His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama gives a wonderfully complete overview of the entire scope of Tibetan Buddhism in his book
The World of Tibetan Buddhism
. He begins by explaining the 3 turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, first explaining the Four Noble Truths, then an explanation of the concept of Emptiness, and finally a commentary on the essence of Buddha-nature. He further expounds on topics including selflessness, the Four Seals and the Mahayana Path. The second sections describes how to bring the altruistic attitude into your life through development of compassion and overcoming negative emotions. The final section explores the Tantric traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. He explains the process of empowerment and the different views of each sect as they relate to Tantra. I enjoyed the questions and answer session that end each section. The book was given to me as a suggested reading for my
Intermediate Series classes at
Drepung Monastery. It was a great help in understanding the topics we covered in class. I would recommend it for anyone needing a good overview of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.
