This is a must-have book for everyone.Truly !!! When you think you have got a handle on what being going on in your life .Stop take the time to read and read this book

Sogyal Rinpoche has great knowledge of the western society, therefore he wrote the book in a way westerners would understand. I dont think the average person understands the subtle way we do things until someone else points it out; as he mentions in the book, the way westerners looks to death as ‘the end’ or as a morbid subject to even mention, he advises us that it's not all bad but we do need to have time to morn. He gives great insight into the way of the Buda (i never really understood the depth of their practices coming from a Christian background) and the eastern society. There are a lot of things that, as human, we should be more aware of, not just the way we act but also how we think. He explains some practices and theories of Buddhism, which is very interesting. The book is quite dense, it takes quite a bit to read, but its a great read! it took me a while to finish the book, mainly because I had to sit back to reflect/absorb what I had just read, so I am going to reread it in a few months, I found when I read it I had minimal knowledge of Buddhism and so I didnt understand a small bit of it until later on in the book (i like to thoroughly understand what I read ^-^). I recommend it to anyone who is interested in other cultures or has a curiosity in other religions. People caring for or around sick and dying people need to read it! my sister is studying to be a nurse and they have papers on cultural sensitivities but don't really touch on eastern societies or how to approach a dying person, so if someone asks them to comfort them before death, they seem to be unprepared.