"We not only need compassion and human affection to survive, but they are the ultimate sources of success in life. Selfish ways of thinking not only harm others, they prevent the very happiness we ourselves desire. The time has come to think more wisely, hasn't it?" says Tensin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in this cogent and edifying little book about the art of cultivating compassion.

Of course, the standard line in the rough and tumble world of business is that one always has to be on the alert to shield oneself from the anger and hatred of others. The shapers and movers in society would have us believe that although love and compassion are very sweet, they have little value in the everyday arena of power struggles and cutthroat competition.

Through the Buddhist practice of mind training we can learn to get at the root of the problem, "the attitude that cherishes our own welfare and benefit while remaining oblivious to the well-being of others." The enemy — unlike what the cultural shibboleth tells us — is not "the other" but inside us. The practice of putting the happiness of others before our own is greatly enhanced by patience and equanimity. The Dalai Lama's detachment does not make him indifferent to what is going on around him; rather it is the source of his compassion. Here is a profound explanation: "Although this person may behave negatively toward you and is your enemy in this life, he or she could have been your best friend or even your mother in a past life. By reflecting upon the fluctuating nature of one's relationships with others and also on the potential that exists in all sentient beings to be both friends and enemies, you can develop this even-mindedness or equanimity."

In addition to his commentary on several passages from Eight Verses for Training the Mind by Langri Tangpa, the Dalai Lama also presents his spiritual readings on the ideas of global demilitarization and defense systems designed to insure protection against attack by enemies. All of this substantive material results in a deep and practical vision of the compassionate life.