Plucked from a humble nomad family to become the leader of one of Tibet's oldest Buddhist lineages, the young Seventeenth Karmapa draws on timeless values to create an urgent ethic for today's global community.
We have always been, and will always be, interconnected—through family, community, and shared humanity. As our planet changes and our worlds grow smaller, it is vital we not only recognize our connections to one another and to the earth but also begin working to create a constantly improving global society as interdependent individuals.

The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is uniquely positioned to guide us in this process. Drawing on years of intensive Buddhist training and a passionate commitment to social issues, he teaches how we can move from a merely intellectual understanding to a fully lived experience of connection. By first seeing, then feeling, then finally living these connections, we can become more effective agents of social and ethical change.

The Karmapa shows us how gaining emotional awareness to our connectedness can fundamentally reshape the human race. He then guides us to action, showing step-by-step how we can change how we use the earth's resources and continue to better our society. In clear language, the Karmapa draws connections between such seemingly far-flung issues as consumer culture, loneliness, animal protection, and self-reliance. In the process, he helps us move beyond theory to practical and positive social and ethical change.