Ten Tales from Tibet – Cultivating Compassion

With stunning photos by Matthieu Ricard and an introduction by Satish Kumar, this is a real gem of a book with memorable parables illustrating the centrality of compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. The author's story is also instructive as a lesson in patience and commitment. The tales imprint themselves on the memory with their simple and vivid imagery such as black and white pebbles for negative and positive thoughts, the translation of necessity of shoes on rough paths into donning shoes of compassion, and a lesson on the priority of the inner over the outer temple. Then there is the tale of two beggars, one full of demands and the other humble and grateful, whose life turns out miraculously – but then the outer reflects the inner. Another illustrates the power of devotion, belief and positive intention. These are stories to reflect on and live out.