Background Image

...

Hardship, In Forcing Us To Exercise Greater Patience And Forbearance In Daily Life, Actually Makes Us Stronger And More Robust. From The Daily Experience Of Hardship Comes A Greater Capacity To Accept Difficulties Without Losing Our Sense Of Inner Calm. Of Course, I Do Not Advocate Seeking Out Hardship As A Way Of Life, But Merely Wish To Suggest That, If You Relate To It Constructively, It Can Bring Greater Inner Strength And Fortitude.

-Dalai Lama

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

Hardship, In Forcing Us

Dalai Lama

...

Hardship, In Forcing Us To Exercise Greater Patience And Forbearance In Daily Life, Actually Makes Us Stronger And More Robust. From The Daily Experience Of Hardship Comes A Greater Capacity To Accept Difficulties Without Losing Our Sense Of Inner Calm. Of Course, I Do Not Advocate Seeking Out Hardship As A Way Of Life, But Merely Wish To Suggest That, If You Relate To It Constructively, It Can Bring Greater Inner Strength And Fortitude.

Views: 7

Topic

More From Dalai Lama

Just Give Food Without Showing Affection, [animals] Might Not Get Sort Of 100% Satisfaction. So They Also, You See, When We Human Beings, We Show Affection, The Poor Animal Also Respond To Us.

If We Develop Concern For Other People's Welfare, Share Other People's Suffering, And Help Them, Ultimately We Will Benefit. If We Think Only Of Ourselves And Forget About Others, Ultimately We Will Lose. The More We Care For The Happiness Of Others, The Greater Our Own Sense Of Well-being Becomes.

Concern For Others

Do Not Think Only Of Your Own Joy, But Vow To Save All Beings From Suffering. This Is Sharing In Its Highest Form And Purity Beyond All Poisons Of This World.

World Peace Must Develop From Inner Peace.

Human Compassion

When You Realize You've Made A Mistake, Take Immediate Steps To Correct It.

Peace Can Only Last Where Human Rights Are Respected, Where The People Are Fed, And Where Individuals And Nations Are Free. True Peace With Oneself And With The World Around Us Can Only Be Achieved Through The Development Of Mental Peace.

My Belief Is That The Various Religious Traditions Have Great Potential To Increase Compassion, The Sense Of Caring For One Another, And The Spirit Of Reconciliation. However, I Believe That A Human Being, Without Religious Faith, Can Be A Very Good Person - Sincere, A Good Heart, Having A Sense Of Concern For Others - Without Belief In A Particular Religious Faith.

For Tibetans, The Real Strength Of Our Struggle Is Truth - Not Size, Money, Or Expertise.

What We Do And Think In Our Own Lives, Then, Becomes Of Extreme Importance As It Effects Everything We're Connected To.

Right From The Moment Of Our Birth, We Are Under The Care And Kindness Of Our Parents, And Then Later On In Our Life When We Are Oppressed By Sickness And Become Old, We Are Again Dependent On The Kindness Of Others. Since At The Beginning And End Of Our Lives We Are So Dependent On Other's Kindness, How Can It Be In The Middle That We Would Neglect Kindness Towards Others?

Attention-yes! That's Present! And Present, You See, Makes Past And Future.

A Sense Of Concern For Others Gives Our Lives Meaning; It Is The Root Of All Human Happiness

Compassion Is Something Really Worthwhile. It Is Not Just A Religious Or Spiritual Subject, Not A Matter Of Ideology. It Is Not A Luxury, It Is A Necessity.

Death And Dying Provide A Meeting-point Between The Tibetan Buddhist And Modern Scientific Traditions. I Believe Both Have A Great Deal To Contribute To Each Other On The Level Of Understanding And Of Practical Benefit.

Everyone Wants To Be Happy; Happiness Is A Right. And While On A Secondary Level Differences Exist Of Nationality, Faith, Family Background, Social Status And So On, More Important Is That On A Human Level We Are The Same. None Of Us Wants To Face Problems, And Yet We Create Them By Stressing Our Differences. If We See Each Other Just As Fellow Human Beings, There'll Be No Basis For Fighting Or Conflict Between Us.

Other Human Beings Have A Right To Peace And Happiness That Is Equal To Our Own; Therefore We Have A Responsibility To Help Those In Need.

When We Have Inner Peace, We Can Be At Peace With Those Around Us. When Our Community Is In A State Of Peace, It Can Share That Peace With Neighboring Communities.

When Reason Ends, Then Anger Begins. Therefore, Anger Is A Sign Of Weakness.

Love, Compassion And Concern For Others Are Real Sources Of Happiness. If You Have These In Abundance, You Will Not Be Disturbed Even By The Most Uncomfortable Circumstances. If You Nurse Hatred, However, You Will Not Be Happy Even In The Lap Of Luxury. Thus, If We Really Want Happiness, We Must Widen The Sphere Of Love. This Is Both Religious Thinking And Basic Common Sense.

Hatred, Jealousy, And Fear Hinder Peace Of Mind. When You're Angry Or Unforgiving, For Example, Your Mental Suffering Is Constant. It Is Better To Forgive Than To Spoil Your Peace Of Mind With Ill Feelings.

If You Don't Love Yourself, You Cannot Love Others. You Will Not Be Able To Love Others. If You Have No Compassion For Yourself Then You Are Not Able Of Developing Compassion For Others.

Meditation Is Valuable For All Of Humanity Because It Involves Looking Inward. People Don't Have To Be Religious To Look Inside Themselves More Carefully. It Is Constructive And Worthwhile To Analyze Our Emotions, Including Compassion And Our Sense Of Caring, So That We Can Become More Calm And Happy.

Some Mischievous People Always There. Last Several Thousand Years, Always There. In Future, Also.

Everybody Loves To Talk About Calmness And Peace, Whether In A Family, National, Or International Context, But Without Inner Peace How Can We Make Real Peace? World Peace Through Hatred And Force Is Impossible.

If Our Tears Do Not Lead Us To Act Then We Have Lost The Reason Of Our Humanity, Which Is Compassion.

Foolish, Selfish People Are Always Thinking Of Themselves And The Result Is Always Negative. Wise Persons Think Of Others, Helping Them As Much As They Can, And The Result Is Happiness. Love And Compassion Are Beneficial Both For You And Others. Through Your Kindness To Others, Your Mind And Heart Will Open To Peace.

Since Periods Of Great Change, Such As The Present One, Come So Rarely In Human History, It Is Up To Each Of Us To Make The Best Use Of Our Time To Help Create A Happier World.

Human Beings Are Not Intrinsically Selfish, Which Isolates Us From Others. We Are Essentially Social Animals Who Depend On Others To Meet Our Needs. We Achieve Happiness, Prosperity And Progress Through Social Interaction. Therefore, Having A Kind And Helpful Attitude Contributes To Our Own And Others' Happiness.

At The Beginning Of This Century, People Never Questioned The Effectiveness Of War, Never Thought There Could Be Real Peace. Now, People Are Tired Of War And See It As Ineffective In Solving Anything.

We Forget That Despite The Superficial Differences Between Us, People Are Equal In Their Basic Wish For Peace And Happiness.

My Message Is Always The Same: To Cultivate And Practice Love, Kindness, Compassion And Tolerance.

Because Of Lack Of Moral Principle, Human Life Becomes Worthless. Moral Principle, Truthfulness, Is A Key Factor. If We Lose That, Then There Is No Future.

Developing Concern For Others, Thinking Of Them As Part Of Us, Brings Self-confidence , Reduces Our Sense Of Suspicion And Mistrust, And Enables Us To Develop A Calm Mind.

Self Confidence

I Don't Know Whether The Universe, With Its Countless Galaxies, Stars And Planets, Has A Deeper Meaning Or Not, But At The Very Least, It Is Clear That We Humans Who Live On This Earth Face The Task Of Making A Happy Life For Ourselves. Therefore, It Is Important To Discover What Will Bring About The Greatest Degree Of Happiness.

Through Violence, You May 'solve' One Problem, But You Sow The Seeds For Another.

I Think Mischievous People Always There, ... Some Kind Of Perfect World, That Is Impossible. Accept That Reality. (for) Those People Who Have Genuine Concern About Humanity, Make Some Effort-better Than None.

Genuine Concern

There Needs To Be Understanding That Anger Never Helps To Solve A Problem. It Destroys Our Peace Of Mind And Blinds Our Ability To Think Clearly. Anger And Attachment Are Emotions That Distort Our View Of Reality.

Learning Is The First Step In Making Positive Changes Within Yourself. Other Factors Are Conviction, Determination, Action & Effort. Learning & Education Help Develop Conviction About The Need To Change & Increase Your Commitment. Conviction Then Develops Into Determination. Next, Strong Determination Leads To Action: A Sustained Effort To Implement The Changes. This Final Factor Of Effort Is Critical.

A Genuine Smile Touches Something Fundamental In Us: Our Natural Appreciation Of Kindness.

If You Wonder What You Were Doing In The Past, Look At Your Body; To Know What Will Happen To You In The Future, Look At Your Mind.

A Great Rock Is Not Disturbed By The Wind; The Mind Of A Wise Man Is Not Disturbed By Either Honor Or Abuse.

Compassion Is Concern Of Others' Well Being.

If You Wish To Heal Your Own Sadness Or Anger, Seek To Heal The Sadness Or Anger Of Another. Those Others Are Waiting For You Now. They Are Looking To You For Guidance, For Help, For Courage, For Strength, For Understanding, And For Assurance At This Hour. Most Of All, They Are Looking To You For Love.

Compassion Seems To Be The Greatest Power.

When Invitation Come, Then I Inquire Just To See New Place Or Seeing Just The One Sort Of Family, Then Not Much Interest.

I'm Nothing Special, Just An Ordinary Human Being. That's Why I Always Describe Myself As A Simple Buddhist Monk.

Freedom Is The Real Source Of Human Happiness And Creativity. Irrespective Of Whether You Are A Believer Or Nonbeliever, Whether Buddhist, Christian, Or Jew, The Important Thing Is To Be A Good Human Being.

Where Ignorance Is Our Master, There Is No Possibility Of Real Peace.

My Responsibility Is To Save Tibet, To Protect Its Ancient Cultural Heritage.

Our Life Depends On Others So Much That At The Root Of Our Existence Is A Fundamental Need For Love. That Is Why It Is Good To Cultivate An Authentic Sense Of Responsibility And Concern For The Welfare Of Others.

An Important Distinction Can Be Made Between Religion And Spirituality. Religion [is] Concerned With Faith In The Claims To Salvation Of One Faith Tradition... Spirituality Is Concerned With Qualities Of The Human Spirit, Love And Compassion, Patience, Tolerance, Forgiveness, Contentment, A Sense Of Responsibility, A Sense Of Harmony, That Bring Happiness Both To Self.

People Once Considered That Religions Were Obsolete And That Material Science Would Solve All Human Problems. Then They Have Become Disillusioned With Materialism And Machinery And Have Realized That Spiritual Sciences Are Also Indispensable For Human Welfare.

Buddhahood Is A State Free Of All Obstructions To Knowledge And Disturbing Emotions. It Is The State In Which The Mind Is Fully Evolved.

I Believe The Twenty-first Century Can Become The Most Important Century Of Human History. I Think A New Reality Is Emerging. Whether This View Is Realistic Or Not, There Is No Harm In Making An Effort.

If You Contribute To Other Peoples Happiness, You Will Find The True Meaning Of Life. The Key Point Is To Have A Genuine Sense Of Universal Responsibility

Meaning Of Life

To Be Aware Of A Single Shortcoming Within Oneself Is More Useful Than To Be Aware Of A Thousand In Somebody Else.

There Should Be A Balance Between Material And Spiritual Progress, A Balance Achieved Through The Principles Based On Love And Compassion.

Until You Have The Inner Discipline That Brings Calmness Of Mind, External Facilities And Conditions Will Never Bring The Joy And Happiness You Seek. On The Other Hand, If You Possess This Inner Quality, Calmness Of Mind, A Degree Of Stability Within, Even If You Lack The Various External Factors That You Would Normally Require To Be Happy, It Will Still Be Possible To Live A Happy And Joyful Life.

There Are Techniques Of Buddhism, Such As Meditation, That Anyone Can Adopt. And, Of Course, There Are Christian Monks And Nuns Who Already Use Buddhist Methods In Order To Develop Their Devotion, Compassion, And Ability To Forgive.

The Death Penalty Fulfills A Preventive Function, But It Is Also Very Clearly A Form Of Revenge. It Is An Especially Severe Form Of Punishment Because It Is So Final. The Human Life Is Ended And The Executed Person Is Deprived Of The Opportunity To Change, To Restore The Harm Done Or Compensate For It.

We Are Born And Reborn Countless Number Of Times, And It Is Possible That Each Being Has Been Our Parent At One Time Or Another. Therefore, It Is Likely That All Beings In This Universe Have Familial Connections.

Be Kind Whenever Possible. It Is Always Possible.

The Three Types Of Misery Are The Misery Of Suffering, The Misery Of Change, And Pervasive Misery.

We Are All Here On This Planet, As It Were, As Tourists. None Of Us Can Live Here Forever. The Longest We Might Live Is A Hundred Years. So While We Are Here We Should Try To Have A Good Heart And To Make Something Positive And Useful Of Our Lives. Whether We Live Just A Few Years Or A Whole Century, It Would Be Truly Regrettable And Sad If We Were To Spend That Time Aggravating The Problems That Afflict Other People, Animals, And The Environment. The Most Important Things Is To Be A Good Human Being.

There Must Be A Way Of Promoting Human Values Without Involving Religion, Based On Common Sense, Experience And Recent Scientific Findings.

As Far As Social-economic Theory Is Concerned, I Am Still A Marxist

If You Have Only Education And Knowledge And A Lack Of The Other Side, Then You May Not Be A Happy Person, But A Person Of Mental Unrest, Of Frustration. Not Only That, But If You Combine These Two, Your Whole Life Will Be A Constructive And Happy Life. And Certainly You Can Make Immense Benefit For Society And The Betterment Of Humanity. That Is One Of My Fundamental Beliefs: That A Good Heart, A Warm Heart, A Compassionate Heart, Is Still Teachable.

Most Real Change Is Slow. Happiness And Joy Are The Purpose Of Life. If We Know That The Future Will Be Very Dark Or Painful, Then We Lose Our Determination To Live. Therefore, Life Is Something Based On Hope.

Criminals, People Who Commit Crimes, Usually Society Rejects These People. They Are Also Part Of Our Society. Give Them Some Form Of Punishment To Say They Were Wrong, But Show Them They Are Part Of Society And Can Change. Show Them Compassion.

I Find Hope In The Darkest Of Days, And Focus In The Brightest. I Do Not Judge The Universe.

If You Shift Your Focus From Oneself To Others, And Think More About Others' Well-being And Welfare, It Has An Immediate Liberating Effect.

Your Friend, Your Enemy, Your Neutral All Are Equal. Genuine Compassion Is Unbiased.

Fear, Hatred, And Suspicion Narrow Your Mind - Compassion Opens It.

Look At Children. Of Course They May Quarrel, But Generally Speaking They Do Not Harbor Ill Feelings As Much Or As Long As Adults Do. Most Adults Have The Advantage Of Education Over Children, But What Is The Use Of An Education If They Show A Big Smile While Hiding Negative Feelings Deep Inside? Children Don�t Usually Act In Such A Manner. If They Feel Angry With Someone, They Express It, And Then It Is Finished. They Can Still Play With That Person The Following Day.

If We Adopt A Self-centered Approach To Life, By Which We Attempt To Use Others For Our Own Self Interest, We Might Be Able To Gain Temporary Benefits, But In The Long Run We Will Not Succeed In Achieving Even Our Personal Happiness, And Hope For The Next Life Is Out Of The Question.

When Something Needs To Be Done In The World To Rectify The Wrongs, If One Is Really Concerned With Benefiting Others, One Needs To Be Engaged, Involved. This Is Action Out Of Compassion.

I Can Do What My Energy, My Time, To My Other Sort Of Commitment. And Then Also Emotional, Religious Harmony. So In These Two Field, Now That More Or Less I Think The Spirituality Or Human Values In These Fields, I May Consider My Only Professional Field. The Political, National Struggle, These Are Not My Profession.

One Can Be Deceived By Three Types Of Laziness: Of Indolence, Which Is The Wish To Procrastinate; The Laziness Of Inferiority, Which Is Doubting Your Capabilities; And The Laziness That Is Attachment To Negative Actions, Or Putting Great Effort Into Non-virtue.

I Think Governments Can't Do Much.

Love And Compassion Are The Pillars Of World Peace.

We Can Benefit Others Through Our Actions By Being Warm And Generous Toward Them, By Being Charitable, And By Helping Those In Need.

Since We Desire The True Happiness That Is Brought About By A Calm Mind, And Such Peace Of Mind Arises Only From Having A Compassionate Attitude, We Need To Make A Concerted Effort To Develop Compassion.

To Me There Is No Difference Whether President, Beggar, Or King.

It Is Important To Reflect On The Kindness Of Others. Every Aspect Of Our Present Well-being Is Due To Others' Hard Work. The Buildings We Live And Work In, The Roads We Travel, The Clothes We Wear, And The Food We Eat, Are All Provided By Others. None Of Them Would Exist But For The Kindness Of So Many People Unknown To Us.

We All Need Basic Human Values Rooted In Trust And Affection.

If The Mind Is Tranquil And Occupied With Positive Thoughts, The Body Will Not Easily Fall Prey To Disease

Basically, A Human Being Is A Social Animal. So, If You Create Some Short Moment Of Happiness For People, You Get Deep Satisfaction.

There Is No Self-interest Completely Unrelated To Others' Interests. Due To The Fundamental Interconnectedness Which Lies At The Heart Of Reality, Your Interest Is Also My Interest. From This It Becomes Clear That "my" Interest And "your" Interest Are Intimately Connected. In A Deep Sense, They Converge.

Feelings Of Anger, Bitterness, And Hate Are Negative. If I Kept Those Inside Me, They Would Spoil My Body And My Health. The Are Of No Use.

When, From The Depths Of Your Heart, You Spontaneously Wish All Beings To Find True, Lasting Happiness, This Is Great Love.

Lasting Happiness

What Acts As A Far More Effective Circumstance For Generating Compassion And What, In Fact, Rouses Us From Our Comfortable Meditation Seat Is Actually Seeing Or Hearing Others - Encountering Others Directly, Not Just Conceptually In Our Imagination.

In Dealing With Those Who Are Undergoing Great Suffering, If You Feel "burnout" Setting In, If You Feel Demoralized And Exhausted, It Is Best, For The Sake Of Everyone, To Withdraw And Restore Yourself. The Point Is To Have A Long-term Perspective.

Differences In Religious Beliefs, Politics, Social Status, And Position Are All Secondary. When We Look At Someone With Compassion, We Are Able To See Beyond These Secondary Differences And Connect To The Primary Essence That Binds All Humans Together As One.

Friends, Genuine Friends, Are Attracted By A Warm Heart, Not Money, Not Power. A Genuine Friend Considers You As Just Another Human Being, As A Brother Or Sister, And Shows Affection On That Level, Regardless Of Whether You Are Rich Or Poor, Or In A High Position; That Is A Genuine Friend.

Anger May Bring Extra Energy, But It Eclipses The Best Part Of Our Brain: Its Rationality. The Energy Of Anger Is Almost Always Unreliable.

All Religions Try To Benefit People, With The Same Basic Message Of The Need For Love And Compassion, For Justice And Honesty, For Contentment.

Peace, In The Sense Of The Absence Of War, Is Of Little Value To Someone Who Is Dying Of Hunger Or Cold. It Will Not Remove The Pain Of Torture Inflicted On A Prisoner Of Conscience. It Does Not Comfort Those Who Have Lost Their Loved Ones In Floods Caused By Senseless Deforestation In A Neighboring Country. Peace Can Only Last Where Human Rights Are Respected, Where The People Are Fed, And Where Individuals And Nations Are Free.

Peace In The World Relies On Individuals Finding Inner Peace.

Peace In The World Depends On Peace In The Hearts Of Individuals; This Depends On Each Of Us Practising Ethics By Disciplining Our Negative Thoughts And Emotions, And Developing Basic Spiritual Qualities.

By Being Inattentive To The Needs Of Others, Inevitably We End Up Harming Them.

Needs Of Others

If A Person's Basic State Of Mind Is Serene And Calm, Then It Is Possible For This Inner Peace To Overwhelm A Painful Physical Experience. On The Other Hand, If Someone Is Suffering From Depression, Anxiety, Or Any Form Of Emotional Distress, Then Even If He Or She Happens To Be Enjoying Physical Comforts, He Will Not Really Be Able To Experience The Happiness That These Could Bring.

Pursuit Of Happiness

We Don't Need To Respond With Desperate Violence.

The Most Important Thing Is Transforming Our Minds, For A New Way Of Thinking, A New Outlook: We Should Strive To Develop A New Inner World.

It Is Very Important To Generate A Good Attitude, A Good Heart, As Much As Possible. From This, Happiness In Both The Short Term And The Long Term For Both Yourself And Others Will Come.

Each Of Us Has The Potential To Contribute... You Have A Great Opportunity To Make A New Shape Of The World.

Democratic Institutions Are Necessary And Very Important, And If I Remained At The Head Of Government, It Could Be An Obstacle To Democratic Practice. Also, If I Were To Remain, Then I Would Have To Join One Of The Parties. If The Dalai Lama Joins One Party, Then That Makes It Hard For The System To Work.

There Is Only One Important Point You Must Keep In Your Mind And Let It Be Your Guide. No Matter What People Call You, You Are Just Who You Are. Keep To This Truth. You Must Ask Yourself How Is It You Want To Live Your Life. We Live And We Die, This Is The Truth That We Can Only Face Alone. No One Can Help Us, Not Even The Buddha. So Consider Carefully, What Prevents You From Living The Way You Want To Live Your Life?

I Really Feel That Some People Neglect And Overlook Compassion Because They Associate It With Religion. Of Course, Everyone Is Free To Choose Whether They Pay Religion Any Regard, But To Neglect Compassion Is A Mistake Because It Is The Source Of Our Own Well-being.

Sensory Experience Does Not Offset The Intense Pain Or Pleasure We Feel On A Mental Level; It May Distract Us, But Doesn't Overcome It. On The Other Hand, If We Have Peace Of Mind, Even Negative Experiences Do Not Upset Us. Peace Of Mind Is Also Good For Our Physical Health. Medical Experts Have Found That Anger, Hatred And Fear Eat Into Our Immune System. Being Calm And Relaxed Is Better For Our Physical Well-being.

Negative Experiences

All Religions Are Essentially The Same In Their Goal Of Developing A Good Human Heart So That We May Become Better Human Beings.

Religion Is Like Going Out To Dinner With Friends. Everyone May Order Something Different, But Everyone Can Still Sit At The Same Table.

Dinner With Friends

In Order To Develop The Willpower It Takes To Sacrifice, You Must First Realize That Spending All Your Time And Energy Pursuing Material Comforts Means You Will Eventually Suffer. It's All About Positive And Negative Consequences. It's Very Important To Be Aware That There Are Long-term Consequences [for Every Action].

If We Looked Down At The World From Space, We Would Not See Any Demarcations Of National Boundaries. We Would Simply See One Small Planet, Just One.

Buddhism Strongly Discourages Blind Faith And Fanaticism.

The Need For Love Lies At The Very Foundation Of Human Existence.

Compassion, Along With Love, Is The Face Of Altruism.

I Have Found That The Greatest Degree Of Inner Peace Comes From Cultivating Love And Compassion.

At A Fundamental Level, As Human Beings, We Are All The Same; Each One Of Us Aspires To Happiness And Each One Of Us Does Not Wish To Suffer. This Is Why, Whenever I Have The Opportunity, I Try To Draw People's Attention To What As Members Of The Human Family We Have In Common And The Deeply Interconnected Nature Of Our Existence And Welfare.

In A Free Country, America, Or India, And Japan, And Many Places, Democracy Country, Free Country, But Still Within The Sort Of Rule Of Law, Some Injustice, Some Sort Of Problems, Some Discrimination, And Also Some Sort Of Scandals Or The Corruptions. These Things, You See, They Are Always In My Mind, I Think Many People Agree, Lack Of Moral Principle.

Compassion Should Be Unbiased And Based On The Recognition That Others Have The Right To Happiness, Just Like You.

Just Because They're Not On Your Road Doesn't Mean They've Gotten Lost.

There Is Nothing That Does Not Get Easier Through Cultivation. The Buddhas Of The Past Started Out As Ordinary Beings. They Were Not Buddhas In The Beginning. The Path To Buddhahood Is Traversed Only Through Gradually Developing More And More Courage And Determination -then It Is Attained.

Look At Situations From All Angles, And You Will Become More Open.

Perhaps Our Teachings Seem Less Religious And More Technical, Like Psychology, So They Are Easier For Secular People To Use.

I Don't Take Myself Too Seriously! That Makes Me Happy.

More Fundamental Than Religion Is Our Basic Human Spirituality. We Have A Basic Human Disposition Towards Love, Kindness And Affection, Irrespective Of Whether We Have A Religious Framework Or Not. When We Nurture This Most Basic Human Resource - When We Set About Cultivating Those Basic Inner Values Which We All Appreciate In Others, Then We Start To Live Spiritually.

The More Adept We Become At Cultivating An Altruistic Attitude, The Happier We Will Feel And The More Comfortable Will Be The Atmosphere Around Us. But If Our Emotions Fluctuate Wildly And We Easily Give In To Hatred And Jealousy, Even Our Friends Will Avoid Us. So Even For People With No Spiritual Beliefs, It Is Important To Have A Peaceful Mind.

The Earth Is Not Just Our Environment. The Earth Is Our Mother.

The Purpose Of Our Lives Is To Be Happy. We Live In Hope, Which Means Looking Forward To Something Good. And There Are Increasing Scientific Findings That Both Our Physical And Mental Well-being Depend On Our Peace Of Mind.

If You Utilize Obstacles Properly, Then They Strengthen Your Courage, And They Also Give You More Intelligence, More Wisdom.

Man Surprised Me Most About Humanity.because He Sacrifices His Health In Order To Make Money. Then He Sacrifices Money To Recuperate His Health.and Then He Is So Anxious About The Future That He Does Not Enjoy The Present; The Result Being That He Does Not Live In The Present Or The Future; He Lives As If He Is Never Going To Die, And Then Dies Having Never Really Lived.

Those Who Have Little Interest In Spirituality Shouldn’t Think That Human Inner Values Don’t Apply To You. The Inner Peace Of An Alert And Calm Mind Are The Source Of Real Happiness And Good Health. Our Human Intelligence Tells Us Which Of Our Emotions Are Positive And Helpful And Which Are Damaging And To Be Restrained Or Avoided.

You Must Not Procrastinate. Rather, You Should Make Preparations So That Even If You Did Die Tonight, You Would Have No Regrets. If You Develop An Appreciation For The Uncertainty And Imminence Of Death, Your Sense Of The Importance Of Using Your Time Wisely Will Get Stronger And Stronger.

Procrastination

There Is No Way To Escape Death, It Is Just Like Trying To Escape By Four Great Mountains Touching Sky. There Is No Escape From These Four Mountains Of Birth, Old Age, Sickness And Death.

The Key Point Is Kindness. With Kindness One Will Have Inner Peace. Through Inner Peace, World Peace Can One Day Be A Reality.

We All Have The Potential To Show Others Love And Affection, But As We Progress In Our Materialistic World, These Values Tend To Remain Dormant. We Can Develop Them On The Basis Of Common Sense, Common Experience And Scientific Findings. The Response To The Recent Tragedy In The Philippines Is An Example Of How Such Values Are Awakened; People Helped Simply Because Others Are Suffering And In Need Of Support.

The Lessons We Have Begun To Learn Make Me Hopeful, That Human Beings Will Become Friendlier, More Harmonious, Less Harmful. Compassion And The Seeds Of Peace Will Be Able To Flourish. At The Same Time, Every Individual Is Responsible To Help Guide Our Global Family In The Right Direction. Good Wishes Alone Are Not Enough; We Have To Take Responsibility. Large Human Movements Spring From Individual Human Initiatives

Life Does Not Wait: Whether We Spend Our Lives Meaningfully Or Not, The Time Will Be Used Up Moment By Moment.

Meaning Of Life

As Long As We Observe Love For Others And Respect For Their Rights And Dignity In Our Daily Lives, Then Whether We Are Learned Or Unlearned, Whether We Believe In The Buddha Or God, Follow Some Religion Or None At All, As Long As We Have Compassion For Others And Conduct Ourselves With Restraint Out Of A Sense Of Responsibility, There Is No Doubt We Will Be Happy.

Nowadays, We Are Confronted By A Huge Gap Between Rich And Poor. This Is Not Only Morally Wrong, But Practically A Mistake. It Leads To The Rich Living In Anxiety And The Poor Living In Frustration, Which Has The Potential To Lead To More Violence. We Have To Work To Reduce This Gap. It's Truly Unfair That Some People Should Have So Much While Others Go Hungry.

The Fact That There Is Always A Positive Side To Life Is The One Thing That Gives Me A Lot Of Happiness.

As Human, We All Have The Same Human Potential, Unless There Is Some Sort Of Retarded Brain Function. The Wonderful Human Brain Is The Source Of Our Strength And The Source Of Our Future, Provided We Utilize It In The Right Direction. If We Use The Brilliant Human Mind In The Wrong Way, It Is Really A Disaster.

I Hope That At This Moment You Are Thinking Of Yourself As A Human Being Rather Than As An American, Asian, European, African, Or Member Of Any Particular Country. These Loyalties Are Secondary.

Thinking Of You

Even When A Person Has All Of Life's Comforts - Good Food, Good Shelter, A Companion - He Or She Can Still Become Unhappy When Encountering A Tragic Situation.

I Believe Compassion To Be One Of The Few Things We Can Practice That Will Bring Immediate And Long-term Happiness To Our Lives. I'm Not Talking About The Short-term Gratification Of Pleasures Like Sex, Drugs Or Gambling (though I'm Not Knocking Them), But Something That Will Bring True And Lasting Happiness. The Kind That Sticks.

The Problem Isn't Materialism As Such. Rather It Is The Underlying Assumption That Full Satisfaction Can Arise From Gratifying The Senses Alone. Unlike Animals Whose Quest For Happiness Is Restricted To Survival And To The Immediate Gratification Of Sensory Desires, We Human Beings Have The Capacity To Experience Happiness At A Deeper Level Which, When Achieved, Can Overwhelm Unhappy Experiences.

When You Are Discontent, You Always Want More, More, More. Your Desire Can Never Be Satisfied. But When You Practice Contentment, You Can Say To Yourself, 'oh Yes - I Already Have Everything That I Really Need.'

If There Are Sound Reasons Or Bases For The Points You Demand, Then There Is No Need For Violence. On The Other Hand, When There Is No Sound Reason That Concessions Should Be Made To You But Mainly Your Own Desire, Then Reason Cannot Work And You Have To Rely On Force. Thus Using Force Is Not A Sign Of Strength But Rather A Sign Of Weakness.

In Today’s Interconnected And Globalized World, It Is Now Commonplace For People Of Dissimilar World Views, Faiths And Races To Live Side By Side. It Is A Matter Of Great Urgency, Therefore, That We Find Ways To Cooperate With One Another In A Spirit Of Mutual Acceptance And Respect.

Only Through The Development Of Mutual Respect, And In A Spirit Of Truth, Can Friendship Come About. By These Means It Is Possible To Move Human Minds, But Never By Force.

It Is Very Wrong For People To Feel Deeply Sad When They Lose Some Money, Yet When They Waste The Precious Moments Of Their Lives They Do Not Have The Slightest Feeling Of Repentance.

Mentally, Physically And Emotionally We Are The Same. We Each Have The Potential To Good And Bad And To Be Overcome By Disturbing Emotions Such As Anger, Fear, Hatred, Suspicion And Greed. These Emotions Can Be The Cause Of Many Problems. On The Other Hand If You Cultivate Loving Kindness, Compassion And Concern For Others, There Will Be No Room For Anger, Hatred And Jealousy.

Every Noble Work Is Bound To Face Problems And Obstacles. It Is Important To Check Your Goal And Motivation Thoroughly. One Should Be Very Truthful, Honest, And Reasonable. One's Actions Should Be Good For Others, And For Oneself As Well. Once A Positive Goal Is Chosen, You Should Decide To Pursue It All The Way To The End. Even If It Is Not Realized, At Least There Will Be No Regret.

One Thing I Want To Make Clear, As Far As My Own Rebirth Is Concerned, The Final Authority Is Myself And No One Else, And Obviously Not China's Communists.

Many People Today Agree That We Need To Reduce Violence In Our Society. If We Are Truly Serious About This, We Must Deal With The Roots Of Violence, Particularly Those That Exist Within Each Of Us. We Need To Embrace 'inner Disarmament,' Reducing Our Own Emotions Of Suspicion, Hatred And Hostility Toward Our Brothers And Sisters

Compassion Is Something We Can Count On. Even If We Face Economic Problems And Our Fortunes Decline, We Can Still Share Our Compassion With Our Fellow Human Beings. National And Global Economies Are Subject To Many Ups And Downs, But Through Them All We Can Retain A Compassionate Attitude That Will Carry Us Through.

Nonviolence Is The Only Way. Even If You Achieve Your Goal By Violent Means There Are Always Side Effects, And These Can Be Worse Than The Problem. Violence Is Against Human Nature.

When The Days Become Longer And There Is More Sunshine, The Grass Becomes Fresh And, Consequently, We Feel Very Happy. On The Other Hand, In Autumn, One Leaf Falls Down And Another Leaf Falls Down. The Beautiful Plants Become As If Dead And We Do Not Feel Very Happy. Why? I Think It Is Because Deep Down Our Human Nature Likes Construction, And Does Not Like Destruction. Naturally, Every Action Which Is Destructive Is Against Human Nature. Constructiveness Is The Human Way. Therefore, I Think That In Terms Of Basic Human Feeling, Violence Is Not Good. Non-violence Is The Only Way.

Being Concerned About Other People Is Especially Relevant In Today's World. If We Consider The Complex Inter-connected Ness Of Our Modern Lives, How We Depend On Others And Others Depend On Us, Our Outlook Will Change. We’ll Begin To See 'others' Not As Somehow Distant From Us, But As People We Are In Touch With, People Close To Us; We Will No Longer Feel Indifferent To Them.

If Your Life Becomes Only A Medium Of Production, Then Many Of The Good Human Values And Characteristics Will Be Lost.

Characteristics

If You Help Others With Sincere Motivation And Sincere Concern, That Will Bring You More Fortune, More Friends, More Smiles, And More Success. If You Forget About Others' Rights And Neglect Others' Welfare, Ultimately You Will Be Very Lonely.

The Purpose Of Life Is To Be Happy.

Purpose Of Life

The Ultimate Authority Must Always Rest With The Individual's Own Reason And Critical Analysis.

We Have Always Been A Nation Different From The Chinese. Long Ago We Fought Wars With Them.

The Mind Must Be Developed By You Alone. There Is No Way For Others To Do The Work And For You To Reap The Results. Reading Someone Else's Blueprint Of Mental Progress Will Not Transfer Its Realizations To You. You Have To Develop Them Yourself.

Our Business Is To Be Happy.

Our State Of Mind Plays A Major Role In Our Day-to-day Experiences As Well As Our Physical And Mental Well-being. If A Person Has A Calm And Stable Mind, This Influences His Or Her Attitude And Behavior In Relation To Others. In Other Words, If Someone Remains In A Peaceful And Tranquil State Of Mind, External Surroundings Can Cause Them Only A Limited Disturbance.

Of Course, When I Say That Human Nature Is Gentleness, It Is Not 100 Percent So. Every Human Being Has That Nature, But There Are Many People Acting Against Their Nature, Being False.

The Way To Change Others' Minds Is With Affection, And Not Anger.

If We Continue To Approach Problems From The Perspective Of Temporary Expediency, Future Generations Will Face Tremendous Difficulties.

Out Of 6 Billion Humans, The Troublemakers Are Just A Handful.

If Scientific Analysis Were Conclusively To Demonstrate Certain Claims In Buddhism To Be False, Then We Must Accept The Findings Of Science And Abandon Those Claims.

Take Into Account That Great Love And Great Achievements Involve Great Risk.

The Truly Good Gaze Upon Everything With Love And Understanding.

There Is Soul Music, Soul Food, And Soul Love.

Food For The Soul

One Who Is Caught In Thought Loses One's Original Nature. All He Knows Are Words And Descriptions. When He Sees The Actual Thing, He Fails To Perceive It.

Our Ancient Experience Confirms At Every Point That Everything Is Linked Together, Everything Is Inseparable.

Peace Starts Within Each One Of Us. When We Have Inner Peace, We Can Be At Peace With Those Around Us. When Our Community Is In A State Of Peace, It Can Share Peace With Neighboring Communities, And So On. When We Feel Love And Kindness Towards Others, It Not Only Makes Others Feel Loved And Cared For, But It Helps Us Also To Develop Inner Happiness And Peace.

...it Becomes Clear That, Given Our Diversity, No Single Religion Satisfies All Humanity. ... And Since The Majority Does Not Practice Religion, I Am Concerned To Try To Find A Way To Serve All Humanity Without Appealing To Religious Faith.

I Am Not Promoting Buddhism. I Am Promoting Human Values.

I Became The Dalai Lama Not On A Volunteer Basis.

If Someone Remains In A Peaceful And Tranquil State Of Mind, External Surroundings Can Cause Them Only A Limited Disturbance.

Our Prime Purpose In Life Is To Serve Others.

Purpose Of Life

Under The Bright Sun, Many Of Us Are Gathered Together With Different Languages, Different Styles Of Dress, Even Different Faiths. However, All Of Us Are The Same In Being Humans, And We All Uniquely Have The Thought Of 'i' And We're All The Same In Wanting Happiness And In Wanting To Avoid Suffering.

Material Progress And A Higher Standard Of Living Bring Us Greater Comfort And Health, But Do Not Lead To A Transformation Of The Mind, Which Is The Only Thing Capable Of Providing Lasting Peace. Profound Happiness, Unlike Fleeting Pleasures, Is Spiritual In Nature. It Depends On The Happiness Of Others And It Is Based On Love And Affection.

In Some Respects I Have Been The Most Unlucky Because I Have Spent More Time Living As A Refugee Outside My Country Than I Have Spent In Tibet. On The Other Hand, It Has Been Very Rewarding For Me To Live In A Democracy And To Learn About The World In A Way That We Tibetans Had Never Known Before.

What Is The Purpose Of Life? I Believe That The Purpose Of Life Is To Be Happy.

When I Look At Birds And Animals, Their Survival Is Without Rules, Without Conditions, Without Organization. But Mothers Take Good Care Of Their Offspring. That's Nature. In Human Beings Also, Parents - Particularly Mothers - And Children Have A Special Bond. Mother's Milk Is A Sign Of This Affection. We Are Created That Way. The Child's Survival Is Entirely Dependent On Someone Else's Affection. So, Basically, Each Individual's Survival Or Future Depends On Society. We Need These Human Values.

When Seen From Outer Space, Our Beautiful Blue Planet Has No National Boundaries.

Happiness Can Be Achieved Through Training The Mind.

Silence Is Sometimes The Best Answer

Religious Belief Is Not A Precondition Either Of Ethical Conduct Or Of Happiness.

Consider That Not Only Do Negative Thoughts And Emotions Destroy Our Experience Of Peace, They Also Undermine Our Health.

Whether One Is Rich Or Poor, Educated Or Illiterate, Religious Or Nonbelieving, Man Or Woman, Black, White, Or Brown, We Are All The Same. Physically, Emotionally, And Mentally, We Are All Equal. We All Share Basic Needs For Food, Shelter, Safety, And Love. We All Aspire To Happiness And We All Shun Suffering. Each Of Us Has Hopes, Worries, Fears, And Dreams. Each Of Us Wants The Best For Our Family And Loved Ones. We All Experience Pain When We Suffer Loss And Joy When We Achieve What We Seek. On This Fundamental Level, Religion, Ethnicity, Culture, And Language Make No Difference.

If You Can Cultivate Wholesome Mental States Prior To Sleep And Allow Them To Continue Right Into Sleep Without Getting Distracted, Then Sleep Itself Becomes Wholesome.

If I Had Not Been A Monk, I Would Have Become An Engineer.

On The Philosophical Level, Both Buddhism And Modern Science Share A Deep Suspicion Of Any Notion Of Absolutes, Whether Conceptualize As A Transcendent Being, As An Eternal, Unchanging Principle Such As Soul, Or As A Fundamental Substratum Of Reality. ... In The Buddhist Investigation Of Reality, At Least In Principle, Empirical Evidence Should Triumph Over Scriptural Authority, No Matter How Deeply Venerated A Scripture May Be.

Up To Now My Involvement In The Tibetan Freedom Struggle Has Been Part Of My Spiritual Practice, Because The Issues Of The Survival Of The Buddha Teaching And The Freedom Of Tibet Are Very Much Related. In This Particular Struggle, There Is No Problem With Many Monks And Nuns, Including Myself, Joining.

Basically We Are All The Same Human Beings With The Same Potential To Be A Good Human Being Or A Bad Human Being. The Important Thing Is To Realize The Positive Side And Try To Increase That; Realize The Negative Side And Try To Reduce. That's The Way.

If We Human Beings Rely Only On Material Development, We Can’t Be Sure Of A Positive Outcome. Employing Technology Motivated By Anger And Hatred Is Likely To Be Destructive. It Will Only Be Beneficial If We Seek The Welfare Of All Beings. Human Beings Are The Only Species With The Potential To Destroy The World. Because Of The Risks Of Unrestrained Desire And Greed We Need To Cultivate Contentment And Simplicity.

Trending Author

Salva Kiir Mayardit

Christopher Meloni

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Neil Abercrombie

Suzanne Farrell

Category