Ten Tales from Tibet

Ten Tales from Tibet: Cultivating Compassion by Lama Lhakpa Yeshe is a series of ten parables from the Buddhist tradition.  Lama Yeshe decided to become a monk at the age of 10 following in the footsteps of his uncle, Lama Guru Chowang.  Around the same time, his uncle started to teach him the fundamentals of the Nyingma-pa School of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Yeshe joined the Zigar monastery in Dege, which housed around 300 monks. Lama Lhakpa Yeshe now teaches throughout the UK.  This edition is also richly illustrated with the photographs of Matthieu Ricard and introduction provided by global peace and environment campaigner, Satish Kumar

The ten parables used in the text are simple stories with a strong moral that is gently applied.  Compassion for all living things is a central point as well as looking inward for answers.  It is not really difficult, when reading the teachings of Lama Patrul Rinpoche, to see the universality of the message.  Lama Patrul Rinpoche is the actual teller of the stories.  He is one of Tibetan Buddhism's most revered teachers of the Dharma.  

Suffering is part of as much a part of life as joy.  It is our job as humans to decrease suffering where we can.  We must prevent violence and show compassion. That being said in the introduction we are reminded that:

Polluting oceans with plastics, cutting down rainforests and depriving the indigenous people of their livelihood, poisoning the soil with chemicals and pesticides, and emitting greenhouse gases that cause climate change are all acts of violence.

The ten parables used in this book teach gentle lessons in a language that is understood by all.  The themes are easily recognized.  The giving up one's possessions to follow the true path and not following distractions is always good advice.  Lending aid to the less fortunate man and beast is compassion in any religion.  Many times we are caught up in our own problems and don't see bigger problems of others.  I think Jimmy Carter made quite a bit of sense when he told fellow Christians 'If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying that you want a country based on Christian values.'.   We sometimes forget what our core values no matter what the belief system we belong to and the real reason why we follow them:

So making oneself available to others at a time of need is the most altruistic and selfless act one can perform. If that act is performed merely out of duty, or because it is a profession, then it is only a job.

The stories presented offer value to those of all beliefs.  Most religions do have same core values of good and evil -- Don't steal,  Don't kill.  Yeshe presents parables that are universal and can help all become better at what they seek:

‘The purpose of life is to help all sentient beings to be free from suffering. In order to do this, you need to cultivate unconditional, unlimited and pure compassion towards all, without any exception.’  ~  Lama Patrul Rinpoche

Ten fantastic, easy-to-read yet profound tales on what it means to cultivate and act with compassion, accompanied by stunning photographs of Tibet. Lovely.

Buddhism is something that I have always been interested in. As someone that isn't particularly religious, I have always been fascinated by a religion that focuses not on the power of man, but on the power of compassion. I am also endeavouring over the next 24 or so months to broaden my reading horizons by reading about different cultures, different faiths etc. I thought this might be a good one to get me started, and it absolutely was!

I will not give away anymore about the content of this book as I feel it would lessen the experience for others that will read it later. I will say however that it is wonderful and certainly opened my eyes and has encouraged me to pursue being a better person all round.

This is an excellent collection of free verse to awaken the compassion and empathy in your stale old heart. It is a book I will refer to often, both the message and the photographs are what I need to slow down my brain and see the world with new eyes.  Thank you. 

I received a free electronic copy of this collection of short works from Netgalley, Lama Lhakpa Yeshe, and Leaping Hare Press in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

A short read of 10 Tibetan stories - all centered around compassion- intermixed with some breathtakingly gorgeous photos of Tibet and Tibetans. 

As a yoga teacher, I will be integrating some of these stories into my classes. These stories were all about compassion: compassion to yourself, to strangers, to parents, to teachers, to society, to all living things. Very much needed in this current age of selfishness and cynicism we currently find ourselves in. 

Recommended. 

I received a copy to review via Netgalley.

Lama Lhakpa Yeshe’s Ten Tales from Tibet is a beautiful collection of traditional tales about the value and necessity of compassion and how to cultivate it. These stories make up part of the rich oral storytelling of Tibet, as a way of passing knowledge along generation after generation. Each of these wisdom stories may be short, but they are deep and thought-provoking. 

At the beginning is a brief section about Lama Lhakpa Yeshe himself. The story he shares about the time he decided to skip meditation as a young Lama in training was amusing! It serves as a good preface for the wisdom tales themselves, which stress the importance of daily practise to cultivate and refine compassion. My favourite of these stories were 'Black and White Pebbles’, 'Medicine for the Mind’, 'Many Paths to Enlightenment’, and 'The Wounded Dog’. All of the stories offer advice that can be immediately implemented in your own life to foster the growth of compassion, and this collection is one worthy of being read again and again. I read them to my cubs, who also enjoyed them, and prompted many questions and learning/teaching opportunities, so there is great value here not just for adults, but children as well. 

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A wonderful look at how to cultivate compassion in our lives and interactions with others.