The Dalai Lama | An Extraordinary Life | Alexander Norman

The Dalai Lama’s message of peace and compassion resonates with people of all faiths and none. Yet, for all his worldwide fame, he remains personally elusive. Now, Alexander Norman, acclaimed Oxford-trained scholar of the history of Tibet, delivers the definitive biography—unique, multilayered, and at times even shocking.

The Dalai Lama illuminates an astonishing odyssey from isolated Tibetan village to worldwide standing as spiritual and political leader of one of the world’s most profound and complex cultural traditions. Norman reveals that, while the Dalai Lama has never been comfortable with his political position, he has been a canny player—at one time CIA-backed—who has maneuvered amidst pervasive violence, including placing himself at the center of a dangerous Buddhist schism. Yet even more surprising than the political, Norman convinces, is the Dalai Lama’s astonishing spiritual practice, rooted in magic, vision, and prophecy—details of which are illuminated in this book for the first time.

One of the best-known global figures, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and a powerful symbol of Tibet and its unique civilization. He is an important voice for compassion, and in recognition of his advocacy for world peace and environmental concerns, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He has received numerous other international awards, including the highest civilian honor in the United States, the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. Since being called upon to assume the leadership of Tibet, he has worked tirelessly for the freedom and dignity of his people. After fleeing into exile in 1959, the Dalai Lama has lived as a stateless Tibetan in India, a country he calls his second home.