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PROLOGUE

Oh good, you’re finally here, though you’ve taken your ti so! You see, dear reader, I have a e and certainly not one from an ordinary person What’s more, it concerns your deepest, personal happiness

There’s really no need to turn around to see whobehind you or, indeed, to either side This e really is for you

It’s not everyone in the world who gets to read these words—only a very tiny minority of humans ever will Nor should you believe that it’s so them at this particular moment in your life Only those of you with very specific karma will ever discover what I’m about to say—readers with a particular connection to me

Or should I say us

You see, I ae I have for you comes from none other than His Holiness

How can I make such a preposterous claim? Have I taken complete leave of my senses? If you will allow me to curl up on your metaphorical lap I will explain

At some point, nearly every cat lover faces a dile away? And not just for a long weekend

Exactly how hu absence is a subject of great concern to cats So so we can e in routine Others prefer the news to swoop unheralded fro season: by the time you realize what’s about to happen, it already has

Interestingly, our staff ly, so their puss for weeks before their departure, others producing the dreaded cat carrier froe cupboard without notice

As it happens, I a the oes traveling, the household routine here at Nayal continues in much the same way I still spend part of each day on his first-floor sill, a vantage point from which I can maintain maximum surveillance with minimum effort, just as I spend some time most days in the office of His Holiness’s executive assistants And then there is enial surroundings and delectable enticements of the Himalaya Book Café

Even so, when His Holiness isn’t here life is not the same How can I describe what it is like to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama? Quite simply, it is extraordinary Fro within it is touched by his energy of heartfelt happiness Whatever else edy or loss you , for the time that you are with His Holiness, you experience the sensation that deep down all is well

If you haven’t experienced this before, it is like being awakened to a di like an underground river although until now it has gone undetected Reconnected to this source, you not only experience the profound peace and wellspring at the heart of your being, but you limpse of your own consciousness—radiant, boundless, and imbued with love

The Dalai Lama sees us as we really are and reflects our true nature back to us This is why so many people simply melt in his presence I’ve seen important men in dark suits cry just because he touched theions line up to meet him and then rejoin the line to be introduced to him a second time I’ve watched people in wheelchairs weep tears of joy when he went four deep into a crowd to take their hand His Holiness reift?

So you will understand, dear reader, that even though I continue to enjoy a life of privilege and co, I still very much prefer it when he is at honizes that I a away If either of his executive assistants—young Chogyal, the roly-poly monk who helps him with monastic matters, or Tenzin, the seasoned diplomat who helps hi travel, he will look up and say so like, “Two days in New Delhi at the end of next week”

Theythis specifically for my benefit