His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes
himself as a simple Buddhist monk. He is the spiritual leader of
the Tibetan People and of Tibetan Buddhism. He was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in
2007. Born in 1935 to a poor farming family in northeastern Tibet
he was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his
predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama. He has been a passionate advocate
for a secular universal approach to cultivating fundamental human
values. For over three decades the Dalai Lama has maintained an
ongoing conversation and collaboration with scientists from a wide
range of disciplines, especially through the Mind and Life
Institute, an organization that he co-founded. The Dalai Lama
travels extensively, promoting kindness and compassion, interfaith
understanding, respect for the environment, and, above all, world
peace. He lives in exile in Dharamsala, India. For more
information, please visit www.dalailama.com.
Desmond Mpilo Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Southern Africa,
became a prominent leader in the crusade for justice and racial
reconciliation in South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. In
1994, Tutu was appointed chair of South Africa's Truth and
Reconciliation Commission by Nelson Mandela, where he pioneered a
new way for countries to move forward after experiencing civil
conflict and oppression. He was the founding chair of The Elders, a
group of global leaders working together for peace and human
rights. Archbishop Tutu is regarded as a leading moral voice and an
icon of hope. Throughout his life, he has cared deeply about the
needs of people around the world, teaching love and compassion for
all. He lives in Cape Town, South Africa. For more information
please visit tutu.org.za.
Douglas Abrams is an author, editor, and literary agent. He
is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book
and media agency helping visionaries to create a wiser, healthier,
and more just world. He is also the co-founder with Pam Omidyar and
Desmond Tutu of HumanJourney.com, a public benefit company working
to share life-changing and world-changing ideas. Doug has worked
with Desmond Tutu as his cowriter and editor for over a decade, and
before founding his own literary agency, he was a senior editor at
HarperCollins and also served for nine years as the religion editor
at the University of California Press. He believes strongly in the
power of books and media to catalyze the next stage of global
evolutionary culture. He lives in Santa Cruz, California. For more
information, please visit ideaarchitects.com and humanjourney.com.
Winner of the 2016 Books for a Better Life Award in
Spirituality
"The question may be timeless, but their answer has urgent
significance."
-Time Magazine
"[An] exquisite book...An intimate glimpse into the minds of two of
the world's spiritual guides, and their foundation for an
attainable and practical approach to experiencing a more enriching
and sustainable life of abundant joy."
-Shelf Awareness
"This sparkling, wise, and immediately useful gift to readers from
two remarkable spiritual masters offers hope that joy is possible
for everyone even in the most difficult circumstances, and
describes a clear path for attaining it."
-Publishers Weekly
"The world needs joy and compassion more than ever before - and who
better than Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama to show us how it is
done. This beautiful book takes us on the journey of their
friendship and gives us the gift of their wisdom. A bright spot of
hope and love in this world."
-Sir Richard Branson
"It's a book that transports you deep within the intimate
friendship that binds these two incredible souls. And it's a book
that vividly probes the very nature of joy itself - the illusions
that eclipse it, the obstacles that obscure it, the practices that
cultivate it, and the pillars that sustain it."
-Rich Roll, The Rich Roll Podcast
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