Practicing Wisdom

In Practicing Wisdom, the Dalai Lama of Tibet demonstrates both his masterful command of Buddhist philosophy and an energetic commitment to reason and experience as the surest foundation for religious truth. His basis is Shantideva’s famous Way of the Bodhisattva, the eighth-century guide to the journey to full awakening that has become the single-most influential scripture within Tibetan Buddhism. Its influence on the Dalai Lama himself is also unmistakable, for he often cites the following stanza as his greatest source of inspiration:

For as long as space remains,

For as long as sentient beings remain,

Until then, may I too remain

And dispel the miseries of the world.

Practicing Wisdom is a commentary on the ninth, or “Wisdom,” chapter of Shantideva’s classic, which begins with the assertion that every teaching the Buddha gave is for the sake of cultivating wisdom. This book is unique in that the Dalai Lama draws on two contrasting commentaries in elucidating the meaning of wisdom, which for a Buddhist means an understanding of selflessness, or emptiness, the ultimate nature of all people, things, and events. The Dalai Lama intersperses his detailed commentary with deep personal reflections on the practice of the Buddhist path. He also provides guided contemplative meditations to help readers deepen their understanding of the key elements.

These teachings, originally delivered in southern France, complete the commentary begun in the bestseller A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night and have been masterfully translated and edited by Geshe Tubpten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama’s primary English-language translator.

Author: Shantideva

Commentary: H.H. The Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

Translator: Geshe Thupten Jinpa

Publisher: Wisdom Publications

Style: Paperback

Published: 2005 First Printing

ISBN: 9780861711826

Pages: 174