A fascinating scholarly monograph on the famous Buddhist icon of the Wheel of Existence. Ms. Dunnington skillfully shows how the Wheel depicts the suffering of the six realms of migratory living beings, the origin of suffering, the twelve links of dependent origination, the freedom from suffering in the void place surrounding the wheel, and the path to that freedom. Seventeen color plates illustrate these foundational teachings of the Buddha.

The Tibetan Wheel of Existence: An Introduction

Jacqueline Dunnington

Tibet House

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is the foremost spokesperson for the people of the Tibetan Plateau—although his home is in India, in the Himalayan foothills, where he has been forced to live in exile since 1959. As a Buddhist monk, his main focus has been the spiritual life, and the leadership of his people in exile, ensuring their survival and preserving their unique Buddhist culture, while appealing to the world to stop the destruction of their homeland and the six million Tibetans oppressed within it. Every March 10th, from 1961 until 2011, in commemoration of the greatest uprising of the Tibetan people against the Chinese military occupation, the Dalai Lama delivered an appeal to the world on behalf of his people. Each statement is a heartfelt call to recognize the truth and the factual reality of Tibet’s history and situation; a cry for help, a plea for justice, and a pledge of determination to withstand the worst and to overcome. In these annual addresses, he began to articulate and fully express his overarching appeal to humanity. All of the Dalai Lama’s March 10th speeches, at their most poignant and eloquent, are collected here, introduced and historically contextualized by Sofia Stril-Rever, an author and scholar of Tibetan history and culture and Buddhist spirituality who has long served as his French translator. Here in this book is his appeal to us all. The people of all nations have heard it and have tried to help, but their governments still have not dared to stand up effectively for justice on behalf of the Tibetan people and for recognition of the basic human rights to which we all are entitled. The question therefore remains: Who will finally respond to this appeal in time to prevent the ultimate disaster that is looming on the roof of the world?

My Appeal to the World

Religion & Spirituality

Lama, H.H. the Dalai

Buddhism

Why the "life story" of the Dalai Lama? It is a story of one man taking on an empire, calling for truth, peace, and justice for his Tibetan people. Here, in full color for the first time, people can come to know the whole drama of his lifelong struggle. Since the age of 15, the Dalai Lama has defended his people against one of the last great empires, the People’s Republic of China. Under its "dictatorship of the proletariat," China began to invade Tibet in 1950, decimating and then continually oppressing its people. Since colonialism cannot be practiced in our era of self-determined nations, China always maintains that the Tibetans are a type of Chinese, using propaganda and military power to crush Tibet’s unique culture and identity. Yet the Dalai Lama resists by using only the weapon of truth—along with resolute nonviolence—even worrying some of his own people by seeking dialogue and reconciliation based on his more realistic vision. The great 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become the first global Dalai Lama, a prominent transnational leader of all who want to make the dramatic changes actually necessary for life on earth to thrive for centuries to come. Considered the incarnation of the Buddhist savior Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara—archangel of universal compassion—he is believed to appear in many forms, at many different times, whenever and wherever beings suffer. Representing the plight of his beloved Tibetan people to the world, he has also engaged with all people who suffer oppression and injustice, as recognized in 1989 by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Most importantly, the Dalai Lama walks his talk throughout these pages, as he has throughout his life, and he radiates a powerful hope that we can and will prevail. Man of Peace presents the inside story of his amazing life and vision, in the high tension of the military occupation of Tibet and the ongoing genocide of its people—a moving work of political and historical nonfiction brought to life in the graphic novel form—here for all to see.

Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet (Tibetan Art and Culture)

Biographies & Memoirs

Meyers, William

Thurman, Robert A.F.

Burbank, Michael G.

Leaders & Notable People

This beautiful tradepaper graphic novel tells the story of one man taking on an empire, calling for truth, peace, and justice for his Tibetan people. Here, in full color for the first time, people can come to know the whole drama of his lifelong struggle. Since the age of 15, the Dalai Lama has defended his people against one of the last great empires, the People’s Republic of China. Under its "dictatorship of the proletariat," China began to invade Tibet in 1950, decimating and then continually oppressing its people. Since colonialism cannot be practiced in our era of self-determined nations, China always maintains that the Tibetans are a type of Chinese, using propaganda and military power to crush Tibet’s unique culture and identity. Yet the Dalai Lama resists by using only the weapon of truth—along with resolute nonviolence—even worrying some of his own people by seeking dialogue and reconciliation based on his more realistic vision. The great 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet has become the first global Dalai Lama, a prominent transnational leader of all who want to make the dramatic changes actually necessary for life on earth to thrive for centuries to come. Considered the incarnation of the Buddhist savior Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara—archangel of universal compassion—he is believed to appear in many forms, at many different times, whenever and wherever beings suffer. Representing the plight of his beloved Tibetan people to the world, he has also engaged with all people who suffer oppression and injustice, as recognized in 1989 by his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Most importantly, the Dalai Lama walks his talk throughout these pages, as he has throughout his life, and he radiates a powerful hope that we can and will prevail.Man of Peace presents the inside story of his amazing life and vision, in the high tension of the military occupation of Tibet and the ongoing genocide of its people—a moving work of political and historical nonfiction brought to life in the graphic novel form—here for all to see.

Man of Peace: The Illustrated Life Story of the Dalai Lama of Tibet

A Tibetan lama tells his life story, from childhood with nomadic parents to his entrance into a monastic community, participation in Buddhist retreats, recognition as a reincarnated lama, meeting with the present Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, and study and training in the Dzogchen tradition of Buddhism for service as a teacher to the world--based for the last ten years in California. Sogan Rinpoche's account of his life evokes the beauty of the Tibetan land and people and their unique Dharma culture. It also bears witness to the destruction and oppression of Tibetan culture by the communist colonialism of the government of the People's Republic of China, while inspiring us with the survival in extremity of Buddhist ethics and education. He describes his beloved Golok homeland in the northeast Tibetan region of Amdo, now carved up into Chinese provinces. He vividly evokes the wisdom and kindness of his parents and grandmother, and of his extraordinary teachers who survived harsh treatment in the Chinese gulags. His unflinching description of the harsh cruelty of the Chinese invaders of Tibet forces us to confront the reality of senseless, amoral actions of people driven by delusive convictions and emotions, while his ability to still appreciate the humanness of Tibet's enemies reflects the generous and tolerant Tibetan spirit. Finally, his detailed and sensitive sharing of his remarkable process of inner development allows us to witness how human beings can stretch themselves to encompass truly challenging teachings and practices and emerge with open eyes and open heart, while maintaining humility and positive intentions. His memoir is aptly titled Dreams and Truths, as the dreamlike quality of his many trials and sorrows as well as moments of joy is apparent from his most youthful encounters with death and suffering. He thus exemplifies for us the Buddhist vision of how realistically to remain in this world as a compassionate positive participant without being of this world as caught up in the desperate and futile struggle to live selfishly and unrealistically focused on one's own little agenda rather than on the vast need of all one's fellow beings. The "truths" that he shares are the deep, experiential Buddha teachings, especially the exquisite, expansive wisdom view and compassionate practice and ethic of the Nyingma Dzogchen tradition, in its rigorously nonsectarian form. His adventures show us how one can meet even mundane challenges all the more effectively by actually renouncing selfish concerns. Without showing off, he honestly and poetically shows us how we can take advantage of darkest adversity and turn it into golden opportunity. In his life and work he honors his noble teachers, including his kindest patron, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Dreams and Truths from the Ocean of Mind: Memoirs of Pema Lodoe, the Sixth Sogan Tulku of Tibet

Lodoe, Pema

The remarkable memoirs of Paljor Thondup, a Tibetan freedom fighter who was inspired by the Dalai Lama to renounce his duty of blood vengeance, become a peace warrior and conquer the inner enemy. After losing his family in a deadly ambush, Paljor Thondup made the decision to respond not with violence and revenge, but with compassion and forgiveness. The active resistance to the Chinese invasion of Tibet coalesced into a guerrilla army of freedom fighters, the Chushi Gangdruk. In the 1950s, China's Red Army and communist cadres systematically slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tibetans in Amdo and Kham, seeking to enslave the survivors. Paljor Thondup's diehard Khampa family rose up to repel the invaders. The leaders hated the ongoing heroic raiding by his family, and finally slaughtered them all - only Paljor and his close cousin Dupa survived. Hearing his father's dying wishes, Paljor put down his weapons and changed his life, migrating to India to seek help from the Dalai Lama. Paljor and Dupa then began a modern education, to continue the struggle for Tibet as businessmen.

Undefeated: Confessions of a Tibetan Warrior

Thondup, Paljor

Community & Culture

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