Two leading thinkers engage in a landmark conversation about human emotions and the pursuit of psychological fulfillment

At their first meeting, a remarkable bond was sparked between His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the world's most revered spiritual leaders, and the psychologist Paul Ekman, whose groundbreaking work helped to define the science of emotions. Now these two luminaries share their thinking about science and spirituality, the bonds between East and West, and the nature and quality of our emotional lives.

In this unparalleled series of conversations, the Dalai Lama and Ekman prod and push toward answers to the central questions of emotional experience. What are the sources of hate and compassion? Should a person extend her compassion to a torturer, and would that even be biologically possible? What does science reveal about the benefits of Buddhist meditation, and can Buddhism improve through engagement with the scientific method? As they come to grips with these issues, they invite us to join them in an unfiltered view of two great traditions and two great minds.

Accompanied by commentaries on the findings of emotion research and the teachings of Buddhism, their interplay - amusing, challenging, eye-opening, and moving - guides us on a transformative journey in the understanding of emotions.

Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion, Paul Ekman, Times Books, Paperback, 2008, 259 Pages, $15.00

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 Dalai 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 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.

Paul Ekman is the world's foremost expert on facial expressions and is a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California - San Francisco School of Medicine. The author of fourteen books, including Emotions Revealed, he lives in northern California.

	Contents: EMOTIONAL AWARENESS - A Conversation Between The Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman, PH.D.
	Foreword by Daniel Goleman	ix
	Introduction by Paul Ekman	xiii
1.	East and West	1
	Two Traditions * Science, Religion, and Truth * The Filter of Moods * When Emotions Are Destructive * Attachment and Control * The Poverty of Emotional Language
2.	Experiencing Emotion	36
	What Are Emotions? * Obstacles to Constructive Emotional Experiences * Calming Difficult People * Mindfulness * The Refractory Period * Emotional Scripts
3.	Emotional Balance	78
	Meditative Practice * How High the Bar * The Startle and the Buffer * Forgiveness and Responsibility
4.	Anger, Resentment, and Hatred	108
	Preparing for Anger * Expressing Anger * The Varieties of Anger * The Actor and the Act * The Relatives of Anger * Motivating Anger
5,	The Nature of Compassion	139
	Defining Compassion * Compassion from an Evolutionary Perspective * Animal Intelligence * Unbiased Compassion * Cultivating Connectedness * Cultivating Compassion * Empathy, Intelligence, and Wisdom
6.	Global Compassion	185
	Extending the Limits of Compassion * Releasing Resentments * Learning Altruism * Achieving Emotional Balance * Gratitude and Rejoicing * Mental Training Gymnasiums
7.	Personal Transformation	226
	Changing the Experience of Emotion * The Mystery of Goodness * The Path of Reason
	Notes	245
	Acknowledgments	251
	Index	253