An Open Heart

"A celebration of others, a simply reasoned supplication that extols the virtues of transforming pride into humility and anger into love." —Brent Simon, Entertainment Today

Compassion—sympathy for the suffering of others and the desire to free them from it—is wrestled with in all spiritual traditions. Yet how does one actually become a compassionate person? What are the mechanisms by which a selfish heart is transformed into a generous heart? In this acclaimed bestseller, His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes simply and powerfully about the everyday Buddhist practice of compassion, offering a clear, practical, inspiring introduction to the Buddhist path to enlightenment. 

"Above all else, readers will find this book very uplifting. His Holiness's complete commitment to his Buddhist practice radiates throughout An Open Heart and provides an instructive glance into the spiritual core of Buddhism." —Melissa Nowak, Bloomsbury Review

"This book is a treasury of teachings that point clearly to a better way to live . . . With characteristic deftness, His Holiness the Dalai Lama here builds bridges from the realities of everyday life to sublimely spiritual pursuits." —Publishers Weekly

"An Open Heart is not The Art of Happiness II. It is more like a primer in the Buddhist way. Its purpose is stated clearly, right at the beginning: 'that the reader of this small book will take away a basic understanding of Buddhism and some of the key methods by which Buddhist practitioners have cultivated compassion and wisdom in their lives.'" —Judith Neuman Beck, San Jose Mercury News