The Dalai Lama's Cat

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One these flat characters even peppers her language with random italian words, much like a caricature. Heh. David Michie is a wonderfully gifted writer who effortlessly captures cattitude as we have come to understand it and, if like me, you adore cats, then you will love learning kindness through the eyes of HHC – a role model for my three!

I guess my closing sentence would be that if you are starting to delve into spirituality, Buddhism, and self-development, this is the book for you. Because the Dalai Lama was still at the temple, I went to the office of the executive assistants, dropping the mouse and announcing my arrival with an urgent meow. Responding to the unfamiliar tone, Chogyal and Tenzin both turned and looked at me in surprise as I stood there proudly, with the mouse on the carpet at my feet. By the time the professor left later that afternoon, he had a lot more to think about than his tape recording of the Dalai Lama’s views on Indo-Tibetan history. His Holiness’s message was challenging. Confronting, even. But it wasn’t one that could easily be dismissed . . . as we were to discover.

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Besides, anyone with a particularly acute power of observation would recognize the feline presence in His Holiness’s life by the stray hairs and occasional whisker I make it my business to leave on his person. Should you ever have the privilege of getting very close to the Dalai Lama and scrutinizing his robes, you will almost certainly discover a fine wisp of white fur, confirming that far from living alone, he shares his inner sanctum with a cat of impeccable—if undocumented—breeding. David Michie is the bestselling author of Buddhism for Busy People, Hurry Up and Meditate and Enlightenment to Go. All have been published internationally and are being translated into many languages. He has also written four thrillers, most recently The Magician of Lhasa, to bring the profoundly life-enhancing perspectives of Tibetan Buddhism to a wider audience of fiction readers. David was born in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, educated at Rhodes University, South Africa, and lived in London for ten years. He is married and is based in Perth, Australia. www.davidmichie.com Compassion filled not only His Holiness’s face but the whole room. It was as though his concern could not be contained; it seemed to flow outward, touching every living being in Namgyal and far beyond. I did not know much at all about Buddhism but this book taught me quite a bit of the basics in simple terms through the cat. She tells of conversations she hears and sees as she goes about her daily life. There was actually a lot of good inspiring messages to think about in this book. And since HHC (His Holiness' Cat) has a sense of humor, it was also fun to read.

The book also emphasizes that personal happiness comes from a want and a desire to make others happy. I forget what the actual Buddhist term for this is, but it's definitely something i need to practice in my own life.Moving on, I have to discuss the characters! The book benefits greatly from being told from the perspective of a cat. HHC’s observations of the world are very honest and the way that she notes and observes the changes in the characters as they develop throughout the book were lovely. My interest in Buddhism and in the Dalai Lama, together with my adoption two months ago of a darling year-old cat, prompted me to read this new novel "The Dalai Lama's Cat" by David Michie. A resident of Australia, Michie has written a number of popular introductions to Buddhism with titles such as "Buddhism for Busy People" and "Enlightenment on the Go." His novel has an appealing surface simplicity and accessibility. Featuring a delightful cast of characters, timeless Buddhist wisdom, and His Holiness’s compassion pervading every chapter, The Dalai Lama’s Cat is simply enchanting. I confess: I am not a cat person. I've always believed them to be arrogant and they don't give you anywhere near the same level of affection as a dog does. Dogs are happy all the time whereas cats are jerks pretty much all the time. I'm also allergic, so yeah that makes me a bit biased towards dogs, too.