Quote Archives: 14th Dalai Lama

 

Becoming actively engaged ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged. 14th Dalai Lama

Peace and religious harmony ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Peace and religious harmony come about through taking action, not necessarily through making prayers and good wishes. In order to carry action out, enthusiasm is very important, and enthusiasm comes from being clear about our goal and the possibility of our fulfilling it. Here, we need educate young people about our ultimate goal, peace in […]

Benefit of love ~ 14th Dalai Lama

When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. 14th Dalai Lama

Genuine smiles ~ 14th Dalai Lama

I love smiles. Because of this I have the problem of knowing how to make more friends and how to get more smiles, in particular, genuine smiles. For there are many kinds of smile, such as sarcastic, artificial or diplomatic smiles. Many smiles produce no feeling of satisfaction, and sometimes they can even create suspicion […]

The value of having a good heart ~ 14th Dalai Lama

I try always to express the value of having a good heart. This simple aspect of human nature can be nourished to great power. With a good heart and wisdom you have right motivation and will automatically do what needs to be done. If people begin to act with genuine compassion for every one, we […]

Love ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Even more important than the warmth and affection we receive,is the warmth and affection we give. It is by giving warmth and affection, by having a genuine sense of concern for others, in other words through compassion, that we gain the conditions for genuine happiness. More important than being loved, therefore, is to love. 14th […]

Unfindability ~ 14th Dalai Lama

So what is emptiness? It is simply this unfindability. When we look for the flower among its parts, we are confronted with the absence of such a flower. That absence we are confronted with is the flower’s emptiness. But then, is there no flower? Of course there is. To seek for the core of any […]

Invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience. 14th Dalai Lama

Putting the mind at ease ~ 14th Dalai Lama

From my own limited experience, I have found that the greatest inner tranquility comes from developing love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts our mind at ease. It helps remove our own fears and […]

Scrutinize appearances ~ 14th Dalai Lama

No matter what our mind makes appear as an object of one of our six collections of consciousness — sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile or bodily sensations, or mental objects or events — we thoroughly scrutinize its mode of appearance. Our mind is making it appear as though its existence were established by virtue of […]

Generosity ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness. 14th Dalai Lama

The ultimate authority ~ 14th Dalai Lama

The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual’s own reason and critical analysis. 14th Dalai Lama

The principle of dependent origination ~ 14th Dalai Lama

We learn from the principle of dependent origination that things and events do not come into being without causes. Suffering and unsatisfactory conditions are caused by our own delusions and the contaminated actions induced by them. 14th Dalai Lama

Realizing emptiness ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Since emptiness, from between positive and negative phenomena, is a negative phenomenon and, from between affirming negatives and non-affirming negatives, is a non-affirming negative, when it appears to the mind, nothing will appear except an absence of such inherent existence—a mere elimination of the object of negation. Thus, for the mind of a person realizing […]

Practicing Compassion ~ 14th Dalai Lama

My earnest request is that you practice compassion, whether you believe in a religion or not. Through this practice, you will come to realize the value of compassion for your own peace of mind. The very atmosphere of your own life becomes happier, which promotes good health, perhaps even a longer life. By developing a […]

Never give up ~ 14th Dalai Lama

In the face of all the challenges we face today, is my optimism about the future of humanity idealistic? Perhaps it is. Is it unrealistic? Certainly not. To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What […]

Something is seriously lacking ~ 14th Dalai Lama

It is clear that something is seriously lacking in the way we humans are going about things. But what is it that we lack? The fundamental problem, I believe, is that at every level we are giving too much attention to the external, material aspects of life while neglecting moral ethics and inner values. By […]

Recognizing the discrepancy between appearance and reality ~ 14th Dalai Lama

Because all phenomena appear to exist in their own right, all of our ordinary perceptions are mistaken. Only when emptiness is directly realized during completely focused meditation is there no false appearance. At that time, the dualism of subject and object has vanished, as has the appearance of multiplicity; only emptiness appears. After you rise […]

Approaching others with the thought of compassion ~ 14th Dalai Lama

People often expect the other person to respond first in a positive way, instead of taking the initiative to create that possibility. I feel that’s wrong; it can act as a barrier that just promotes a feeling of isolation from others. To overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness, your underlying attitude makes a tremendous difference […]