In this simple primer on compassion and kindness, the Dalai Lama teaches that "if we really want happiness, we must widen the sphere of love." The book draws on many of the same principles found in His Holiness's other works, most notably The Art of Happiness, but it presents them in a seven-step process that is both practical and wise. Readers are encouraged to use the warm feeling they have for their best friends as a model of how they can regard all people and extend their circle of loving relationships to include others, even enemies. Then they can proceed to the next steps: developing a "heroic intention" to further their personal enlightenment, having compassion for the suffering of others and committing to a life of altruism. Although the last few stages of this plan can be blurry and indistinct, the overall effect is valuable. This is a generous and sensible road map to not-so-random acts of kindness.

In this accessible and insightful audiobook, His Holiness the Dalai Lama helps us to open our hearts and minds to the experiences of unlimited love, transforming every relationshhip in our lives and guiding us ever closer to wisdom and enlightenment.

How to Expand Love; Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships, H.H. Dalai Lama, Translated, edited and read by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., Sound Ideas, 2005, 5 CDs, 5 hours, $29.95

Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalaia Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., served for a decade as the interpreter for the Dalai Lama. A Buddhist scholar and the author of more than thirty books, he is a professor of Tibetan and buddhist studies at the Universiet of Virginia, where he founded the largest academic program of Tibetan Buddhist studies in the Weest. He lives in Charlotttesville, VA.