I always believe that it is much better to have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophies, rather than one single religion or philosophy. This is necessary because of the different mental dispositions of each human being. Each religion has certain unique ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only enrich one's own faith.
Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Some years ago I met some scientists in the United States who said that the rate of mental illness in their country was quite high - around twelve percent of the population. It became clear during our discussion that the main cause of the depression was not a lack of material necessities but a deprivation of the affection of others. This is very sad. Humans are not solitary animals that associate only in order to mate.
Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Perhaps you may know that my usual way (of) meeting with people (is) completely informal. I think the very purpose of meeting is connection, or contact, person to person. So formality sometimes becomes (an) additional barrier.
Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing.
A consciousness that conceives of inherent existence does not have a valid foundation. A wise consciousness, grounded in reality, understands that living beings and other phenomena - minds, bodies, building, and so forth - do not inherently exist. This is the wisdom of emptiness. Understanding reality exactly opposite to the misconception of inherent existence, wisdom gradually overcomes ignorance.
Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Great compassion and wisdom are the chief qualities of the Buddha. Even in worldly terms, the more intelligent and knowledgeable a person is, the more the person commands respect. Similarly, the more compassionate, kind, and gentle a person, the more he or she should be respected. So if you are able to develop that intelligence and altruism to their fullest extent, then you are truly admirable and deserve to be respected.
Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing.
This may sound naive, but the only way to stop terror is through altruism. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
In trying to determine the source of one's problems, it seems that the Western approach differs in some respects from the Buddhist approach. Underlying all Western modes of analysis is a very strong rationalistic tendency - an assumption that everything...
People who fight with other human beings out of anger, hatred, and strong emotion, even if they gain victory over their enemies in battle, are not in reality true heroes. What they are doing is slaying corpses, because human beings,...
What I believe, according to my own experience, is that a calm, peaceful mind is a very important element for sustaining the body in a balanced way. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
Decisions become wrong decisions under the influence of inner armament. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
We must find a way to present basic human values to everyone - and present them not as religious matters but as secular ethics that are essential whether you are religious or not. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar,"...
Buddhism is essentially a practical doctrine. In addressing the fundamental problem of human suffering, it does not insist on a single solution. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
The earth is, to a certain extent, our mother. She is so kind, because whatever we do, she tolerates it. But now, the time has come when our power to destroy is so extreme that Mother Earth is compelled to...
Along with love, compassion is the face of altruism. It is a feeling from deep in the heart that you cannot bear others' sufferings without acting to relieve it. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews...
Cultivating inner discipline is a time-consuming process. Having expectations of immediate results is a sign of impatience. Ironically, what the modern man wants is the best, the fastest, the easiest, and, if possible, the cheapest way. Insight From the Dalai...
Anger plays no small role in current conflicts such as those in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the North-South problem, and so forth. These conflicts arise from a failure to understand one another's humanness. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007...
We can see that all the desirable experiences that we cherish or aspire to attain are dependent upon cooperation and interaction with other sentient beings. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
I am optimistic that the ancient values that have sustained mankind are today reaffirming themselves to prepare us for a kinder, happier twenty-first century. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
Nowadays the world is becoming increasingly materialistic, and mankind is reaching toward the very zenith of external progress, driven by an insatiable desire for power and vast possessions. Yet by this vain striving for perfection in a world where everything...
As a Buddhist monk, my concern extends to all members of the human family and, indeed, to all sentient beings who suffer. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of...
To generate the type of love and compassion that motivates you to seek Buddhahood, not for yourself but for the sake of others, first you must confront suffering by identifying its types. This is the first noble truth. Insight From...
Emptiness should be understood in the context of dependent arising and it should evoke a sense of fullness, of things created by causes and conditions. We shouldn't think that self is something that is originally there and then eliminated in...
I think in our daily experience, daily life, when we develop strong emotions, then we can't see the reality. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
In every part of the world, there are people who really speak about human rights, and speak about the right of self-determination, and rights of animals. All of these are, I think, signs of positive change. Insight From the Dalai...
When we apply our reason in addressing a problem, we have to be vigilant in ensuring that we remain honest, self-aware, and unbiased; the danger otherwise is that we may fall victim to self-delusion. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007...
The practice of compassion and wisdom is useful to all, especially to those responsible for running national affairs, in whose hands lay the power and opportunity to create the structure of world peace. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar,"...
Although none of our Buddhist societies developed anything like democracy in their systems of government, I personally have great admiration for secular democracy. When Tibet was still free, we cultivated our natural isolation, mistakenly thinking that we could prolong our...
"Who is more important, you or others? The conclusion is clear; even if minor suffering happens to all others, its range is infinite, whereas when something happens to me, it is limited to just one person. When we look at...
The idea that people can live together freely as individuals, equal in principle and therefore responsible for each other, essentially agrees with the Buddhist disposition. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
Basically, universal responsibility is feeling for other people's suffering just as we feel our own. It is the realization that even our enemy is entirely motivated by the quest for happiness. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright ©...
Students who become overly attached to one subject become lopsided; many subjects need to be studied. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
Compassion is the pillar of world peace. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
In order to have genuine faith, you need to have one truth, one religion. But that does not mean you lose respect for those of other traditions. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. On the level of a religious practitioner, my second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding amongst different religious traditions. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007...
The essential feature of true compassion is that it is universal and not discriminatory. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
I hope that you at this moment will think of yourself as a human being rather than as an American, Asian, European, African, or member of any particular country. These loyalties are secondary. If you and I find common ground...
When people get angry they lose all sense of happiness. Even if they are good-looking and normally peaceful, their faces turn livid and ugly. Anger upsets their physical well-being and disturbs their rest; it destroys their appetites and makes them...
It is not until we understand the law of karma, or cause and effect, that we are inspired to embark on the path to end suffering. Negative thoughts and actions produce negative results and conditions, just as positive thoughts and...
I believe that no one is born free from the need for love. And this demonstrates that, although some modern schools of thought seek to do so, human beings cannot be defined as solely physical. No material object, however beautiful...
One of the most powerful visions I have experienced was the first photograph of the Earth from outer space. The image of a blue planet floating in deep space, glowing like the full moon on a clear night, brought home...
To deepen your gratitude toward all people, it is helpful to reflect on the unintended kindness of those who provide goods and services without necessarily knowing the names or faces of those whom they serve. In this life there are...
Wherever I go, with whomever I go may I see myself as less than all others, and from the depth of my heart may I consider them supremely precious. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews...
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...
Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
Whether they belong to more evolved species like humans or to simpler ones such as animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort, and security. Life is as dear to the mute animal as it is to any human being; even...
It is ironic that the more serious problems emanate from the more industrially advanced societies. Science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, but the basic human problems remain. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006,...
It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past, which resulted from ignorance. Today, however, we have access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and...
Regardless of race, creed, ideology, political bloc (East and West), or economic region (North and South), the most important and basic aspect of all people is their shared humanity, the fact that each person - old, young, rich, poor, educated,...
Sometimes it's very difficult to explain why people do the things they do...You'll often find that there are no simple explanations. If we were to go into the details of individual lives, since a human being's mind is so complex,...
In Tibet we say that many illnesses can be cured by the one medicine of love and compassion. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
We are all on this planet together. We are all brothers and sisters with the same physical and mental faculties, the same problems, and the same needs. We must all contribute to the fulfillment of the human potential and the...
Anger needs to be controlled, but not hidden from yourself. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
In the Buddhist view, hatred, anger, and desire are afflictive emotions, which simply means they tend to cause us discomfort. The discomfort arises from the mental unease that follows the expression of these emotions. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007...
What do we understand by meditation? From the Buddhist point of view, meditation is a spiritual discipline, and one that allows you to have some degree of control over your thoughts and emotions. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar,"...
In the interests of everyone, the artist has a responsibility to use his medium well. In the Tibetan culture, most of the paintings are of deities or Buddhas, and they try to send a message of the value of the...
The fundamental cause of suffering is ignorance - the mistaken apprehension that living beings and objects inherently exist. Insight From the Dalai Lama: 2007 Calendar," Copyright © 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing....
If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its...
It is easier to generate compassion while visualizing a sentient being who is very destitute, but we need also to reflect on persons who do not seem to be suffering at all, but who are in truth acting in ways...
If one feels very profound compassion, this already implies an intimate connection with another person. It is said in our scriptures that we are to cultivate love just like that of a mother toward her only child. This is very...
In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. Thirdly, I am a Tibetan and carry the name of the Dalai Lama. Tibetans place their trust in me. Therefore, my third commitment is to the Tibetan issue....
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