In Becoming Enlightened, His Holiness the Dalai Lama powerfully explores the foundation of Buddhism, laying out an accessible and practical approach to age-old questions: How can we live free from suffering? How can we achieve lasting happiness and peace?

Drawing from traditional Buddhist meditative practices as well as penetrating examples from today's troubled planet, he presents step-by-step exercises designed to expand the reader's capacity for spiritual growth, along with clear milestones to mark the reader's progress. By following the spiritual practices outlined in Becoming Enlightened, we can learn how to replace troublesome feelings with positive attitudes and embark on a path to achieving an exalted state -- within ourselves and within the larger world.

Full of personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama's experiences as a lifelong student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Becoming Enlightened gives readers all the wisdom, support, guidance, and inspiration they need to become successful and fulfilled in their spiritual lives.

This is a remarkable and empowering book that can be read and enjoyed by seekers of all faiths. Readers at every stage of their spiritual development will be captivated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama's loving and direct teaching style.

His Holiness s the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born in 1935 to a peasant family in northeastern Tibet and was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The world's foremost Buddhist leader, he travels extensively, speaking eloquently in favor of ecumenical understending, kindness and compassion, respect for the environment, and above all, world peace. He lives in Dharamsala, India.

	Contents: Becoming Enlightened
	Foreword	vii
1.	A Book About Enlightenment	1
2.	Comparing Religions	5
3.	The Buddhist Framework	13
4.	Practicing Buddhism	17
5.	Knowing the Qualifications of a Teacher	31
6.	Buddhism in India and Tibet	37
	INITIAL LEVEL OF PRACTICE
7.	Recognizing Our Fortunate Situation	53
8.	Knowing You Will Die	61
9.	Thinking About Future Lives	71
10.	Identifying the Refuge	81
11.	Karma	99
	MIDDLE LEVEL OF PRACTICE
12.	Seeing the Problem and the Cure	115
13.	The Implications of Impermanence	141
	HIGH LEVEL OF PRACTICE
14.	Altruism	151
15.	Engendering Great Compassion	161
16.	Switching Self and Other	185
17.	Viewing Reality	197
18.	The Way to Analyze	209
19.	Buddhahood	215
20.	Reviewing the Steps	223
	Selected Readings	255