The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama

Over the course of three years, journalist Thomas Laird spent more than sixty hours with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in candid, one-on-one interviews that covered history, science, reincarnation, and Buddhism. Laird brings these meetings to life in rich, vibrant, and monumental work that outlines the essence of thousands of years of civilization, myth, and spirituality. TibetÕs story is rich with tradition and filled with promise. It begins with the Bodhisattva Chenrizi (ÒThe Holy OneÓ) whose spirit many Tibetans believe resides within the Dalai Lama. We learn the origins of Buddhism, and about the era of Great Tibetan Emperors, whose reign stretched from southwestern China to Northern India. His Holiness introduces us to TibetÕs greatest yogis and meditation masters, and explains how the institution of the Dalai Lama was founded. Laird explores, with His Holiness, TibetÕs relations with the Mongols, the Golden Age under the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, TibetÕs years under Manchu overlords, modern independence in the early twentieth century, and the Dalai LamaÕs personal meetings with Mao just before His Holiness fled into exile in 1959. The Story of Tibet is Òa tenderly crafted study that is equal parts love letter, traditional history, and oral historyÓ (Publishers Weekly).