel to the West, his lectures and insights have influenced countless readers and listeners.






To Tibetans the Dalai Lama is an incarnation of the Buddha of compassion. 'My religion is simple,' he says, 'my religion is kindness.' This book elaborates this message. It offers Dalai Lama's views on how world peace, happiness, and environmental responsibility are inextricably linked.
The Essence of the Heart Sutra
- 192 pages
- 7 hours of reading
For more than two thousand years, the Heart Sutra has been part of the daily life of millions of Buddhists. This concise text, so rich and laden with meaning, concentrates the very heart of Buddhism into a powerful and evocative teaching on the interdependence of all reality.In Essence of the Heart Sutra , the Dalai Lama masterfully unpacks the Heart Sutra so that any reader can benefit from its teachings - teachings meant to help us release ourselves from suffering and live with true compassion. Comprised of his "Heart of Wisdom" talks, originally delivered to thousands of listeners in 2001, the book offers the Dalai Lama's commentary as well as his easy-to-follow overview of Buddhist philosophy that places the sutra within its historical and philosophical context. With additional contributions by scholar and translator Thupten Jinpa, Essence of the Heart Sutra is the authoritative presentation of a text seminal to the world's religious heritage.
The Art of Living
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
In this beautiful book, the simple teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama blend beautifully with photographs of the Tibetan landscape and people, monastic and lay practitioners of Buddhism.
Transforming the Mind
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Based on three days of teaching in London in May 1999, this text is an edited version of the Dalai Lama's discourse on one of the most profound and sacred texts in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Eight Verses on Generating Compassion are known in Tibetan as lojong - literally, transforming your mind. In this commentary on these teachings, the Dalai Lama shows us how to transform difficult situations into opportunities for spiritual growth. He also offers practical methods as to how to develop positive ways of thinking and compassion.
My Land and My People
- 271 pages
- 10 hours of reading
This dignified testament by a great spiritual and temporal leader, driven into exile by Communist China, is one of the most heartbreaking documents ever published. His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet relates the story of his brief, tumultuous reign climaxed by the appalling destruction and systematic murder of his people by the Chinese. A civilized, compassionate man and a sincere reformer, he writes of the simple Tibetan life into which he was born, and among whom he, as the reincarnation of his predecessor, was discovered and declared Dalai Lama according to his country's ancient customs. During and after the invasion, the International Commission of Jurists undertook a detailed study of the situation. The horror uncovered by the Commission surpassed sanity and reason, and it is detailed in these pages. My Land And My People is a tragic book. Yet it is deeply inspiring, for the whole story is told with the gentle forgiving spirit of a Buddhist monk.
A Simple Path
- 176 pages
- 7 hours of reading
A fully illustrated guide to this legendary religious leader and man of peace links dozens of revealing photographs of the Dalai Lama with text of his lectures on the "Four Noble Truths." Reprint.
The narrative explores the deepening friendship between the Dalai Lama and his devoted follower as they embark on a transformative pilgrimage across Ireland and Eastern Europe, ultimately journeying to sacred sites in India. Their bond is tested through trials, including the Dalai Lama's near-fatal illness, highlighting themes of resilience, spirituality, and the power of human connection. This remarkable account captures both personal and spiritual growth against the backdrop of significant cultural and religious landscapes.
The essence of happiness : a guidebook for living
- 128 pages
- 5 hours of reading
Drawn from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's best-selling The Art of Happiness, this guidebook contains simple advice on how to achieve lasting happiness in our everyday lives. Going straight to the heart of the matter, each page offers a gem of spiritual wisdom to enable us to defeat depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy and the many and varied emotions that form a barrier to our happiness. Melding the knowledge of 2500 years of Buddhist meditations with modern Western psychology, the book offers spiritual balance and joy, and a souce of profound wisdom.
An Open Heart
- 208 pages
- 8 hours of reading
The Dalai Lama shares some of his key teachings on the practice of compassion, presenting a collection of meditations and introducing the fundamental philosophy of Buddhism and its core concepts.



