Why the world needs more compassion and kindness.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is now the second most recognized person in the world. Why? Because for the past 40 years he has traveled the world—selflessly and with no personal agenda—seeking to spread compassion and kindness.
We need a little more compassion, and if we cannot have it then no politician or even magician can save the planet.
As long as space endures, as long as sentient beings remain, until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
As we wrote last week, the practice of bodhichitta altruistically seeks personal enlightenment in order to bring happiness to others. There is probably no one on the face of the earth who better exemplifies the practice of bodhichitta than the Dalai Lama.
We list below some of his more profound words of wisdom:
Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.
Our self-centeredness, our distinctive attachment to the feeling of an independent “I” works to inhibit our compassion. True compassion can only develop and grow as such self-grasping is reduced and eventually eliminated.
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The reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another.
With kindness, with love and compassion, with this feeling that is the essence of brotherhood, sisterhood, one will have inner peace. This compassionate feeling is the basis of inner peace.
Since at the beginning and end of our lives we are completely dependent on the kindness of others, how can it be that in the middle we would neglect kindness toward others?
Changes in attitudes never come easily. The development of love and compassion is a wide, round curve that can be negotiated only slowly, not a sharp corner that can be turned all at once. It comes with daily practice.
Controlled energy comes not only from a compassionate attitude, but also from reason and patience. They are the most powerful antidotes to anger. Many people misjudge these qualities as signs of weakness. I believe just the opposite—they are the true signs of inner strength.
The motivation of all religious practice is similar—love, sincerity, honesty. If we put too much emphasis on our own philosophy, religion, or theory and try to impose it on other people, it makes trouble.
All of Buddha’s teachings can be expressed in two sentences. “You must help others” and “If you can’t help, you should not harm others.”
For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential and for that an enemy is indispensable. So we should feel grateful to our enemies for it is they who can best help us develop a tranquil mind.
This is my simple religion: There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
I believe that at every level of society—familial, tribal, national, and international—the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor believe in an ideology. Only develop our good human qualities.
We are at the dawn of an age in which extreme political concepts and dogmas may cease to dominate human affairs. We must use this historic opportunity to replace them with universal human and spiritual values. And ensure that these values become the fiber of the global family which is emerging.
If the mind is dominated by hatred, the best part of the brain, which is used to judge right and wrong, does not function properly.
No material object, however beautiful or valuable, can make us feel love, because our deeper identity and true character lie in the subjective nature of the mind.
I am often moved by the example of small insects, such as bees. The laws of nature dictate that bees work together in order to survive. As a result they possess an instinctive sense of social responsibility. They have no constitution, laws, police, religion, or moral training, but because of their nature they labor faithfully together.
Occasionally they may fight, but in general the whole colony survives on the basis of cooperation. Human beings, on the other hand, have constitutions, vast legal systems, and police forces. We have religion, remarkable intelligence, and a heart with a great capacity to love.
But despite our many extraordinary qualities, in actual practice, we lag behind these small insects. In some ways I feel we are poorer than the bees.
At daybreak if the weather is fine, I go into the garden. This time of day is very special to me. The sky is clear, I see the stars, and I have this special feeling—of my insignificance in the cosmos, the realization of what we Buddhists call impermanence.
In order to achieve genuine, lasting world peace based on compassion, we need a sense of universal responsibility. First, we have to try inner disarmament—reducing our own anger and hatred while increasing mutual trust and human affection.
If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self-worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others. If you have this basic quality of kindness or good heart, then all other things, such as education and ability, will go in the right direction.
There’s no shop that sells kindness, you must build it within. You can transplant hearts, but you cannot transplant a warm heart.
When we die nothing can be taken with us but the seeds of our life’s work and our spiritual knowledge.
The rationale for loving others is the recognition of the simple fact that every living being has the same right to and the same desire for happiness, and not suffering, and the consideration that you as one individual are one life unit as compared with the multitude of others in their ceaseless quest for happiness.
The basic sources of happiness are a good heart, compassion, and love. If we have those mental attitudes, even if we are surrounded by hostility, we feel little disturbance. On the other hand, if we lack compassion and our mental state is filled with anger or hatred, we will not have peace.
If one assumes a humble attitude, one’s own qualities will increase. Whereas if one is proud, one will become jealous of others, one will look down on others, and due to that there will be unhappiness in society.
I think when tragic things happen it is on the surface. It’s like the ocean. On the surface a wave comes and sometimes the wave is very serious and strong. But it comes and goes, comes and goes, and underneath, the ocean always remains calm. Tibetans have a saying: “If bad news comes you listen here” (points to the right ear), “and let it out here” (points to the left ear).
There are two types of competitive behavior. One is a sense of competition because you want to be at the top. You create obstacles and harm someone. That competition is negative. But there is a positive kind of competition which benefits the individual, the competitors, and the economy. Let your competitors also grow, without any sense of harming them.
Sometimes religion becomes yet another source for more division and even open conflict. Because of that situation, I feel the different religious traditions have a great responsibility to provide peace of mind and a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood among humanity.