Balance: Books

Book Review

My Spiritual Autobiography

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Collected by Sofia Stril-Rever

Translated by Charlotte Mandel

Rider, 2011

ISBN 978-1-84604-242-3

Rather than being a blow by blow account of the Dalai Lama's birth to current day My Spirital Autobiography is made up of the various stories, speeches and interviews that the Dalai Lama has given over the years beautifully collated by Sofia-Stril Rever who also adds her own commentary when it is necessary for a clearer understanding.

It breaks the Dalai Lama's life into three sections As a Human Being, As a Buddhist Monk and As the Dalai Lama.  Not only does this logically work in terms of timing i.e. as a human being was the Dalai Lama's time before becoming the Dalai Lama, as a Buddhist Monk being about the Dalai Lama's training as a Buddhist monk and as the Dalai Lama when at the age of 16 the leadership was placed in his hands.  It also presents the Dalai Lama in the very order that he considers himself, a human being first and foremost, then a simple Buddhist monk and lastly as the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama has lived the most fascinating life from his boyhood in rural Tibet, to being discovered to be the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, to his training in Lhasa and then the Chinese occupation and his subsequent fleeing to India where he became the leader of the Tibetans in exile.  After this the book delves into the Tibetans struggle to regain independence, to maintain their national and religious identity and to protect the precious ecology of "The roof of the world." 

The Dalai Lama's representation of the struggle of the Tibetans still in Tibet, the genocide that has occurred and the flagrant flouting of basic human rights that has been committed by the Chinese Communist party is extraordinary and eye opening.

In particular I found to be most compelling his description of the fateful day of March 10, 1959 when thousands of Tibetans spontaneously gathered to form a wall with their bodies around the Dalai Lama's summer residence as the Chinese Army aimed their cannons toward him.  The Dalai Lama made his escape disguised as a soldier in the hope that he could divert a tragedy.  The crowd did not disperse however in the days that followed and on March 17 the Chinese Army attacked and men, women and children all offered their life for their Dalai Lama.  Around ten thousand Tibetans were killed that day.

You cannot help through reading this book to feel compassion for the plight of Tibet and in-credulousness at how the world has allowed this to occur and continue.  You also cannot do anything be be amazed at the compassion that the Dalai Lama holds for the Chinese nation and his patience in trying to bring about a resolution to the solution (he has been plugging away at this for 62 years.) 

His lessons throughout the pages on compassion, humanity, inter-dependence and non-violence are thought-provoking and in some cases life-changing.  This book is informative, interesting and most of all is likely to touch a part of your soul.  I could not recommend this book more highly to anyone who is interested in the Dalai Lama, Tibet, Buddhism and personal development.

I leave you with a poem written by Tenzin Tsendu a poet and freedom fighter on the plight of those Tibetans still fleeing Tibet today.

Slowing threading our way by night and hiding by day, 

In twenty days we reached the snow-covered mountains.
The border was still many days away by foot.
The rocky ground scraped our bodies, bent from effort and pain.
Over our heads a bomber passed
My children shout in terror
And huddled against my chest.
I was so exhausted I felt as if I had no limbs,
But my mind was watchful....
We had to press ahead or we would die on the spot.
One daughter here, one son there,
A baby on my back,
We reached the snowfields.
We climbed up the sides of the monster-like mountains
Whose snowy banks often cover the bodies of travelers who ventured here.
In the midst of these snow-white fields of death,
A pile of frozen corpses
Awoke our wavering courage.
Drops of blood were scattered on the snow.
Soldiers must have crossed their path,In our own country they had fallen into the hands of the Red Dragon.
We pray to the wish-fulfilling Jewel,
Hope in our hearts, prayer on our lips,
We have almost nothing left to eat
And only the ice to quench our thirst,
We climb together, night after night.
But one night, my daughter complained her foot was burning.
She fell and stood up on her frozen leg.
Her skin was tattered and gashed with deep, bleeding cuts,
She curled up, shivering with pain.
The next day both her legs were lost.
Assailed by death on every side,
I was a powerless mother;
"Amala, save my brothers,
I'm going to rest a little."
Until I no longer heard her moans in the distance,
I looked behind me, through my tears and the torture of this pain.
My legs carried me but y mind remained with her.
For a long time afterwards, in exile, I continue to see her
Waving her frozen hands at me.
The oldest of my children, but barely a teenager,
Leaving our country was an ordeal.
Every night I light a butter lamp for her,
And her brothers join me in prayer.

Empowering Women

Louise L. Hay

1997, Hodder

Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the bestselling author of so many amazing books.  She has foundedHay House publishing which publishes masses of personal development and spiritual books and Hay House radio which is an internet based radio show that features radio programs with her most popular authors.  Any one who has decided to start reading about personal growth would have come across Louise at some point.

Louise is infamous for her use of mirror work and affirmations to help people to change their subconscious thoughts and to re-write the negative self talk that we so often have running through our minds.  

Louise describes Empowering women as a book to help women reach their full potential.  She has used all of her tried and true basic methods and added many new ideas to help her on this mission.

Louise starts by taking us through the programming that women have been subjected to in the past and which still haunts us to this day.  By highlighting some of these old beliefs Louise really throws the light on them and enables the reader to understand some of the beliefs that may be holding women back.  Louise also takes some time going through the messages that advertising is sending to modern day women and again throws light on some of these potentially stifling beliefs.

From here we move into the crux of the book which is basically a step by step guide to changing your beliefs and turning your self talk into positive self talk.  As Louise says 

".....my belief is that the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the beliefs we hold are very powerful.  They shape our experiences and our lives.  It is almost as if every time we think a thought or speak a word, the Universe is listening and responding to us.  So if there is something in our life that we do not, then we have the power to make changes."

Louise doesn't just talk the talk either, every tool that she uses and every thing she teaches us comes from the intense struggle that she has faced from a difficult childhood which included incest and the subsequent course of her life that has taken her from being a "bitter, fearful, poor, negative woman."  To being the positive powerhouse that she is today.

The book talks about parenting to ensure we do not repeat the same conditioning of the past, Creating Your Own Good Health (a specialty subject of Louise's for more info see You Can Heal Your Life), Exploring Sexuality, Sexual Harassment  Getting Older and finishes the book off with book with amazing Australian based resources for women and a recommendation of more books to read on the subject.

Now I know what you're probably thinking.  This book is for man haters or for women who are clearly down trodden by the men in their life and living the old stereo types.  Both simply aren't true.  Louise says quite clearly that lifting up women is not about bringing down men as we have both played a part in getting us to this current situation.  It is also most definitely an eye opening read for all women as some of this conditioning is so ingrained that I think most of us have no idea it's even there.  

This book will make big changes for any woman who is looking to increasing her own self esteem and self belief and is willing to take responsibility for their life where it is right now and go through the tough process of rebuilding their own self talk.  The work is confronting and difficult but if you stick through it you should find that you are rewarded with a life you can be proud of. I'll leave you with the book's last statement to help you decide if it's something you're willing to work for.

"Inside of you is a smart, powerful, dynamic, capable, self-confident, alive, alert, fabulous woman.  Let her come out and play.  The world is waiting for you."