Gems of Wisdom from the Seventh Dalai Lama

Abstract

The Seventh Dalai Lama was one of the most beloved Buddhist masters. He had an outrageous sense of humor, which found its way into his spiritual compositions. His popular Gems of Wisdom contains spontaneous verses employing earthy metaphors to illustrate key points. He uses metaphors like farts, body odor, slimy monsters, and mindless lunatics to present the teachings. Simple yet direct, his language captures the spirituality of his vision while avoiding religiosity. Here are Buddha's teachings in the context of mind training. Mullin translates and comments on the quintessential meanings of the Seventh's verses.