This is not a regular Dalai Lama book. This is not something that one can come up with after reading the Dalai Lama or attending a few of his many lectures. This is a very intimate book about the Tibetan monk, his family & his deepest thoughts, ideas, hopes & apprehensions. However, what is common among a million other books on the Dalai is the reflection of the same strong humanity, the depth of feeling & the personal torment of the holy man upon his leadership duties over the Tibetan people.
I love Pico Iyer’s writings – I find them straightforward, revealing & deprived of many of the commercial “good for sale” aspects like his other inspiring books. The hard thing I found about this book is to drop it off at a chapter & continue the next day. I am glad I already covered 7 Years in Tibet, a book frequently referenced by Pico in this edition.
It’s always hard to write about someone as famous, as intriguing & popular a spiritual leader like the Dalai. Especially when one has to weave in two very complex dimensions – one view being the Dalai as a spiritual leader of the traditional Tibetan Buddhist lineage, the other being the almost-opposite of the personality of the great man looking forward to technical advancements, gobbling up world news, deeply curious about all the science & the general course of Western lives.
Pico does this intermingling effortlessly, probably he bridges that seemingly wide difference with his own history & experience in his upbringing without letting you know that he is putting himself in the mix. Pico deals fascinatingly in situations where the gap is too big to bridge by simply quoting the temperament & conversation.
I remember how Tibetans generally draw a distinction between suffering & unhappiness: suffering is the state of the world, they say, but unhappiness is just the position we choose or can not choose to bring to it.
The book probably summarizes Pico Iyer’s 30+ years of knowing the Dalai Lama & his family, revealing subtle moments, personal views of Dalai Lama & highlighting the leader’s ideas about global relations, politics, science & modern day religion.