The Fourteenth Dalai Lama's Stages of the Path, Volume 2: An Annotated Commentary on the Fifth Dalai Lama's Words of Manjusri is the second volume of the Dalai Lama's outline of Buddhist theory and practice. Having introduced Buddhist ideas in the context of modern society in volume 1, the Dalai Lama turns here to a traditional presentation of the complete path to enlightenment, from developing faith in the Dharma to attaining the highest wisdom. This book, compiled by the revered Tibetan lama Dagyab Rinpoche, comments on the Fifth Dalai Lama's stages of the path titled Oral Transmission of Manjusri. The volume will appeal to all readers interested in the Dalai Lama's works, both those new to Buddhism and those looking to deepen their understanding of the Tibetan presentation of the Buddhist path.

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama's Stages of the Path: An Annotated Commentary on the Fifth Dalai Lama's Words of Manjusri (Vol. 2), H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Hardcover, 780 pages, $64.95

Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He frequently describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. Born in northeastern Tibet in 1935, he was as a toddler recognized as the incarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and brought to Tibet's capital, Lhasa. In 1950, Mao Zedong's Communist forces made their first incursions into eastern Tibet, shortly after which the young Dalai Lama assumed the political leadership of his country. He passed his scholastic examinations with honors at the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa in 1959, the same year Chinese forces occupied the city, forcing His Holiness to escape to India. There he set up the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, working to secure the welfare of the more than 100,000 Tibetan exiles and prevent the destruction of Tibetan culture. In his capacity as a spiritual and political leader, he has traveled to more than sixty-two countries on six continents and met with presidents, popes, and leading scientists to foster dialogue and create a better world. In recognition of his tireless work for the nonviolent liberation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In 2012, he relinquished political authority in his exile government and turned it over to democratically elected representatives.

His Holiness frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of interreligious harmony, and securing the welfare of the Tibetan people, focusing on the survival of their identity, culture, and religion. As a superior scholar trained in the classical texts of the Nalanda tradition of Indian Buddhism, he is able to distill the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy in clear and inspiring language, his gift for pedagogy imbued with his infectious joy. Connecting scientists with Buddhist scholars, he helps unite contemplative and modern modes of investigation, bringing ancient tools and insights to bear on the acute problems facing the contemporary world. His efforts to foster dialogue among leaders of the world's faiths envision a future where people of different beliefs can share the planet in harmony. Wisdom Publications is proud to be the premier publisher of the Dalai Lama's more serious and in-depth works.

Sophie McGrath began her journey as an oral interpreter and translator of Tibetan in India and Nepal. After studying the traditional Geluk philosophical curriculum in Tibetan nunneries for nine years, she served as a Tibetan-English interpreter for Tibetan scholars teaching in Buddhist programs in the West.

His Eminence Loden Sherab Dagyab Kyabgon Rinpoche is the founder of the Tibet House Germany. Rinpoche was born in East Tibet in 1940 and at the age of four was recognized as the Ninth Kyabgon (patron) of the Dagyab region. In 1959 Rinpoche fled to India with His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. In 1966, he accepted an invitation from the University of Bonn in Germany to work there as a Tibetologist at the Institute of Central Asian Studies. In the 1980s he was asked by a group of Germans interested in Buddhism to become a spiritual teacher. Since that time, he has taught the full range of Tibetan Buddhism in Germany and many other countries in Europe, North and South America, and Asia.