His face is familiar, his laugh is legendary and his wisdom has been valued by people around the globe. On July 6th, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will turn 80 years old. As the world celebrate the his birthday it is worthwhile looking back at his incredible journey to becoming the iconic figure he is today.
Welcome to this week's All Together, the podcast dedicated to exploring ethics, religion and spiritual practice. Please download All Together on iTunes or Stitcher.
Today I am speaking with Thupten Jinpa and Dan Goleman, two people who have spent a great deal of time with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and know him as well as any in the world.
Thupten Jinpa Langri has served as the English translator for the Dalai Lama since 1985 and has translated more than 10 of the Dalai Lama's books into English. He is the author of A Fearless Heart: Why Compassion Is the Key to Greater Wellbeing.
Dan Golman is the author of the bestselling Emotional Intelligence as well as a new book A Force for Good. The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World with an introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about the iconic leader's spiritual formation in Tibet, his extraordinary escape from the Chinese, when he first came to America, his admiration for the Pope, how he meditates, and what compassion actually means in real life.
As HH Dalai Lama says: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."