Many people consider the Dalai Lama to be a living embodiment of the spiritual ideal of the bodhisattva--someone who dedicates their life to freeing all beings from suffering and confusion. Here this beloved teacher presents a detailed manual of practical philosophy based on the best-known text of Mahayana Buddhism, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara). He explains and amplifies the text, illuminating its message of putting others before oneself and showing how anyone can develop a truly "good heart." This book was previously published under the title A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night.

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.