Freedom In Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet

Worth a read if you are interested even in just one of these:- Tibetan Buddhism in general- The life of the Dalai Lama- The political situation of Tibet, before and now- Inspiration to be compassionate in the face of almost genuine evil- Tibetan life and cultureWell written, full of touches of almost unbelievable compassion as well as warm humour, and a great source of information and even inspiration.

This book describes the Dalai Lama's first-hand experiences of his life in Tibet, his witnessing of the Tibetan people's brutal conflict with the Chinese communist authorities and, ultimately, his escape from Tibet.I can't do the Dalai Lama's book justice in this review, but I found it the most engaging book that I've read for a long time. The Dalai Lama writes candidly about his life experiences, in a disarmingly simple style, which lends itself to a powerful and memorable reading experience.The Dalai Lama writes engagingly and drew me into his story, almost as if it was an adventure story. Unfortunately, the destructive and tragic events described were very real, and the the book left me feeling deeply sorrowful for the plight of the Tibetan people.The Dalai Lama describes a beautiful land and gentle people, and their tragic and brutal encounter with the forces of the historic Maoist Chinese Communist Party, as the Chinese begin to force the Tibetans to bow to Chinese communist rule and communist culture.The Dalai Lama describes how the Chinese forces moved into Tibet to impose their own style of government and culture. This process involved violence, force and suppression. The Dalai Lama escaped when he sensed that his own freedom and safety were in iminent danger.The book describes the beginning of a process in which the Chinese government would impose its will on a culture, a people, and a way of life. And it describes the tragic suffering of the Tibetan people at the hands of the Chinese authorities.The Dalai Lama largely avoids voicing his opinion regarding the Chinese authorities and their armed forces, but he just describes the brutal unfolding of events as they occurred, and lets the reader form their own opinions.It could be argued that the book is a one-sided account of history, and of course that would be correct. It doesn't pretend to be an objective and balanced overview of history, but it's a first-hand account of one person's experiences.If i was the type to cry easily, then I would have wept all the way through the book. My conscience reeled in sadness, horror and sorrow at the way that people can inflict such horror on other people, supposedly just in the name of 'progress', but actually, more to do with the human greed, corruption and hunger for power. At the end of the book, I couldn't help feeling heart-broken for the Tibetan people and what they have experienced at the hands of the historic Chinese communist authorities. These feelings were probably heightened because the Dalai Lama is an optimist and describes his people with such affection and compassion, portraying the Tibetans as a benign, gentle, spiritual and simple people who lived from the land.The years have moved on since the events described in this book, but by many accounts, ethnic Tibetan people still suffer hardship and discrimination today in Tibet, and I wonder how the Dalai Lama can remain so balanced, and retain such composure and dignity, as he does when recounting the historic events in this book. It must be hard in the face of the enforced transformation (or suppression) of his beloved culture, and in the face of the immense suffering of a people who he describes with such affection.All the way through the book the Dalai Lama writes with a sense of compassion, fairness, affection and forgiveness, even towards his aggressors, in the face of extreme hostility and destruction.The book clarified many misunderstandings surrounding the Tibetan situation for me, and I can't recommend this book highly enough.

This is the most incredible book I have read. It is amusing, inciteful, historical, joyous and tragic all at the same time. Although I had some knowledge of what happened to Tibet I was not prepared for the amount and scale of tragedy suffered by the Tibetan people. I was left feeling with a sense of joy of the nature of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people but also great sadness and anger of the circumstances and treatment they were subjected to. A must-read.

I have ready many books on Tibet and am well aware that the Dalai Lama polarises a minority of people, and those in power within China in particular. Having read this book, and assuming his actions are consistent with the words, then I find it completely baffling how this can be. Above all the man seems just so damn reasonable. The most illuminating part for me was his exposition of 5 key points that he would like to see put into action for Tibet, of which I personally cannot see how there could be any disagreement - unless China is expansionist.The Dalai Lama comes across as bright, considerate, democratic, egalitarian and surprisingly open to the views of both the non-religious and those who are committed to religions other than Buddhism. Indeed his view is that all religions have something we can all learn from. I would give this 5* but for the fact that at the end of it I felt I understood his life, but not really the man.

I bought this because it was in my book club's reading schedule for this year, otherwise I probably would not have bothered. That would have been a great mistake as the book is both well written and gripping in its relaying of a very faith full man's life. If you are ever feeling that you are down on your luck, this is the ultimate anti-depressive read. Many negative situations are turned into perceived positives which very uplifting if a bit naive in places. The other members of the book club pretty much shared these views as well.

It has been a while since i read this book but i found it to be such an insightful look at not only the dalai lamas life but also how the hierachy of the dalai lama works. Cannot find my copy so i will be ordering again. I found it fascinating and enlightening. Read it and encompass yourself in this incredible life.

Great read! Would certainly recommend. The Dalai Lama has had a fascinating life, reading through his own words opens your eyes to the story often misunderstood.

This autobiography is a great insight into the history of Tibet and the role buddhism played in the way the country was ruled. It is also the story of a humble monk who had to make painful and difficult choices at a very young age for his country and his people facing the Chinese invasion and the atrocities committed by its army.