Here, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama, political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, puts into simple language a gem-like practice for internalizing and expressing compassion. If we all lived by the meditation that this board book for two-to-five-year-old children contains, we would be well on our way to bringing peace and harmony to earth.
The meditation may already be familiar to you: It invites us to take time to send love to those close to us, to those who suffer, to ourselves, and to all beings everywhere. What makes the book stand out is the tender gentleness of its presentation. Lines like "Sit down in a comfy seat" and "Send love to your pet, to your teddy bear [!], to your friends, and to your family" beautifully adapt a mature practice to fit young children.
Illustrations by Tisha Lee show this same sensitivity. In our favorite picture, accompanying a passage about sending love "to people who are hurting," a child hugs a big dog who sports a dismayed expression and a post-injury cone-collar.
A note from His Holiness concludes the book with a short prayer "which gives me great inspiration and determination." You may recognize it as an excerpt from the Bodhisattva prayer:
"For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the miseries of the world."
That a preschool child could be introduced to this prayer thanks to this book — and have the rest of their lives to live accordingly — makes it a genuine treasure.
