Through detailed discussion and lively questions-and-answers, the teachings of The Meaning of Life address the myriad challenges we meet daily-dealing with aggression from both within and without; facing illness and helping someone who is dying; expanding our capacity to feel love for all beings; and reconciling personal responsibility with the doctrine of selflessness-all suffused with the Dalai Lama's incomparable intelligence, wit, and kindess. Useful attention is given to our understanding of dependent arising, and the meaning of the Wheel of Life.

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Praise & Reviews "...studded with jewels...pointing out how to bring together the theory of the Buddhist teachings and the practice of ordinary life.... The central topics treated here in traditional fashion... are absolutely fundamental in Buddhist thought. The Dalai Lama's exposition-thorough, gentle and precise-reflects the depth and breadth of his training, communicating the living quality of the tradition."—Shambhala Sun "The Dalai Lama's kindness and wit make this journey into the inner psychic environment highly accessible. His Holiness presents the basic world view of Buddhism while answering some of life's most profound and challenging questions."—Branches of Light "The Dalai Lama's responses to questions convey a sense of his personal warmth and compassion. Libraries with an interest in Buddhism or Asian religions should own [this book]."—CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, "Here, the Dalai Lama has very skillfully examined the existential questions of meaning, purpose, and responsibility in life, [basing] his explanations on the Buddha's teaching of dependent arising, showing how every aspect of our suffering— unhappiness, pain, even old age and death— can be ultimately uprooted through a profound understanding of our true nature. There is also an excellent introduction on the law of dependent origination— which explains the nature of cause and effect— by Jeffrey Hopkins."—Eastern Horizon

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Author Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, was born in northeastern Tibet in 1935. He is widely recognized as both the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. In 1950, Tibet was invaded by China, leading to His Holiness’s flight into India in 1959. Since then, His Holiness has resided in Dharamsala, India, the site of the Tibetan-government-in-exile. In recognition of his tireless work for the liberation of Tibet, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Jeffrey Hopkins, Translator Jeffrey Hopkins is Professor of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia where he has taught Tibetan Studies and Tibetan language since 1973. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1963, trained for five years at the Lamaist Buddhist Monastery of America (now the Tibetan Buddhist Learning Center) in New Jersey, and received a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Wisconsin in 1973. From 1979 to 1989 he served as His Holiness the Dalai Lama's chief interpreter into English on lecture tours in the U.S., Canada, Southeast Asia, Great Britain, and Switzerland. He has published seventeen articles and more than twenty-five books, including Meditation on Emptiness. At the University of Virginia he founded programs in Buddhist Studies and Tibetan Studies and served as Director of the Center for South Asian Studies for twelve years.