How to See Yourself As You Really Are by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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Book Reviews of How to See Yourself As You Really Are
Book Review: remarkable book!
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't agree with what's being said in this book. Fundamentally, this book teaches you that objects don't really exist in and of itself (inherent existence) but exists as a result of other dependent objects (dependent-arising). The basic idea is that when you see objects as inherently existing, your mind exaggerates-- for example, objects that you hate will seem uglier than they really are, and objects that you love will seem more beautiful than they really are. This exaggeration is the basis for ignorance (not seeing things as they really are), which results in other negative emotions such as lust, hate, etc, that creates a cycle of suffering in the world.
"Ignorance, by relying on appearances, superimposes onto persons and things a sense of concreteness that, in fact, is not there.... by giving people and things around us this exaggerated status, we are drawn into all sorts of overblown and ultimately hurtful emotions."
In a nutshell, this book teaches you to see everything objectively and clinically -- e.g. a beautiful woman is nothing more than a collection of symmetrical body parts whose fat content is proportionate to each other. The problem is that in looking at the world clinically and objectively (detached from emotion), you also remove the "art" since human sight is 100% perception (i.e beauty is in the eye of the beholder). For example, a woman with a big nose is cute to some people precisely because that outstanding feature is what makes her unique and endearing. Without art, a woman with a big nose is always an ugly woman.
That said, this book is beautifully written. It's amazing how the Dalai Lama can express such deep and abstract concepts into very simple language that's easy to read. It takes a person with great insight and clarity of mind to write this book, which shows that the Dalai Lama is not merely a man with a fancy title, but someone worthy of respect as a spiritual/religious leader.
Book Review: Inspiring and practical
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an inspiring and practical book with exercises to live lovingly in the world.Book Review: How to see yourself as your really are
Summary: 4 Stars
This book asks you to look at the world and yourself in a new way.Book Review: Informative But Not Great
Summary: 3 Stars
In this book, the Dalai Lama explains the concept of "emptiness," or the absence of inherent existence. He explains that we mistakenly view people, things, and other phenomena as inherently existing in their own right, but in fact their existence is dependent on their parts, their causes, and thought (i.e., our perception). The Dalai Lama expresses that by understanding emptiness, people will be able to free themselves of negative emotion, become more compassionate, help others, and end their cyclic of rebirth).
What I liked: The Dalai Lama explains concepts that I may have been aware of but had not really reflected on. He repeats most concepts enough that you are easily able to remember them. I also thought the introduction was excellent; it was inclusive, open-minded, and it laid out why this book is important.
What I disliked: The concept of the absence of inherent existence is repeated far too often. I tend to be a concrete thinker and don't do as well with abstractions, so if halfway through the book I felt like I was being beat over the head with the repetition of ideas, I can only imagine how less concrete thinkers felt. I also think it would have been helpful for the Dalai Lama to provide some more examples, especially as there were a few parts where I actually needed elaboration and did not get it, as opposed to much of the rest of the book in which there was, in my opinion, unnecessary elaboration on the concept of emptiness. Also, he does not explain how individuals can help others by using these principles. The approach seems almost naive; even if one were to commit oneself fully to helping others understand emptiness and the importance of compassion, there is no discourse regarding how to do this. Many people are not open to new ideas unless they are ready to be open to new ideas. I kept being reminded of the proverb that you can lead a horse to water . . .
Finally, in the introduction the Dalai Lama explains that he values all religions, all are important, and his goal is to lay out some Buddhist principles that he thinks will help encourage love and concern for the welfare of others, which he believes to be of vital importance. However, I think he goes too far by talking about ending the cycle of rebirth. I don't take issue with the concept of rebirth; however, it seems counterproductive to his goals to repeatedly emphasize that understanding emptiness and cultivating love and compassion will help end cyclic existence. This end result is the carrot, so to speak. However, for those who do not believe in cyclic existence, they may lack a reason to follow the tenets the Dalai Lama describes. He particularly thinks it is important for world leaders to have insight and compassion, and I don't see this book as being much of a catalyst for those who do not believe in rebirth.
Book Review: Good message
Summary: 3 Stars
There is (as always with the Dalai Lama) a good message for all who read this book. It does give you great insight into how you can view the world and be a peace with everything in your life. However, it is a very dry read and sometimes I lost my focus and had to go back and re-read parts of the book. There are also many parts of the book that are redundant which also caused me to lose focus every now and again. I would recommend this book to friends, and did buy this book for my adult son: However, I would tell them to be prepared to sift through the book and gloss over the redundant parts and focus on the gems of wisdom.