Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion

A Conversation Between The Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman, Ph. D. 

Foreword by Daniel Goleman 

2008 1st Edition. Hardcover. 

At their first meeting, a remarkable bond was sparked between His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the world's most revered spiritual leaders, and the psychologist Paul Ekman, whose groundbreaking work helped to define the science of emotions.  Now, these two luminaries share an exchange on the bonds between science and spirituality, East and West, in their search to understand the nature and quality of our emotional lives.

In this unparalleled series of dialogues, the Dalai Lama and Ekman prod and push toward answers to the central questions of emotional experience.  What are the cultural questions of emotional experience.  What are the cultural and evolutionary sources of hate and compassion?  Should a person extend compassion to a torturer--and would that even be biologically possible?  What does science reveal about the benefits of Buddhist meditation?  Can Buddhist thought be translated into exercises to help improve anyone's life?  Their conversation is amplified by commentaries from scientists and Buddhist teachers, who share findings from emotion research and practices from the Buddhist texts. 

As the Dalai Lama and Ekman come to grips with the nature of emotion, they invite us into an unfiltered exploration of the tools and traditions available in the larger pursuit of psychological fulfillment.  Their interplay--amusing, challenging, eye-opening, and moving--guides us on a transformative journey in the understanding of our emotions.