The Dalai Lama's Cat

I read the first book and then found out there were 5 more in the series. I loved these books. Written with tenderness and love~ They are a gentle reading and I re-learned a lot about Buddhism~ SO much fun to read!

If you're looking for heavy spiritual content, don't look here.  What Michie has given us is a light-hearted look at some essentials of Buddhist philosophy through the eyes of a cat who is adopted by the Dalai Lama. As is true of all cats HHC (His Holiness' Cat) has many names, Snow Lion, Mousie-Tung, Rinpoche, among others.  Much of the story is about how HHC absorbs the lessons of Buddhism, and attempts to understand how they apply to her life. She's also a tireless observer of humans and human lives, and her accounts of how they assimilate Buddhist teachings is really at the core of the book, and is I think, the reason why it does work well. It's not Buddhism for Dummies, it's Buddhism for people who are just ordinary people. There's no drama, just a pleasant, good-natured narrative about a cat who does all the things a cat does -- hunts, mates, begs people for food, enjoys being adored -- but who attempts to understand those things in terms of how her human sees the world, and who attempts to be mindful of who she wishes to be.I got curious about whether the Dalai Lama really has a cat (HHC is a fiction.) and found that he does.  Not a Himalayan like Snow Lion, but a sweet-faced, fluffy little tabby. It pleased me to think that His Holiness has the company of a cat.I'm guessing his cat is unimpressed by the fuss people make over HH, which is as it should be.

Alright, I like cats. I'm interested in Buddhism and try to apply many Buddhist concepts to my life. I was still wary about this book - I thought it might be too cutsie-poo. Glad I gave it a shot. It was a fun, warming story, but the use of HHC (the cat) as an exemplar of Buddhist philosophy and some of the challenges of embracing it were actually really cool. I try to reserve 5 stars for books that absolutely knocked me out, but this one was really good and definitely deserves all 4 stars that I gave it.

What a pleasurable read!! Like having a nice soak in a perfumed bubble bath. I love the cat narrator and love the gentle way Buddhist principles are conveyed. Highly recommend. I also enjoyed the second book, and just bought the third book.

Have you ever started reading a book that so captured your attention that you wanted to read it through to the end in one sitting, but also didn’t want it to end, so you limited yourself to reading one chapter a night? That’s how I felt about this book!David Michie is a wonderful story-teller, while gently teaching his readers about Buddhism, so that it hardly feels like you’re “learning.” I found myself experiencing amazing personal insights after reading each evening’s chapter, & I also found myself making little changes in my thinking & actions between reading sessions. I marked MANY passages of the cat’s insights, as she learned from those around her. I so looked forward to the time I set aside for reading this book, as, somehow, as the time approached, I began to feel a wonderful calm come over me & it felt like I was truly entering the world of the Dalai Lama as I was reading.If you’ve ever wondered about Buddhism, I think this would be a good book to read first, as the story shows how learning & practicing the teachings of Buddhism subtly begins to change you & your life. Instead of talking "about" Buddhism, it SHOWED what Buddhism looks like when a follower applies it in their daily life. It also shows a respectful, encouraging, compassionate way to teach others, as you read about the Dalai Lama’s interactions with the people around him. If only more people could help others grow in such a kind way!While I’ve been intrigued by Buddhism for many years, & have been a long-time meditator, I always felt that the Buddhist beliefs were not for me. This book made me realize that my impressions of many of ts teachings were completely wrong! Because I want to learn more, & also because I love his writing style, I’m now moving on to Michie’s book “Buddhism For Busy People: Finding Happiness In An Uncertain World.”I can’t recommend this book enough, &, while I wait for the sequel to come out, I can remain in the cat’s delightful world by re-reading it every month or so.

This is probably the best thing I’ve ever read. But then again it’s come along at just the right time. For those just at the very beginning of a journey towards enlightenment it’s a fantastic read. Highly recommended if your mainly a fiction reader but enjoy discovering the delights of karmaIt’s a delightful mix of both worlds. Big thanks to David Michie

This was an absolutely delightful read. Not only is it about a cat with a lot of personality, from the cats point of view, but the cat describes situations that occur from which she ends up learning aspects of enlightenment from the Dalai Lama and those who surround him. It just filled me with peace and contentment as I read it! So many fabulous characters in the book.

I enjoyed this little ride with the Dalai Lama, seen through the eyes of his cat. It was a great refresher course in basic Buddhism and life's practical applications. I would have given this book five stars. But...DEAR AUTHOR, over and over, the Dalai Lama's cat says "dear reader." Oh, dear reader, this. Now, dear reader that. It was cute the first time. By the 7th or 8th time I was ready to stop reading, dear author. It's trite and pulls the mind away from the cat's little adventure, dear author. Please, please, if you rewrite this darling little, book, dear author, please don't do that now, dear author...

Me encanto fue el mejor libro que he leído,me encanta el gatito 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I expected to enjoy this book but I was surprised at how much I learned. The only thing that disappointed me was I would like one more chapter at the end to tie up some details for one of the characters. Can't say more -- don't want to spoil it for you. It's a good, light, enjoyable, humorous read.

This is exactly how I like God to send me his lessons - stories that make you smile + wise words that will stick to mind. Ideas worth practicing and a book worth passing. I love this.

Very inspiring. An important reminder of how important mindfulness and compassion towards others is. Loved it very much and totally recommend

A charming little didactic story. Lessons on Buddhism as given by the Dalai Lama's cat. Reminiscent of Soseki's 『吾輩は猫である』. The author, however, presumably a native English speaker, needs to polish his basic writing skills (or have his work more carefully proofread; lots of misused words!). An entertaining, educational, and fun read!