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2006
- December 30
It wouldn't be bad if you didn't have statues, but it has become indispensable to have Buddhist texts which deal with the structured path to train our mind. If you have Buddhist texts, read them for yourselves and to friends who visit. That way you can help others to understand Buddhist ideas. For instance, it is interesting to read Milarepa's life story and songs. We find in them many enlightening lessons. Buddha's image alone will not purify us of karmic obscuration.... It is very important to study the scriptures. They are not to be just stacked up on the altar. They must be cultivated in our mind. ...[we] take great interest in having the symbolic representations of Buddha's body, speech and mind. I feel it is more important to acquire and read scriptures, the symbolic representations of his speech. You can pay homage to them, you can make offerings to them; above all, you should study them.
--from Generous Wisdom: Commentaries of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV on the Jatakamala Garland of Birth Stories
- December 23
Question: When a practitioner of the Great Vehicle vows not to enter into nirvana until all beings are liberated, how is it possible to fulfill this vow?
Dalai Lama: Three modes of generating an altruistic intention to become enlightened are described—like a king, like a boatman, and like a shepherd. In the first, that like a king, one first seeks to attain a high state after which help can be given to others. In the second, like a boatman, one seeks to cross the river of suffering together with others. In the third, like a shepherd, one seeks to relieve the flock of suffering beings from pain first, oneself following afterward. These are indications of the style of the altruistic motivation for becoming enlightened; in actual fact, there is no way that a Bodhisattva either would want to or could delay achieving full enlightenment. As much as the motivation to help others increases, so much closer does one approach Buddhahood.
--from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- December 15
If we are feeling very nervous all the time, the first step toward doing something to remedy the situation is to take ourselves and the quality of our life seriously. Suppose we are walking down the street and we step on a bug and partially crush but have not actually killed it. If we continue walking and ignore the bug's experience of its leg being crushed or severed, we do so because we do not take the insect and its life seriously. We have no respect for it. If we treat ourselves no better than we do a bug and ignore our innermost pains and anguish, that is most unfortunate.
Taking ourselves seriously means actually looking at how we are experiencing our life and, if there is something unsatisfactory about it, admitting it to ourselves. Our tension and stress do not go away by denying them or avoiding taking an honest look. And admitting that something is amiss is not the same as complaining about it and feeling sorry for ourselves. Nor does it imply that something is fundamentally wrong with us and we are guilty of being a bad person because we are nervous. Being objective, not melodramatic, and remaining non-judgmental are essential for any healing, spiritual process.
--from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
- December 9
Dalai Lama: "In the traditional [Tibetan] society, most people automatically did the types of work their families did--nomads, farmers, merchants, and so on. But some people still engaged in work that was not in keeping with the principle of nonharm, because there are butchers, metal smiths who make swords, and so on. But these kinds of work were also generally hereditary."
Howard Cutler: "Speaking of work and the implementation of the concept of nonharm, ...you mentioned that there was a rule in Tibet that any new invention had to guarantee that it was beneficial or at least not harmful for at least seven generations."
DL: "...there do seem to be certain practices and policies that successive Tibetan governments adopted in Tibet that reflect putting into practice certain Buddhist ideals, such as the Buddhist principle of respecting the natural world, particularly the animal world. For example, all the communities living near the Yamdrok Lake used to rely heavily on fishing in the past. Recently I heard about a policy that was adopted during the Fifth Dalai Lama's time where they were discouraged from fishing, and in order to compensate them, some other communities would band together and provide them an equivalent value in grain, so that they would be compensated against their loss. Similarly, in the area near Mount Kailash, around Lake Manasarovar during a particular season, a lot of waterfowl migrate there. They lay their eggs on the shores and apparently there was a government policy that during the egg-laying season, they would appoint people to watch over the eggs to make sure they were safe. Of course, there might be individuals who in addition to taking the salary probably ate some of the eggs as well. These things happen. But overall there is this kind of attitude of nonharm. "So, even though in Tibet, people didn't always follow the principle of nonharm in their work ...this principle was still deeply ingrained in the people.
"In general, I think this could be applied in the West. Although not everybody has options about the work that they do, at least I think it is good to give serious thought to the kind of work one does, and the impact it has on others. I think it is best to choose work that does not cause harm to others, that does not exploit or deceive others, either directly or indirectly. I think that's the best way."
--from The Art of Happiness at Work
- December 2
...there are various factors that contribute to attaining that level of joy and happiness which we conventionally also recognize as sources of happiness, such as good physical health, ...the wealth that we accumulate, ...and a circle of friends we trust and with whom we can relate emotionally.
Now all of these are, in reality, sources of happiness, but in order for one to be able to fully utilize them with the goal of enjoying a happy and fulfilled life, one's state of mind is crucial. If one harbors hateful thoughts within, or strong or intense anger somewhere deep down, then it ruins one's health, so it destroys one of the factors. Even if one has wonderful possessions, when one is in an intense moment of anger or hatred, one feels like throwing them—breaking them or throwing them away. So there is no guarantee that wealth alone can give one the joy or fulfillment that one seeks. Similarly, when one is in an intense state of anger or hatred, even a very close friend appears somehow "frosty," cold and distant, or quite annoying.
What this indicates is that our state of mind is crucial in determining whether or not we gain joy and happiness. So leaving aside the perspective of Dharma practice, even in worldly terms, in terms of our enjoying a happy day-to-day existence, the greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, and the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and joyful life.
--from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- November 23
Any sense of conceit or self-importance gets in the way of cultivating the genuine altruistic intention, and the most effective remedy against this is the cultivation of humility. If we look at the examples of the great Kadampa masters, such as Dromtonpa, we find that their entire lives demonstrate the importance of the practice of humility.
I can tell you a more recent story to illustrate this point. The great nineteenth-century Tibetan Dzokchen meditator Dza Patrul Rinpoche always maintained a demeanour of true humility. At one time, when he was giving a series of teachings to a large crowd of students, he experienced a forceful yearning for solitude. So one day he quietly left his residence and disappeared, dressed like an ordinary pilgrim and carrying a walking staff and very little else. When he reached a nomadic camp he sought shelter for a few days with one of the families. While he was staying with them, his hostess asked him to read some texts and, since he looked just like an ordinary pilgrim, in return for his food and lodging she asked him to help with the household chores, which included the disposal of the contents of her chamber pot.
One day, while he was away from the camp attending to this task, some of his well-dressed monk students came looking for him. When his hostess heard their description of him, she suddenly realised this was the same person she had asked to throw away the contents of her chamber pot. (It is said she was so embarrassed that she just ran away!) Such was the humility of this great teacher, who had many thousands of students.
...great practitioners of the altruistic intention also possess a tremendous courage grounded in real inner strength.... This combination of a total lack of conceit yet possessing great depth of courage is what is required in a true practitioner of bodhicitta, the altruistic mind of awakening.
--from Lighting the Way
- November 18
In the realm of matter, one and the same object can serve as a cause of happiness for some living beings, and a cause of suffering for others. Certain plants, for example, function as medicine for some creatures, but for other species they can be poisonous. From the point of view of the object itself there is no difference, but because of the physical constitution and the material state of the particular living being, that single self-same object can affect them in different ways. Then, in the sphere of our own experiences, the same holds true. A certain individual may appear to some as very friendly, kind and gentle, and so gives them feelings of happiness and pleasure. Yet to others that same person can appear harmful and wicked, and so cause them discomfort and unhappiness.
What this kind of example points to is that, although external matter may act as a cause for our experience of pain and pleasure, the principal cause that determines whether we experience happiness or suffering lies within. This is the reason why, when Buddha identified the origin of suffering, he pointed within and not outside, because he knew that the principal causes of our suffering are our own negative emotions and the actions they drive us to do.
--from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- November 11
External disarmament is very, very important. Already, there is some movement. My dream is that one day the whole world will be demilitarized, but we cannot achieve this overnight. Also, we cannot achieve it without a proper, systematic plan; however, it is important to make the target clear. Even though it may take one hundred years, or fifty years, that doesn't matter. Establish a clear idea or clear target; then try to achieve it step by step. As a first step, we have already started with the elimination of antipersonnel mines and biological weapons. Also, we are already reducing nuclear weapons; eventually, there should be a total ban on nuclear weapons. This is now foreseeable; the idea of its possibility is approaching. These are great, hopeful signs.
--from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Nobel Laureates
- November 4
I consider it very important for religion to have an influence on politicians. Politicians need religion much more than pious people who have withdrawn from the world need it. There is a constant increase in the scandals in politics and business that can be traced back to the lack of self-discipline on the part of the responsible parties. In India, the minister-president of West Bengal once said to me with what he considered a humble attitude that he was a politician and not a religious person. I responded to him: politicians need religion more than anyone else.
When hermits in solitude are bad persons, the result is that they harm themselves alone and no one else. But when such influential people as politicians are full of bad intentions, they can bring misfortune to many. This is why religion, as continuous work on our inner maturity, is important for political rulers.
A politician must have moral principles. I am convinced of this. Seen in this light, politics and religion belong together. In the United States, church and state may be separate, but when the president takes office, he makes a vow in the name of God with his hand on the Bible. This means that God should be the witness that the president will conscientiously fulfill his official duties.
--from Path of Wisdom, Path of Peace: A Personal Conversation
- October 28
The environment where you are doing the meditation should be properly cleaned. While cleaning, you should cultivate the motivation that since you are engaged in the task of accumulating great stores of merit by inviting the hosts of buddhas and bodhisattvas to this environment, it is important to have a clean place. You should see that all the external dirt and dust around you is basically a manifestation of the faults and stains within your own mind. You should see that the most important aim is to purge these stains and faults from within your mind. Therefore, as you cleanse the environment, think that you are also purifying your mind. Develop the very strong thought that by cleaning this place you are inviting the host of buddhas and bodhisattvas who are the most supreme merit field, and that you will subsequently engage in a path that will enable you to purge your mind of the stains of delusions.
--from Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation
- October 21
There are many types of meditative stabilisation, but let us explain calm abiding (samatha) here. The nature of calm abiding is the one-pointed abiding on any object without distraction of a mind conjoined with a bliss of physical and mental pliancy. If it is supplemented with taking refuge, it is a Buddhist practice, and if it is supplemented with an aspiration to highest enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, it is a Mahayana practice. Its merits are that, if one has achieved calm abiding, one's mind and body are pervaded by joy and bliss; one can--through the power of its mental and physical pliancy--set the mind on any virtuous object one chooses; and many special qualities such as clairvoyance and emanations are attained.
--from The Buddhism of Tibet
- October 15
When we say that the ignorant mind is perverse or wrong, we are talking about the way it misconceives reality. Now the pertinent questions are: What is reality? How is this mind mistaken about reality? And in what way does the mind wrongly apprehend reality? Reality or emptiness of true existence is something that can be established logically. There are sound, or perfect, reasons to prove the emptiness of inherent existence, and we can gain conviction in these reasons. On the other hand, there is no logical way to prove true existence. True existence is what appears to an ordinary, untrained consciousness. But when it comes under logical scrutiny, true existence cannot be found. Even in our everyday life we often find contradictions between the way certain things appear and their actual mode of existence; that is, the way things actually exist is different from the way they appear to exist.
...Our perception of impermanent things like mountain ranges and houses does not conform to their actual mode of existence. Some of these things have existed for many centuries, even thousands of years. And our minds perceive them in just that way--as lasting and permanent, impervious to momentary change. Yet when we examine these objects on an atomic level, they disintegrate every moment; they undergo momentary change. Science also describes a similar pattern of change. These objects appear solid, stable, and lasting, but in their true nature, they constantly change, not keeping still even for a moment.
--from Stages of Meditation
- October 8
According to some scientists, emotion is not necessarily negative. Emotion is a very strong feeling. While some emotions are destructive, others are constructive. In a meeting with scientists, we concluded that there are emotions even in the Buddha's mind. There is a strong sense of caring and compassion and also the realization of emptiness. In the beginning, there is just a vague feeling of emptiness. At that level, there is no emotion, but once you become more familiar with it, then that feeling increases. At a certain level, the realization of emptiness also becomes a kind of emotion. Therefore, in the practice of developing wisdom and loving-kindness/compassion, you strengthen these inner qualities and then reach a state where you have an upsurge of feeling called emotion. We can clearly see this link between intellect and emotions. Thus, the brain and heart can go side by side. I think this is the Buddhist approach.
--from Many Ways to Nirvana: Reflections and Advice on Right Living
- September 30
As a friend, my request and wish is that...you try to promote a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We must promote compassion and love; this is our real duty. Government has too much business to have time for these things. As private persons we have more time to think along these lines--how to make a contribution to human society by promoting the development of compassion and a real sense of community.
...If someone who easily gets angry tries to control his or her anger, in time it can be controlled. The same is true for a selfish person; first that person must realize the faults of a selfish motivation and the benefit in being less selfish. Having realized this, one trains in it, trying to control the bad side and develop the good. As time goes by, such practice can be effective. This is the only alternative.
Without love, human society is in a very difficult state; without love, in the future we will face tremendous problems. Love is the center of human life.
--from Kindness, Clarity & Insight
- September 24
Question: A person, particularly in the West, must have the foundation of humility, honesty and an ethical way of life. Once one has this foundation, what else does Your Holiness suggest that one cultivate in one's life, if there is the foundation of virtue, ethics and humility?
DL: The next thing to be cultivated is mental stabilization. Ethics is a method to control oneself--it is a defensive action. Our actual enemy, you see, is within ourselves. The afflicted emotions (pride, anger, jealousy) are our real enemies. These are the real trouble makers, and they are to be found within ourselves. The actual practice of religion consists of fighting against these inner enemies.
As in any war, first we must have a defensive action, and in our spiritual fight against the negative emotions, ethics is our defense. Knowing that at first one is not fully prepared for offensive action, we first resort to defensive action and that means ethics. But once one has prepared one's defenses, and has become somewhat accustomed to ethics, then one must launch one's offensive. Here our main weapon is wisdom. This weapon of wisdom is like a bullet, or maybe even a rocket, and the rocket launcher is mental stabilization or calm abiding. In brief, once you have a basis in morality or ethics, the next step is to train in mental stabilization and eventually in wisdom.
--from The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings by and about the Dalai Lama compiled and edited by Sidney Piburn, Forword by Sen. Claiborne Pell
- September 17
...meditation on emptiness begins with gaining a sense of the inherent existence of which phenomena are empty, for without understanding what is negated, you cannot understand its absence, emptiness.
...Through carefully watching how you conceive your self, or "I," to be inherently established, you will determine that the "I" appears to be self-instituting without depending on the collection of the mental and physical aggregates, which are its basis of designation, or without depending on any of them individually, even though the "I" appears with those aggregates. Proper identification of this appearance is the first essential toward realizing selflessness--ascertaining the object of negation.
--from Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats
- September 10
At the moment the world's spiritual traditions have greatly degenerated. It is very important in such times that the practitioners themselves make especially strong efforts to gain realization. To permit the lineages of transmission to disappear is to allow the world to plunge into darkness. The great Vasubandhu wrote, "Buddha, who is like the eye of the world, is no longer to be seen. His great successors, who realized the most profound teachings, also have passed away. Who equals them?" It might be asked, who is there today to equal the master Vasubandhu? Who practices as well as did Milarepa? Such people are rare. We should remember that everything but Dharma is useless at death, and instead of wasting our lives on meaningless activities, we should blend our mindstreams with the teachings and with practice. Doing so benefits us as individuals and benefits the world by strengthening its spiritual basis.
Each of us has to be able to feel the pride that we ourselves can reach perfection, we ourselves can attain enlightenment. When even one person indulges in spiritual practice, it gives encouragement to the guardian spirits of the land, and to the celestial deities who have sworn to uphold goodness. These forces then have the ability to release waves of beneficial effects upon humanity. Thus our practice has many direct and indirect benefits. ...If we practice the teachings and live the ways of Dharma, all the natural forces of goodness will be behind us.
--from The Path to Enlightenment
- September 3
War, sadly, has remained a part of human history up to the present, but I think the time has come to change the concepts that lead to war. Some people consider war to be something glorious; they think that through war they can become heroes. This attitude toward war is very wrong. Recently an interviewer remarked to me, "Westerners have a great fear of death, but Easterners seem to have very little fear of death."
To that I half-jokingly responded, "It seems to me that, to the Western mind, war and the military establishment are extremely important. War means death--by killing, not by natural causes. So it seems that, in fact, you are the ones who do not fear death, because you are so fond of war. We Easterners, particularly Tibetans, cannot even begin to consider war; we cannot conceive of fighting, because the inevitable result of war is disaster: death, injuries, and misery. Therefore, the concept of war, in our minds, is extremely negative. That would seem to mean we actually have more fear of death than you. Don't you think?"
--from The Compassionate Life
- August 26
The Buddhist view is that in the external world there are some elements that are material, and some that are nonmaterial. And the fundamental substance, the stuff from which the material universe arises, is known as space particles. A portion of space is quantized, to use a modern term; it is particulate, not continuous. Before the formation of the physical universe as we know it, there was only space, but it was quantized. And it was from the quanta, or particles, in space that the other elements arose. This accounts for the physical universe.
But what brought about that process? How did it happen? It is believed that there existed other conditions, or other influences, which were nonmaterial, and these were of the nature of awareness. The actions of sentient beings in the preceding universe somehow modify, or influence, the formation of the natural universe.
--from Consciousness at the Crossroads
- August 18
Among the seven branches [qualities of Buddhahood]—complete enjoyment, union, great bliss, non-inherent existence, compassion, uninterrupted continuity, and non-cessation—three are found only in tantra—complete enjoyment, union, and great bliss—and the other four are common to both sutra and tantra, although non-inherent existence can also be put in the group specific to tantra when it is considered as the object ascertained by a bliss consciousness.... In Yoga Tantras the bliss arising from holding hands or embracing is used in the path; in Performance Tantras, from laughing; and in Action Tantras, from looking. The four tantras are similar in that they all use desire for the attributes of the desire realm on the path.
--from Tantra in Tibet
- August 12
The Sevenfold Cause-and-Effect Method
If we have been reborn time after time, it is evident that we have needed many mothers to give birth to us.... the first cause bringing about bodhicitta is the recognition that all beings have been our mother.
The love and kindness shown us by our mother in this life would be difficult to repay. She endured many sleepless nights to care for us when we were helpless infants. She fed us and would have willingly sacrificed everything, including her own life, to spare ours. As we contemplate her example of devoted love, we should consider that each and every being throughout existence has treated us this way. Each dog, cat, fish, fly, and human being has at some point in the beginningless past been our mother and shown us overwhelming love and kindness. Such a thought should bring about our appreciation. This is the second cause of bodhicitta.
As we envision the present condition of all these beings, we begin to develop the desire to help them change their lot. This is the third cause, and out of it comes the fourth, a feeling of love cherishing all beings. This is an attraction toward all beings, similar to what a child feels upon seeing his or her mother. This leads us to compassion, which is the fifth cause of bodhicitta. Compassion is a wish to separate these suffering beings, our mothers of the past, from their miserable situation. At this point we also experience loving-kindness, a wish that all beings find happiness. As we progress through these stages of responsibility, we go from wishing that all sentient beings find happiness and freedom from suffering to personally assuming responsibility for helping them enter this state beyond misery. This is the final cause. As we scrutinize how best to help others, we are drawn to achieving the fully enlightened and omniscient state of Buddhahood.
--from An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
- August 5
How then does the mistaken idea, that things exist from their own side, operate? Whatever appears to the mind appears as if it existed truly from its own side. ...Now if the object existed as it appears to you, then, when you searched for it, you could actually find a real [object]. So, we must ask ourselves whether or not this object, when searched for, is to be found or not. If the object is not found when it is searched for, we must conclude that it does not exist from its own side, that when the label is applied to its basis, it is not so labeled because the basis somehow bears within it something which is the object. At this point, one must conclude that the object does not exist as it appears to, but then, one may wonder whether it exists at all.
Things, however, are not utterly non-existent. They do exist nominally. So things do exist, but they do not exist from the side of the basis of the label. And hence, though they do exist, because they do not exist within the object itself, they must exist only as they are labeled by the subject (the conceptual mind, for example). There is no other way for the object to exist apart from the way it is posited by conceptual thought. This is then what we mean when we say that all phenomena are merely labeled by conceptual thought. However, things do not appear to us as if they were mere conceptually labeled entities. Instead, they appear as if they existed from their own side. Therefore, it is a mistake to think that things exist as they appear.
--from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists
- July 29
When you get tired, it is appropriate to repeat mantra. However, for a beginner the main part of the meditation revolves around the six deities*, which should be cultivated carefully and leisurely. This is because clear appearance of oneself as a deity must be achieved for the sake of amassing the two collections of merit and wisdom, achieving firm meditative stabilisation, and transforming all physical and verbal actions into powerful aids for others' welfare. Hence, before repeating mantra, the yoga of non-dual profundity (realisation of emptiness) and manifestation (appearance as a deity) should be sustained, developing clarity in observing the divine form and in ascertaining its lack of inherent existence. When, having done this one-pointedly, you become tired, then for the sake of resting begin repeating mantra.
...Tsong-ka-pa also says that in the approximation phase meditation is chief, mantra repetition is secondary.
--from Deity Yoga In Action and Performance Tantra
* ultimate, sound, letter, form, seal, and sign
- July 22
Shakyamuni Buddha, even when he was a trainee on the path, was solely concerned in both thought and action with others' welfare. Whenever he found an opportunity to work for others, no matter what difficulties he faced, he was never discouraged. He never hated obstacles and hardships encountered on the way. Instead, the difficult situations facilitated his being more courageous and determined to accomplish others' welfare. Just because he was so determined to work for others in the past, even as a trainee on the path, it is needless to say how much more it is so with him now as a completely enlightened person.
As the saying goes, "A past life story of a teacher is an enlightening practice for posterity."
--from Generous Wisdom: Commentaries of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV on the Jatakamala Garland of Birth Stories
- July 15
Q: ...what is the nature of the mindstream that reincarnates from lifetime to lifetime?
A: ...If one understands the term "soul" as a continuum of individuality from moment to moment, from lifetime to lifetime, then one can say that Buddhism also accepts a concept of soul; there is a kind of continuum of consciousness. From that point of view, the debate on whether or not there is a soul becomes strictly semantic. However, in the Buddhist doctrine of selflessness, or "no soul" theory, the understanding is that there is no eternal, unchanging, abiding, permanent self called "soul." That is what is being denied in Buddhism.
Buddhism does not deny the continuum of consciousness. Because of this, we find some Tibetan scholars, such as the Sakya master Rendawa, who accept that there is such a thing as self or soul, the "kangsak ki dak" (Tib. gang zag gi bdag). However, the same word, the "kangsak ki dak," the self, or person, or personal self, or identity, is at the same time denied by many other scholars.
We find diverse opinions, even among Buddhist scholars, as to what exactly the nature of self is, what exactly that thing or entity is that continues from one moment to the next moment, from one lifetime to the next lifetime. Some try to locate it within the aggregates, the composite of body and mind. Some explain it in terms of a designation based on the body and mind composite, and so on.... One of the divisions of [the "Mind-Only"] school maintains there is a special continuum of consciousness called alayavijnana which is the fundamental consciousness.
--from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- July 8
...several great Kagyu and Sakya masters... have expressed the stages [of sutra and tantra paths] in terms of the tradition known as "parting ourselves from the four forms of clinging."
First we part from clinging to this life. Instead of total involvement with affairs of this life, we involve ourselves with future lives. We accomplish this by thinking about our precious human life with all its freedoms and endowments for spiritual growth, how we lose it because of death and impermanence, and then the karmic laws of behavioral cause and effect that shape our future lives. Next we part from clinging to future lives and involve ourselves, instead, in the quest for liberation. By thinking about all the suffering of uncontrollably recurring rebirth, or samsara, we generate sincere renunciation of it--the strong determination to be free and attain the total liberation that is nirvana.
--from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
- July 2
As human beings, we are all the same. So there is no need to build some kind of artificial barrier between us. At least my own experience is that if you have this kind of attitude, there is no barrier. Whatever I feel, I can express; I can call you 'my old friend'. There is nothing to hide, and no need to say things in a way that is not straightforward. So this gives me a kind of space in my mind, with the result that I do not have to be suspicious of others all the time. And this really gives me inner satisfaction, and inner peace.
So I call this feeling a 'genuine realization of the oneness of the whole of humanity'. We are all members of one human family. I think that this understanding is very important, especially now that the world is becoming smaller and smaller. In ancient times, even in a small village, people were able to exist more or less independently. There was not so much need for others' co-operation. These days, the economic structure has completely changed.... We are heavily dependent on one another, and also as a result of mass communication, the barriers of the past are greatly reduced.
Today, because of the complexity of interdependence, every crisis on this planet is essentially related with every other, like a chain reaction. Consequently it is worthwhile taking every crisis as a global one. Here barriers such as 'this nation' or 'that nation' , 'this continent', or 'that continent' are simply obstacles. Therefore today, for the future of the human race, it is more important than ever before that we develop a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. I usually call this a sense of 'universal responsibility'.
--from the revised 25th anniversary edition of Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- June 24
Howard Cutler: "...am I right in assuming that you would consider solitary meditation to be a productive activity? Would you consider to be productive our example of a monk who is a hermit, who has little contact with anybody else and spends his or her life just in meditation, trying to achieve liberation?"
Dalai Lama: "Not necessarily. From my viewpoint, there can be both productive meditation and unproductive meditation."
HC: "What's the difference?"
DL: "[Some] practitioners and other kinds of meditators practice different techniques, some with closed eyes, sometimes open eyes, but the very nature of that meditation is to become thoughtless, in a state free of thoughts. But in a way, this is a kind of retreat, like they are running away from trouble. When they actually face trouble, carry on their daily life and face some real life problems, nothing has changed. Their attitudes and reactions remain the same. So that kind of meditation is just avoiding the problem, like going on a picnic, or taking a painkiller. It's not actually solving the problem. Some people may spend many years doing these practices, but their actual progress is zero. That's not productive meditation. Genuine progress occurs when the individual not only sees some results in achieving higher levels of meditative states but also when their meditation has at least some influence on how they interact with others, some impact from that meditation in their daily life--more patience, less irritation, more compassion. That's productive meditation. Something that can bring benefit to others in some way."
--from The Art of Happiness at Work with Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
- June 19
Howard Cutler: "Have there been situations in your life that you've regretted?"
Dalai Lama: "Oh, yes. Now for instance there was one older monk who lived as a hermit. He used to come to see me to receive teachings, although I think he was actually more accomplished than I and came to me as a sort of formality. Anyway, he came to me one day and asked me about doing a certain high-level esoteric practice. I remarked in a casual way that this would be a difficult practice and perhaps would be better undertaken by someone who was younger, that traditionally it was a practice that should be started in one's midteens. I later found out that the monk had killed himself in order to be reborn in a younger body to more effectively undertake the practice..."
Surprised by this story, I remarked, "Oh, that's terrible! That must have been hard on you when you heard..." The Dalai Lama nodded sadly. "How did you deal with that feeling of regret? How did you eventually get rid of it?"
The Dalai Lama silently considered for quite a while before replying, "I didn't get rid of it. It's still there. But even though that feeling of regret is still there, it isn't associated with a feeling of heaviness or a quality of pulling me back. It would not be helpful to anyone if I let that feeling of regret weigh me down, be simply a source of discouragement and depression with no purpose, or interfere with going on with my life to the best of my ability."
At that moment, in a very visceral way, I was struck once again by the very real possibility of a human being's fully facing life's tragedies and responding emotionally, even with deep regret, but without indulging in excessive guilt or self-contempt. The possibility of a human being's wholly accepting herself or himself, complete with limitations, foibles, and lapses of judgment. The possibility of recognizing a bad situation for what it is and responding emotionally, but without overresponding. The Dalai Lama sincerely felt regret over the incident he described but carried his regret with dignity and grace. And while carrying this regret, he has not allowed it to weigh him down, choosing instead to move ahead and focus on helping others to the best of his ability.
--from The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living with Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
- June 10
...it is extremely important to look inward and try to promote the right kind of attitude, which is based on awareness of reality. A sense of caring for others is crucial. And it is actually the best way of caring for oneself. ...the moment you think of others, this automatically opens our inner door--you can communicate with other people easily, without any difficulties. The moment you think just of yourself and disregard others, then because of your own attitude, you also get the feeling that other people also have a similar attitude toward you. That brings suspicion, fear. Result? You yourself lose inner calmness.
Therefore, I usually say that although a certain kind of selfishness is basically right--self and the happiness of that self are our original right, and we have every right to overcome suffering--but selfishness that leads to no hesitation to harm another, to exploit another, that kind of selfishness is blind. Therefore, I sometimes jokingly describe it this way: if we are going to be selfish, we should be wisely selfish rather than foolishly selfish.
I feel that the moment you adopt a sense of caring for others, that brings inner strength. Inner strength brings us inner tranquility, more self-confidence. Through these attitudes, even though your surroundings may not be friendly or may not be positive, still you can sustain peace of mind.
--from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
- June 4
Now, as [in the past], the concept of a transcendent god as creator has a powerful and inspiring impact on the lives of those who believe in it. The sense that their entire destiny lies in the hands of an all-powerful, omniscient and compassionate being leads them to try to understand the workings and key message of this transcendent being. Then, when they come to realise that this transcendent being embodies love and infinite compassion, they try to cultivate love and compassion towards their fellow beings as the qualities through which to express love for their creator. They also gain confidence and inspiration through a sense of intimacy or connectedness to this loving, transcendent being.
Although, metaphysically speaking, Buddhists reject any notion of a transcendent creator or god, some individual Buddhists do relate to certain higher beings, such as the goddess Tara, as an independent and real being with power over their destiny. For these practitioners Tara is their sole refuge, their greatest object of veneration and their trusted guardian and protector. What this suggests is that the inclination to seek refuge in an external source is something deeply natural for us as human beings.
But it is also clear that for other people the metaphysical concept of a transcendent being is unacceptable. Questions form in their minds, such as: who created the creator--in other words--where does the transcendent being come from? And how can we posit a true beginning? People with this type of mental disposition look elsewhere for explanations.
--from Lighting the Way
- May 27
...Note that practice of generosity and the other perfections is essential. This is because the fully enlightened state of Buddhahood is produced by the realization of favorable causes and conditions. There is no causeless production and nothing is produced by contrary causes. A Bodhisattva has many wonderful advantages to help enhance the welfare of sentient beings; every virtue performed by such a noble being is very powerful and effective. Therefore, Bodhisattvas earnestly engage in the practice of the method aspects of the path, including the six perfections, in order to swiftly actualize the state of Buddhahood.
--from Stages of Meditation
- May 20
What are the techniques for heightening or lowering the mind? To heighten the mind, you think about something that enlivens it, but not an object that would generate desire.
For instance, you could reflect on the value of developing the meditative stabilization of calm abiding or on the value of having attained a life as a human or on the value of having human intelligence. Through such reflection, your mind will gain courage, thereby causing its mode of apprehension to become heightened.
If, despite such a technique, laxity is not cleared away, it is better to end the session and go to a place that is bright or that is high with a vast view where you can see a great distance. Or, expose yourself to fresh air, or throw cold water on your face. Then, return to the session.
When the mind becomes too heightened and thus scattered, what will lower its mode of apprehension? As a technique to withdraw the mind inside, you should reflect on a topic that sobers the mind, such as the suffering of cyclic existence, or think "In the past I have been ruined by distraction, and again now I will be ruined by distraction. If I do not take care now, it will not be good." This will lower the mode of apprehension of the mind.
Since this is the case, a person who is cultivating calm abiding needs to be in a state where such reflections will move the mind immediately. Therefore, prior to working at achieving calm abiding, it is necessary to have become convinced about many topics--such as those involved in the four establishments in mindfulness--through a considerable amount of analysis. In an actual session of cultivating calm abiding one is performing stabilizing meditation, not analytical meditation, but if one has engaged in considerable analysis of these topics previously, the force of the previous reflection remains with the mind and can be recalled. Thus, when you switch to such topics in order either to elevate or lower the mind, the mind will be immediately affected. In this way, if ascertainment has been generated previously, then reflecting on the value of meditative stabilization or the value of a human lifetime will immediately heighten the mind, and reflection on sobering topics such as the nature of the body or the ugliness of objects of desire will immediately lower its mode of apprehension.
...recognize when laxity and excitement arise and know the techniques for overcoming them.
--from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- May 13
Once the conventional nature of the mind has been identified, then, through analysing its nature, finally we will gradually be able to identify the ultimate nature of the mind. If that is done, there is great progress unlike anything else.
At the beginning we should meditate for half an hour. When we rise from the session and various good and bad objects appear, benefit and harm are manifestly experienced. Therefore, we should develop as much as we can the realisation that these phenomena do not exist objectively and are mere dependent-arisings of appearances, like illusions [in that they only seem to be inherently existent]. We should meditate in this way in four formal sessions: at sunrise, in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
--from The Buddhism of Tibet
- May 6
...when you probe deeply you will find that no matter how high an existence a realm may be, even though it may be the highest state of existence, as long as it is in this cycle of existence the beings there are in the nature of sufferings, because they have the sufferings of pervasive conditioning and are therefore under the influence or command of contaminated actions and delusions. As long as one is not able to be free from such an influence, there is no place for permanent peace or happiness.
Generally, the experiences that you normally regard as pleasurable and happy, such as having the physical comfort of good facilities and so forth, if they are examined at a deeper level, will be revealed to be changeable and therefore in the nature of suffering. They provide you with temporary satisfaction; because of that temporary satisfaction you regard them as experiences of happiness. But if you keep on pursuing them, they will again lead to the experience of suffering. Most of these pleasurable experiences are not really happiness in the true sense of the word, but only appear as pleasure and happiness in comparison to the obvious sufferings that you have.
--from Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation
- April 30
Question: What is the relationship of the mind and afflictive emotions?
DL: The very entity of the mind, its nature of mere luminosity and knowing, is not polluted by defilements; they do not abide in the entity of the mind. Even when we generate afflictive emotions, the very entity or nature of the mind is still mere luminosity and knowing, and because of this we are able to remove the afflictive emotions. If you agitate the water in a pond, it becomes cloudy with mud; yet the very nature of the water itself is not dirty. When you allow it to become still again, the mud will settle, leaving the water pure. How are defilements removed? They are not removed by outside action, nor by leaving them as they are; they are removed by the power of antidotes, meditative antidotes.
--from The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings By and About the Dalai Lama
- April 22
When engaging in hearing, it is important to mix the mind, to familiarize the mind, with what is being heard. The study of religion is not like learning about history. It must be mixed with your mental continuum; your mind should be suffused with it. A sutra says that the practices are like a mirror; your actions of body, speech, and mind are like a face to be seen in the mirror; and through the practices you should recognize faults and gradually get rid of them. As it is said in the oral transmission, "If there is enough space between yourself and the practices for someone else to walk through, then you are not implementing them properly."
--from the revised 25th anniversary edition of Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
- April 15
Eventually, through the power of stabilizing meditation in which the mind is set one-pointedly on its object of observation, an initial mental pliancy—a serviceability of mind—is generated. As a sign that mental pliancy is about to be generated, a tingly sensation is felt at the top of the head. This pleasant feeling is compared to that of a warm hand placed on top of the head after it has been shaved. When mental pliancy has been generated, a favorable wind, or energy, circulates in the body, engendering physical pliancy. Through this wind, or air, pervading the entire body, the unserviceability of the body such that it cannot be directed to virtuous activities in accordance with your wishes is removed. The generation of physical pliancy, in turn, engenders a bliss of physical pliancy, a sense of comfort throughout the body due to the power of meditative stabilization.
The bliss of physical pliancy induces a bliss of mental pliancy, making the mind blissful. At first, this joyous mental bliss is a little too buoyant, but then gradually it becomes more steady; at this point, one attains an unfluctuating pliancy. This marks attainment of a fully qualified meditative stabilization of calm abiding.
--from Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats co-authored with Dzong-ka-ba and Jeffrey Hopkins
- April 8
Our relationship with our practice must be based on reason and common sense. The principal subject to be learned is the nature of the two levels of reality [conventional and ultimate], the stages of which can be approached through a combination of hearing, contemplation and meditation. It is very important always to remember contemplation, which is the analysis and investigation of the teachings through the use of reason. The two truths are speaking about reality, not some intellectual fabrication. To investigate the teaching critically is fully encouraged in the same way that medical students are encouraged to apply their theories to real life and thus to witness their validity.... Time may flow on, but the essential nature of the deeper problems and mysteries that human beings encounter in the course of their lives remains the same. Contemplation of the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni is merely contemplation of certain facets of reality, and it will cause to unfold within us a deeper understanding of ourselves, our minds, and the nature of our sense of being. As the teachings are merely pointing out key facts of life, facts that, if realized, cause one to evolve in wholesome directions, a critical investigation of them will only inspire trainees with confidence. Reason well from the beginning and then there will never be any need to look back with confusion and doubt.
--from The Path to Enlightenment
- April 2
Enlightenment is not only... devoid of various types of contaminations, pollutions, suffering, and afflictive emotions... but is also free from various dualistic appearances. When you achieve such a state, you are unfettered from all elaborations in the form of subject-object duality and appearances of conventionality.
You are free not because the subject-object duality or conventional appearances are objects of elimination in the sense that they are negative emotions. Rather, you are free because these elaborations cease to exist when you reach the state of enlightenment. In such a state, the mind of enlightenment or omniscience is such that it is totally merged with emptiness. To such a mind, no elaborations exist.
--from Many Ways to Nirvana: Reflections and Advice on Right Living
- March 25
[Buddhist conceptions of mental disorders]
...if a person is experiencing some kind of mental dysfunction, it is frequently understood that the mind itself has become too withdrawn in upon itself, and that there is a corresponding physiological process involving the energies themselves, which are closely associated with consciousness, also entering into a dysfunctional state.
So, in the Buddhist view, it can happen, for example, that one's mind will become depressed because of some environmental event. As a result of the mind becoming depressed, there is a chemical, maybe an electrochemical, transformation in the brain that has now occurred. The mental dysfunction will then be aggravated. When that happens, there is a further chemical response, which then avalanches upon itself.
...on occasion, without any special external event taking place, there can simply be a dysfunction or disruption in the balance of the elements within the body. In that event, the internal circumstances are the dominant, principal cause.
--from Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism
- March 17
According to Highest Yoga Tantra, some persons attain Buddhahood in one lifetime, and because these persons are not born with a body adorned with the major and minor marks they must achieve such a body through the practice of deity yoga.
Meditation on oneself as undifferentiable from a deity is the special cause... for attaining Buddhahood. If one meditated only on emptiness and did not cultivate any method--either that of the Perfection or that of the Mantra Vehicle--one would fall to the fruit of a Hinayana Foe Destroyer. In order to attain the definite goodness of the highest achievement, Buddhahood, deity yoga is needed. Also, ...one must view one's body clearly as a divine body and train in the pride of being a deity. Without deity yoga the Mantra path is impossible; deity yoga is the essence of Mantra.
--from Tantra in Tibet
- March 10
Nonviolence does not mean that we remain indifferent to a problem. On the contrary, it is important to be fully engaged. However, we must behave in a way that does not benefit us alone. We must not harm the interests of others. Nonviolence therefore is not merely the absence of violence. It involves a sense of compassion and caring. It is almost a manifestation of compassion. I strongly believe that we must promote such a concept of nonviolence at the level of the family as well as at the national and international levels. Each individual has the ability to contribute to such compassionate nonviolence.
How should we go about this? We can start with ourselves. We must try to develop greater perspective, looking at situations from all angles. Usually when we face problems, we look at them from our own point of view. We even sometimes deliberately ignore other aspects of a situation. This often leads to negative consequences. However, it is very important for us to have a broader perspective.
We must come to realize that others are also part of our society. We can think of our society as a body, with arms and legs as parts of it. Of course, the arm is different from the leg; however, if something happens to the foot, the hand should reach down to help. Similarly, when something is wrong within our society, we must help.
--from An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the 47th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day
- March 3
One point I should make here is that some people, especially those who see themselves as very realistic and practical, are sometimes too realistic and obsessed with practicality. They may think, "The idea of wishing for the happiness of all beings, of wanting what is best for every single one, is unrealistic and too idealistic. Such an unrealistic idea cannot contribute in any way to transforming the mind or to attaining some kind of mental discipline, because it is completely unachievable."
...They feel there is simply no point in thinking about all beings since there is an infinite number of them. They may conceivably be able to feel some kind of connection with some fellow human beings on this planet, but they feel that the infinite number of beings throughout the universe has nothing to do with their own experience as individuals.
...What is important here, however, is to grasp the impact of cultivating such altruistic sentiments. The point is to try to develop the scope of our empathy in such a way that we can extend it to any form of life with the capacity to feel pain and experience happiness. It is a matter of recognizing living organisms as sentient, and therefore subject to pain and capable of happiness.
...Such a universal sentiment of compassion is very powerful, and there is no need to be able to identify, in specific terms, with every single living being in order for it to be effective.
...Given patience and time, it is within our power to develop this kind of universal compassion.
--from The Compassionate Life
- February 24
Question: Could you please say something on the three kinds of suffering?
His Holiness: One kind of suffering is like a headache or like yesterday's flu: discomfort in the nose, watery eyes, and so forth. In short, it includes all of those kinds of gross physical and mental sufferings that in ordinary parlance we usually call "suffering." This is the first category.
Then the second category is as follows. When we feel hungry and begin to take food, at first we feel very happy. We take one mouthful, then two, three, four, five... eventually, though it is the same person, the same food, and the same time period, we begin to find the food objectionable and reject it. This is what is meant by the "suffering of change." Practically every worldly happiness and pleasure is in this second category. Compared to other forms of suffering, at the beginning these more subtle forms of suffering seem pleasurable; they seem to afford us some happiness, but this is not true or lasting happiness, for the more we become acquainted with them, the more involved we become with them, the more suffering and trouble they bring us. That is the second category.
Now as for the third category, I think it is fair to say that it is one's own body. Roughly speaking, this is what it is. It is the body which is the fruit of afflictions, a body originally created by afflictions. Because the body is created by such causes, it is of the very nature of suffering. It comes to act as the basis of suffering. This, then, is the third category.
-- from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists, edited by José Ignacio Cabezón
- February 17
...we find Agastya, born to a family of Brahmans so illustrious as to be called "an ornament of the earth," living as an ascetic on the island of Kara in the Indian Ocean.... "On what accomplishment have you set your hopes?" Indra asked Agastya the Bodhisattva. "What is the object of your wishes that has led you to leave your sorrowful friends and relatives, desert a household and possessions that had been your happiness, and enter this way of life that destroys all pleasures?"
The Bodhisattva replied according to the Dharma, in a way that immediately laid Indra's anxiety to rest. "Repeated births tend to great sorrow," he said. "So do the calamities of old age, sickness and death. All are just a disturbance to the mind. My vow is to save all sentient beings from these evils."
Relieved, Indra immediately offered, in return for such candid truth, the fulfillment of any desire Agastya might name. "May the fire of covetousness that burns insatiably even after obtaining a beloved wife, children, power and riches never enter my heart," Agastya said. "Excellent, excellent," applauded Indra and urged Agastya to request the fulfillment of still another desire.
"May the fire of hatred burn far from me," Agastya said. Pleased by this game, in which Agastya so ingeniously taught the Dharma while appearing to request the fulfillment of his desires, Indra urged him to go on. But this time he was startled to hear Agastya's words. "May I never hear, see, speak to, nor endure the annoyance and pain of staying with a fool," Agastya said. "What do you mean?" Indra asked. "Those in distress deserve sympathy; the root of distress is foolishness. How can you claim to be compassionate when you abhor the very presence of those most due sympathy?"
Then Agastya reasoned in this way, to prove to Indra that one should associate not with the foolish but with men of wisdom. "A fool cannot be cured even by medical treatment," he said. "Habituated to wrong conduct because of a deficiency in moral education, he urges his neighbors to follow his impetuous way, inflamed by self-conceit and the affectation of wisdom. When reprimanded, he becomes angry. There is no help for him." "How true," Indra said. "Let me hear more jewellike, well spoken sentences."
"May I see, hear, live with and converse with a wise man," Agastya said, "for these reasons: because the wise man, walking the path of virtue, draws others along with him, and is never roused to impatience by harsh words spoken for his own good." Again Indra was delighted.
--from Generous Wisdom: Commentaries of His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV on the Jatakamala Garland of Birth Stories, translated by Tenzin Dorjee
- February 10
...if we remain clinging to this life even for one day, we are misusing our time. In this way, we can waste months and years on end. Because we don't know when our lives will finish, we should remain mindful and well prepared. Then, even if we die tonight, we will do so without regret. If we die tonight, the purpose of being well prepared is borne out; if we don't die tonight, there is no harm in being well prepared, because it will still benefit us.
But when we leave the world of humans, we do so without a protector or supporter and the total responsibility falls on us. We only have our own intelligence to rely on at that time, so we must expend our own effort in order to protect ourselves. As the Buddha said, "I have shown you the path to liberation; know that liberation depends on you." We must put strenuous effort into gaining freedom from the lower migrations, liberation from samsara, freedom from conventional existence and solitary salvation.
The body is compared to a guest house; it is a place to stay for just a short time and not permanently. At present, the guest of consciousness is staying in the guest house of the body, like renting a place to stay. When the day comes for consciousness to leave, the guest house of the body must be left behind. Not being attached to friends, the body, wealth and possessions is the practice of the Bodhisattvas.
--from The Heart of Compassion: A Practical Approach to a Meaningful Life
- February 4
...when we talk about the notion of self in Buddhism, it is important to bear in mind that there are different degrees or types. There are some types of sense of self which are not only to be cultivated but also to be reinforced and enhanced. For instance, in order to have a strong determination to seek Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, one needs a very strong sense of confidence, which is based upon a sense of commitment and courage. This requires a strong sense of self. Unless one has that identity or sense of self, one will not be able to develop the confidence and courage to strongly seek this aim. In addition, the doctrine of Buddha-nature gives us a lot of encouragement and confidence because we realize that there is this potential within us which will allow us to attain the perfection that we are seeking. However, there are different types of sense of self which are rooted in a belief in a permanent, solid, indivisible entity called "self" or "I." There is the belief that there is something very concrete or objective about this entity. This is a false notion of self which must be overcome.
--from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- January 27
Compassion is a theme the Dalai Lama returns to over and over again. I also know he has meditated on compassion every morning without fail for the past half century. In an interview, I asked the Dalai Lama to give me his take on compassion. Lhakdor [his translator], as usual, was by his side.
"Compassion is something like a sense of caring, a sense of concern for others' difficulties and pain," the Dalai Lama said. "Not only family and friends, but all other people. Enemies also. Now, if we really analyze our feelings, one thing becomes clear. If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy a very small area. Inside that small area, even a tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more fear."
"I was thirty-two years old when I developed a strong experience of compassion," he told me.... "Often when I reflect on the meaning and benefits of altruistic mind, tears came." Lhakdor translated: "...When he meditated on compassion, he would sometimes be filled with joy and appreciation. And there is a strong sense of concern for others accompanied by a feeling of sadness.... And when His Holiness reflected on certain profound explanations on emptiness, this would also trigger a strong emotion."
"I think that strong conviction or strong emotions actually give more inner strength," the Dalai Lama explained. "So when I face some problems or criticism, for example, criticism from the Chinese, of course, little irritation sometimes..." "But then he'll have this feeling of compassion for them," Lhakdor translated. "He'll regret they're not making positive connection with him. But his sentiment is, although there is this negativity, may it also give positive fruit."
"Now, the understanding of emptiness helps a lot toward developing compassion. There's no doubt it reinforces compassion," the Dalai Lama said. Lhakdor elaborated: "Emptiness allows us to have an understanding about ultimate reality. It helps us to appreciate the wisdom of interdependence--a fundamental law of nature. We gain an appreciation that we are all basically related. It is because of this interrelatedness that we are able to empathize with the suffering of others. With empathy, compassion flows naturally. We develop genuine sympathy for others' suffering and the will to help remove their pain. Emptiness thus strengthens positive emotions like compassion."
Emptiness and compassion. Wisdom and method. These are the twin pillars of the Dalai Lama's practice--everything we need to know about spiritual practice. Both qualities are needed; they strengthen each other. Once we realize we are all interconnected, it is difficut not to feel some of compassion for the problems of our fellow human beings. And once we come by a feeling of compassion, we start to get a glimpse of the timeless truth of interdependence, of emptiness.
The Dalai Lama looked thoughtful. After some time, he turned to me, "I think one thing I'm quite sure," he said. "I can tell you, the twin practice of emptiness and compassion is...effective." Then he lapsed into Tibetan again. Lhakdor translated. "His Holiness can say with conviction: if you meditate on emptiness and compassion, so long as you make the effort, then His Holiness is sure that, day in and day out, you will get tangible benefit. Your whole attitude will change." "....These things about compassion are something living--according to my own experience," the Dalai Lama went on. "I tell some of my experiences to other people, share some of my feelings, then other people understand: there is something real, something living."
-- from The Wisdom of Forgiveness: Intimate Conversations and Journeys
- January 20
We have happiness of mind and freedom from anxiety to just the degree that our minds are tamed.... Once we want happiness and do not want suffering, we should engage in the means to achieve happiness and eliminate suffering. Practice is based on reasoning, not force; it is up to oneself.
...The time for engaging in these techniques is now. Some feel, 'I did not succeed in this lifetime; I will ask a lama for help in my future life.' To think that we will practise in the future is only a hope. It is foolish to feel that the next life will be as suitable as this. No matter how bad our condition is now, since we have a human brain, we can think; since we have a mouth, we can recite mantra. No matter how old one may be, there is time for practice. However, when we die and are reborn, we are unable even to recite om mani padme hum. Thus, it is important to make all effort possible at this time when we have obtained the precious physical life-support of a human.
-- from Deity Yoga: In Action and Performance Tantra
- January 13
The Sanskrit word for compassion, karuna, has the implication of "that which blocks or prevents bliss." In general, when we develop compassion, we develop very strongly the attitude that cannot bear the suffering of other beings. We wish for it to end and for them to become free. Although we do not actually experience others' suffering at that time, the strength of the attitude that cannot bear their suffering causes our mind also to become unhappy. This is the general sense in which compassion blocks bliss....
Only the power of a union of method and wisdom -- namely the union of compassion, as a greatly blissful awareness, and the discriminating awareness of voidness -- allows us to attain the total release of supreme nirvana, namely enlightenment.
-- from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
- January 6
The Special Features of Dzogchen
In the early translation school of the Nyingma, a system of nine yanas is taught. Three of these - the paths of the Sravaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva - constitute the sutra tradition, while the tantric tradition consists of six levels - the three outer tantras and the three inner tantras. The tradition of Dzogchen, or Atiyoga, is considered to be the pinnacle of these nine yanas. The other, lower, yanas are said to be philosophical systems that depend on ordinary consciousness, and so the path is based on that ordinary consciousness. Here the distinction being made is between ordinary mind - sem - and pure awareness - rigpa. The ninth yana, the most majestic, is beyond ordinary consciousness, for its path is based on rigpa, not on the ordinary mind.
Throughout beginningless time, there has always been present, within us all, a pure awareness - that in-dwelling rigpa which in Atiyoga is evoked in all its nakedness, and which constitutes the practice.
...The ground for all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana is the fundamental innate mind of clear light, and these phenomena are its radiance or display. While we are following the path, in order for all the impure aspects of our experience to be purified on the basis of that rigpa - or, you can say, that fundamental innate mind of clear light - there is no other means apart from that fundamental and innate state itself, which is therefore the very essence of the path. Finally, when the fruition is made fully evident, it is just this fundamental innate mind of clear light itself, free from obscuration, that constitutes the attainment of fruition.
...Any given state of consciousness is permeated by the clear light of rigpa's pure awareness. However solid ice may be, it never loses its true nature, which is water. In the same way, even very obvious concepts... arise within the expanse of rigpa and that is where they dissolve. On this point, Dodrupchen Jikme Tenpe Nyima says that all objects of knowledge are permeated by clear light, just as a sesame seed is permeated by its oil. Therefore, even while the coarser states of the six consciousnesses are functioning, their subtle aspect - that of clear light - can be directly introduced by means of those states themselves, through blessings and through pith instructions.
Here lies the extraordinary and profound implication of the Dzogchen teachings. When you are basing your path on the fundamental innate mind of clear light, you will employ skilful means to block the coarse and subtle states of energy and mind, as a result of which the state of clear light becomes evident, and on this you base your path. But in Dzogchen, even while the six consciousnesses are fully functioning, by means of those very states you can be directly introduced to their subtle aspect of clear light in your immediate experience, and you then meditate by focusing one-pointedly on that aspect. As you meditate in this way, resting in this non-conceptual state, gradually your experience of clear light becomes increasingly profound, while coarser thoughts and concepts dwindle away.
The most difficult task is to differentiate between ordinary mind and rigpa. It is easy enough to talk about it. You can say, for example, that rigpa has never been confused, while ordinary mind has fallen under the influence of concepts and is mired in confusion. But to be introduced to the direct experience of the essence of rigpa is far from being easy. And so Dodrupchen says that although your arrogance might be such that you assume you are meditating on the ultimate meaning of rigpa, there is a danger that "you could end up meditating on the clear, empty qualities of your ordinary mind, which even non-Buddhist practitioners are capable of doing." He is warning us to be careful.
-- from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
2005
- December 31
4. Seven-Limbed Practice
The seven parts of the practice are encompassed by two practices - the purification of negativities and the enhancing of the store of merit. When you engage in the practice, it is very important to understand that each and every one of the seven limbs has its individual purpose and significance, and only with such knowledge can you engage properly in the practice. The seven limbs are: prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting to turn the wheel of the dharma, entreating not to enter into nirvana, and dedication of merit.
...For the practice of confession, which is the third of the seven limbs, it is very important to have the factor of regret; without this factor there is no possibility of purifying the negativities.... The great yogi Milarepa said: "When I examined whether or not confession could purify the negativities, I found that it is regret that cleanses them." In order to generate regret, it is important to see the destructive nature of negative actions and also to understand the law of causality.
Based on a disciplined mind, we experience happiness; based on an undisciplined, untamed mind, we undergo suffering. We should think that if we are not able to make any progress from our present state of mind, which always indulges in negative thoughts, there is not much hope for us. So, if we are able to think in such terms, we will be able to really see the destructive nature of negative actions, and also that the store of negative actions that we have is inexhaustible, like a rich person's bank balance. Without the recognition of the destructive nature of the negative forces, we will never be able to develop the deep factor of regret from the depth of our hearts.
If we do not engage in a proper practice of dharma, it seems that we may expend all our store of merit in mundane pleasures. It is very important to have this faculty of regret in our practice of purification and confession.
-- from The Path to Bliss: A Practical Guide to Stages of Meditation
- December 23
Our teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, is one among the thousand Buddhas of this aeon. These Buddhas were not Buddhas from the beginning, but were once sentient beings like ourselves. How they came to be Buddhas is this.
Of body and mind, mind is predominant, for body and speech are under the influence of the mind. Afflictions such as desire do not contaminate the nature of the mind, for the nature of the mind is pure, uncontaminated by any taint. Afflictions are peripheral factors of a mind, and through gradually transforming all types of defects, such as these afflictions, the adventitious taints can be completely removed. This state of complete purification is Buddhahood; therefore, Buddhists do not assert that there is any Buddha who has been enlightened from the beginning.
--from The Buddhism of Tibet: The Dalai Lama
- December 16
I am interested not in converting other people to Buddhism but in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society, according to our own ideas. I believe that other religious faiths also think in a similar way, seeking to contribute to the common aim....
Just as Buddha showed an example of contentment, tolerance, and serving others without selfish motivation, so did Jesus Christ. Almost all of the great teachers lived a saintly life - not luxuriously like kings or emperors but as simple human beings. Their inner strength was tremendous, limitless, but the external appearance was of contentment with a simple way of life.
...the motivation of all religious practice is similar - love, sincerity, honesty. The way of life of practically all religious persons is contentment. The teachings of tolerance, love, and compassion are the same. A basic goal is the benefit of humankind - each type of system seeking in its own unique ways to improve human beings. If we put too much emphasis on our own philosophy, religion, or theory, are too attached to it, and try to impose it on other people, it makes trouble. Basically all the great teachers, such as Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, or Mohammed, founded their new teachings with a motivation of helping their fellow humans. They did not mean to gain anything for themselves nor to create more trouble or unrest in the world.
Most important is that we respect each other and learn from each other those things that will enrich our own practice. Ever if all the systems are separate, since they each have the same goal, the study of each other is helpful.
-- from The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness
- December 9
Patricia Churchland: But do you think that there is something, I am not sure what to call it - a kind of awareness that can exist independently of the brain? For example, something that survives death?
Dalai Lama: Generally speaking, awareness, in the sense of our familiar, day-to-day mental processes, does not exist apart from or independent of the brain, according to the Buddhist view. But Buddhism holds that the cause of this awareness is to be found in a preceding continuum of awareness, and that is why one speaks of a stream of awareness from one life to another. Whence does this awareness arise initially? It must arise fundamentally not from a physical base but from a preceding continuum of awareness.
The continuum of awareness that conjoins with the fetus does not depend upon the brain. There are some documented cases of advanced practitioners whose bodies, after death, escape what happens to everyone else and do not decompose for some time - for two or three weeks or even longer. The awareness that finally leaves their body is a primordial awareness that is not dependent upon the body. There have been many accounts in the past of advanced practitioners remaining in meditation in this subtle state of consciousness when they died, and decomposition of their body was postponed although the body remained at room temperature.
-- from Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism
- December 2
Meditations on Desire - 245
Desire is the source of endless problems. The more desires we have, the more we have to plan and work hard to realize them. Some time ago a businessman told me that the more he developed his company, the more he felt like making it even bigger. And the more he tried to make it bigger, the more he found he had to lie and fight mercilessly against his competitors. He had come to realize that wanting more and more made no sense, and that he only had to reduce the size of his business for competition to become less fierce so he would be able to carry out his work honestly. I found his testimony very true.
-- from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart
- November 24
In a verse of his Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Bodhicaryavatara) Shantideva expresses tremendous courage, which transcends all boundaries of space and time. He writes:As long as space endures,
As long as sentient beings remain,
Until then, may I too remain
And dispel the miseries of the world.
When the altruistic intention is supported by insight into emptiness, and particularly by the direct realization of emptiness, one is said to have attained the two dimensions of bodhichitta which are known as conventional and ultimate bodhichitta. With both these practices of compassion and wisdom, the practitioner has within his or her hands the complete method for attaining the highest spiritual goal. Such a person is truly great and worthy of admiration.
If one is able to cultivate these spiritual qualities within oneself then, as Chandrakirti writes very poetically in his Entry to the Middle Way (Madhyamakavatara), with one wing of altruistic intention and another wing of insight into emptiness, one can traverse the whole of space and soar beyond the state of existence to the shores of fully enlightened buddhahood.
...make an effort to contemplate, study and meditate, but without any shortsighted expectations. You should have the same attitude as Shantideva -- that as long as space exists you will remain to dispel suffering in the world. When you have that kind of determination and courage to develop your capacity, then a hundred years, an aeon, a million years are nothing to you. Furthermore, you will not consider that the different human problems we have here and there are in any way insurmountable. Such an attitude and vision bring some kind of real inner strength.
-- from Transforming the Mind: Teachings on Generating Compassion
- November 17
I have made the point in the past that it is not necessary to consider someone one's guru from the very outset simply because one has heard the explanation of the Buddha's teachings from that person. At first, it is much better if one does not have that kind of attitude toward them, simply regarding them as a Dharma-friend. One gets teachings, and time goes by. Then, when one feels that one knows that person quite well, and can take them as one's guru without any danger of transgressing the commitments that accompany such a relationship, when one has that kind of confidence, then one can go ahead and take him or her as one's guru. The Lord Buddha himself made it quite clear in both the Vinaya sutras and in the Mahayana scriptures, and even in the Tantrayana, in a very detailed fashion, what the qualities of a teacher should be. This is why I often criticize the Tibetan attitude of seeing whatever the guru does as good, of respecting everything that the guru does right from the start without the initial period of examination. Of course, if the guru is really qualified, then to have such an attitude is very worthwhile.
Take the cases of Naropa and Marpa, for example. Sometimes it appears as though some of the things Tilopa asked of Naropa, or Naropa of Marpa, were unreasonable. Deep down, however, these requests had great meaning. Because of their great faith in their gurus, Naropa and Marpa did as instructed. Despite the fact that they appeared to be unreasonable, because the teachers were qualified, their actions had some meaning. In such situations, it is necessary that from the disciple's side all of the actions of the teacher be respected. But this cannot be compared to the case of ordinary people. Broadly speaking, I feel that the Buddha gave us complete freedom of choice to thoroughly examine the person who is to be our guru. This is very important. Unless one is definite, one should not take them as a guru. This preliminary examination is a kind of precautionary measure.
-- from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists
- November 11
Sometimes people mistakenly look on vows and pledges as if these were a type of punishment, but this is not at all the case. For example, just as we follow certain methods of eating and drinking to improve our health and certainly not to punish ourselves, so the rules the Shakymuni Buddha formulated are for controlling counter-productive ill-deeds and ultimately for overcoming afflictive emotions, because these are self-ruinous. Thus, to relieve oneself from suffering, one controls the motivations and deeds producing suffering for one's own sake. Realizing from his own experience that suffering stems from one's own afflictive emotions as well as actions contaminated with them, he sets forth styles of behavior to reduce the problem for our own profit, certainly not to give us a hard time. Hence, these rules are for the sake of controlling sources of harm.
-- from Yoga Tantra: Paths to Magical Feats
- November 4
Q: Where does hatred come from?
A: That is a question which requires long hours of discussion. From the Buddhist viewpoint, the simple answer is that it is beginningless. As a further explanation, Buddhists believe that there are many different levels of consciousness. The most subtle consciousness is what we consider the basis of the previous life, this life, and future lives. This subtle consciousness is a transient phenomenon which comes about as a consequence of causes and conditions. Buddhists have concluded that consciousness itself cannot be produced by matter. Therefore, the only alternative is to accept the continuation of consciousness. So that is the basis of the theory of rebirth.
Where there is consciousness, ignorance and hatred also arise naturally. These negative emotions, as well as the positive emotions, occur right from beginningless time. All these are a part of our mind. However, these negative emotions actually are based on ignorance, which has no valid foundation. None of the negative emotions, no matter how powerful, have a solid foundation. On the other hand, the positive emotions, such as compassion or wisdom, have a solid basis: there is a kind of grounding and rootedness in reason and understanding, which is not the case with afflictive emotions like anger and hatred.
The basic nature of the subtle consciousness itself is something neutral. So it is possible to purify or eliminate all of these negative emotions. That basic nature we call Buddha-nature. Hatred and negative emotions are beginningless; they have no beginning, but there is an end. Consciousness itself has no beginning and no end; of this we are certain.
-- from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- October 27
Since the situation in which we live is much changed but the attitude of people who are in that situation is at variance with the times, this is one of the causes of unnecessary pain, unnecessary problems. Therefore, education is needed to communicate that the concept of violence is counterproductive, that it is not a realistic way to solve problems, and that compromise is the only realistic way to solve problems. Right from the beginning, we have to make this reality clear to a child's mind -- the new generation. In this way, the whole attitude towards oneself, towards the world, towards others, can become more healthy. I usually call this "inner disarmament." Without inner disarmament, it is very difficult to achieve genuine, lasting world peace.
...Through inner disarmament we can develop a healthy mental attitude, which also is very beneficial for physical health. With peace of mind, a calm mind, your body elements become more balanced. Constant worry, constant fear, agitation of mind, are very bad for health. Therefore, peace of mind not only brings tranquility in our mind but also has good effects on our body.
With inner disarmament, now we need external disarmament. As I mentioned earlier, according to today's reality, there no longer is room for war, for destruction. From a compassionate viewpoint, destruction, killing others, and discriminating even against one's enemy are counterproductive. Today's enemy, if you treat them well, may become a good friend even the next day.
-- from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
- October 20
Dr. Cutler: "...one of the reasons I brought up the topic of challenge at work," I said to the Dalai Lama, "is because it relates to a concept that seems to come up frequently these days in psychological literature, the concept of flow.* This concept is increasingly mentioned in articles on human happiness, and this state can commonly occur at work.... while engaged in activity, there's a feeling of effortlessness, a sense of total control over what one is doing.... Although flow can occur in any activity, some investigators have found that Americans experience more flow at work than they do in their leisure time."
The Dalai Lama: "You really like this flow, Howard!" the Dalai Lama exclaimed with an amused chuckle. "...no matter how nice that state may be, I don't think it is the most important source of satisfaction, fulfillment, or happiness.... For one thing, you can't be in that state at all times.... So through this flow, even if you get some temporary kind of happiness, it will not be an ongoing thing. I think this flow state is not reliable or sustainable, and I think it's much more important to develop other sources of satisfaction through one's work that are brought about by training one's mind, shaping one's outlook and attitude, integrating basic human values in the workplace. For example, dealing with one's destructive emotions while at work, reducing anger, jealousy, greed, and so on, and practicing relating to others with kindness, compassion, tolerance, these are much more important and stable sources of satisfaction than simply trying to create flow as much as possible."
Dr. Cutler: ...To the Dalai Lama, true happiness is associated with a sense of meaning, and arises on the basis of deliberately cultivating certain attitudes and outlooks. True happiness may take longer to generate, and requires some effort, but it is this lasting happiness that can sustain us even under the most trying conditions of everyday life.
-- by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D., from The Art of Happiness at Work
* flow is defined here as [people] being so completely absorbed in their work that they lose track of time.
- October 13
We have the ability and the responsibility to choose to direct our actions on a virtuous path.
When we weigh a particular act, to determine whether it is moral or spiritual, our criterion should be the quality of our motivation. When someone deliberately makes a resolution not to steal, if he or she is simply motivated by the fear of getting caught and being punished by the law, it is doubtful whether engaging in that resolution is a moral act, since moral considerations have not dictated his or her choice.
In another instance, the resolution not to steal may be motivated by fear of public opinion: "What would my friends and neighbors think? All would scorn me. I would become an outcast." Though the act of making a resolution may be positive, whether it is a moral act is again doubtful.
Now, the same resolution may be taken with the thought "If I steal, I am acting against the divine law of God." Someone else may think, "Stealing is nonvirtuous; it causes others to suffer." When such considerations motivate one, the resolution is moral or ethical; it is also spiritual. In the practice of Buddha's doctrine, if your underlying consideration in avoiding a nonvirtuous act is that it would thwart your attainment of a state transcending sorrow, such restraint is a moral act.
-- from An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
- October 6
It is hypocrisy to say that all religions are the same. Different religions have different views and fundamental differences. But it does not matter, as all religions are meant to help in bringing about a better world with better and happier human beings. On this level, I think that through different philosophical explanations and approaches, all religions have the same goal and the same potential. Take the concept[s] of the creator and self-creation for instance. There are big differences between the two, but I feel they have the same purpose. To some people, the concept of the creator is very powerful in inspiring the development of self-discipline, becoming a good person with a sense of love, forgiveness and devotion to the ultimate truth - the Creator or God.
The other concept is self-creation: if one wants to be good, then it is one's own responsibility to be so. Without one's own efforts one cannot expect something good to come about. One's future is entirely dependent on oneself: it is self-created. This concept is very powerful in encouraging an individual to be a good and honest person. So you see, the two are different approaches but have the same goal.
-- from Live in a Better Way: Reflections on Truth, Love and Happiness
- September 29
The nature of samsaric evolution is not such that death is followed by nothingness, nor that humans are always reborn as humans and insects as insects. On the contrary, we all carry within us the karmic potencies of all realms of cyclic existence. Many beings transmigrate from higher to lower realms, others from lower to higher. The selection of a place of rebirth is not directly in our own hands but is conditioned by our karma and delusions. They who possess spiritual understanding can control their destiny at the time of death, but for ordinary beings the process is very much an automatic chain reaction of karmic seeds and habitual psychic response patterns....
Our repeated experience of frustration, dissatisfaction and misery does not have external conditions as its root cause. The problem is mainly our lack of spiritual development. As a result of this handicap, the mind is controlled principally by afflicted emotions and illusions. Attachment, aversion and ignorance rather than a free spirit, love and wisdom are the guiding forces. Recognizing this simple truth is the beginning of the spiritual path.
-- from The Path to Enlightenment
- September 22
Howard C.Cutler, MD: "Is happiness a reasonable goal for most of us? Is it really possible?"
HH the Dalai Lama: "Yes. I believe that happiness can be achieved through training the mind. When I say 'training the mind,' in this context I'm not referring to 'mind' merely as one's cognitive ability or intellect. Rather, I'm using the term in the sense of the Tibetan word Sem, which has a much broader meaning, closer to 'psyche' or 'spirit'; it includes intellect and feeling, heart and mind. By bringing about a certain inner discipline, we can undergo a transformation of our attitude, our entire outlook and approach to living.
"When we speak of this inner discipline, it can of course involve many things, many methods. But generally speaking, one begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness and those factors which lead to suffering. Having done this, one then sets about gradually eliminating those factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to happiness. That is the way."
-- from The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
- September 15
What do we mean when we speak of a truly compassionate kindness? Compassion is essentially concern for others' welfare -- their happiness and their suffering. Others wish to avoid misery as much as we do. So a compassionate person feels concerned when others are miserable and develops a positive intention to free them from it. As ordinary beings, our feeling of closeness to our friends and relatives is little more than an expression of clinging desire. It needs to be tempered, not enhanced. It is important not to confuse attachment and compassion.... A compassionate thought is motivated by a wish to help release beings from their misery.
--from Stages of Meditation
Special quote excerpt in preparation for talks being given by H.H. the Dalai Lama September 16-18, 2005:
90. One should first earnestly meditate on the equality of oneself and others in this way: "All equally experience suffering and happiness, and I must protect them as I do myself."
91. Just as the body, which has many parts owing to its division into arms and so forth, should be protected as a whole, so should this entire world, which is differentiated and yet has the nature of the same suffering and happiness.
94. I should eliminate the suffering of others because it is suffering, just like my own suffering. I should take care of others because they are sentient beings, just as I am a sentient being.
-- from A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life (Chapter 8) by Santideva, translated from the Sanskrit and Tibetan by Vesna A. Wallace and B. Alan Wallace
- September 8
Going for Refuge to the Three Jewels
...a buddha is someone who has attained full enlightenment through the cultivation of compassion and the wisdom of no-self, the absence of self-existence. From our discussion we also saw how the Dharma jewel is to be understood as the path by which we can gradually accomplish the same result as the fully awakened Buddha. Likewise, the Sangha jewel is the community of sincere practitioners who have directly realised emptiness, the ultimate nature of reality.
For those of us who consider ourselves to be practising Buddhists, it is crucial to have this kind of deeper understanding of the Three Jewels when we go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
-- from Lighting the Way
- September 1
All events and incidents in life are so intimately linked with the fate of others that a single person on his or her own cannot even begin to act. Many ordinary human activities, both positive and negative, cannot even be conceived of apart from the existence of other people. Even the committing of harmful actions depends on the existence of others. Because of others, we have the opportunity to earn money if that is what we desire in life. Similarly, in reliance upon the existence of others it becomes possible for the media to create fame or disrepute for someone. On your own you cannot create any fame or disrepute no matter how loud you might shout. The closest you can get is to create an echo of your own voice.
Thus interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law, or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena, from the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests, and flowers that surround us, arise in dependence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay.
-- from The Compassionate Life
- August 25
If things did in fact exist the way they appear - if things did exist so concretely - then when one looked into and investigated them, this inherent existence should become even clearer, more obvious. However, when you seek for the object designated, you cannot find it under analysis.
...[That] which gives rise to the appearance of I is mind and body, but when you divide this into mind and body and look for the I, you cannot find it. Also the whole, body, is designated in dependence upon the collection of parts of the body; if you divide this into its parts and look for the body, you cannot find it either. Even the most subtle particles in the body have sides and hence parts. Were there something partless, it might be independent, but there is nothing that is partless. Rather, everything exists in dependence on its parts... There is no whole which is separate from its parts.
...No matter what the phenomenon is, internal or external, whether it be one's own body or any other type of phenomenon, when we search to discover what this phenomenon is that is designated, we cannot find anything that is it.
...However, these things appear to us as if they do exist objectively and in their own right, and thus there is a difference between the way things appear to our minds and the way they actually exist... Since phenomena appear to us in a way that is different from what we discover when analysing, this proves that their concrete appearance is due to a fault of our minds.
-- from Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
- August 17
Question: If the root of all suffering is attachment, are the desire to have a family and the desire for liberation from suffering contradictory?
Answer: I think that a distinction should be made between desires that are due to ignorance and desires that are reasoned. In Tibetan, a difference can be made between "wish" and "desire"; for instance a Bodhisattva is reborn through his or her own wishes, not out of desire. Similarly, it is suitable to aspire toward liberation. Also, persons, such as Foe Destroyers, who have completely overcome all of the afflictive emotions, have thoughts such as, " Such and such is good; I need it." Merely such thoughts are not afflictive consciousnesses. Similarly, if we consider the desire for a family, there are persons practicing the Bodhisattva path who have families; also, in the scriptures of discipline, Buddha himself set forth vows for lay persons and vows for monks. Hence, there is no general prohibition of the wish to have a family.
-- from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- August 10
The word 'mantra' means 'mind-protection'. It protects the mind from ordinary appearances and conceptions. 'Mind' here refers to all six consciousnesses -- eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mental consciousnesses -- which are to be freed, or protected, from the ordinary world. There are two factors in mantra training, pride in oneself as a deity and vivid appearance of that deity. Divine pride protects one from the pride of being ordinary, and divine vivid appearance protects one from ordinary appearances. Whatever appears to the senses is viewed as the sport of a deity; for instance, whatever forms are seen are viewed as the emanations of a deity and whatever sounds are heard are viewed as the mantras of a deity. One is thereby protected from ordinary appearances, and through this transformation of attitude, the pride of being a deity emerges. Such protection of mind together with its attendant pledges and vows is called the practice of mantra.
-- from Tantra in Tibet
- August 4
Techniques for Improvement
All of us have attained a human life; we are, in a sense, incomparable among the various types of sentient beings, as we are able to think about many topics with a subtler mind and are endowed with vaster capabilities. Dogs, birds, and so forth do communicate, but only humans can settle and ascertain deep topics on the basis of words; it is obvious that there are no other sentient beings capable of as many thoughts and techniques. Nowadays, humans are engaging in many activities that were not even objects of thought a century or two ago. The metaphors of the poets of the past, such as 'the wonderful house of the moon', are becoming actualities.
...People have made great effort right up to this century, thinking to become free from suffering, but we cannot point to even one person in the world, no matter how rich he or she is, who has no worry -- except for those who have the inner happiness of renouncing the material way of life. Without internal renunciation it is difficult to achieve happiness and comfort.
-- from Deity Yoga
- July 28
...karma refers not only to our actions but, more importantly, to the motivation or intention behind them. The acts themselves are not the primary cause of our suffering; rather, it arises from the world of our intentions or, in other words, from our thoughts and emotions. These afflictive states of mind underlie our negative karma and are therefore the source of our suffering.
Obviously, these afflictions won't go away simply by saying prayers or wishing them away; they can only be eliminated by cultivating their corresponding remedies or antidotes. To understand how this process of applying the antidote works we can observe our physical world. For instance, we can contrast heat and cold: if we are suffering from the effects of too cold a temperature, then we increase the thermometer on our heater or air-conditioning unit and adjust it to our comfort. Thus, even in the physical world we can see instances where opposing forces counter each other.
...From our own personal experience we recognise that anger and hostility disturb our peace of mind and, more importantly, that they have the potential to harm others. Conversely, we recognise that positive emotions like compassion and loving kindness can engender in us a deep sense of peace and serenity, beneficial results that we can extend to others as well. This appreciation of their great value naturally leads to a desire to cultivate these positive emotions. It is through this gradual process that the antidotes work in decreasing and eventually eliminating their opposing forces in the mental realm, the realm of our thoughts and emotions.
-- from Lighting the Way
- July 21
Concern for others to be happy and compassion wishing them to be free from suffering are needed not only as the basis for a bodhichitta motivation for mahamudra* practice, but also for keeping that practice on course to its intended goal. When we have changed our focus in life from the contents of our experience to the process of experience, there is great danger of becoming fixated on mind itself. This is because the direct experience of mind itself is totally blissful - in a calm and serene sense - and entails extraordinary clarity and starkness. Concern for others is one of the strongest forces that brings us back down to earth after having been up in the clouds. Although all appearances exist as a function of mind, other beings do not exist merely in our head. Their suffering is real and it hurts them just as much as ours hurts us.
Furthermore, to be concerned about someone does not mean to be frantically worried about this person. If we are fixated on our child's problems at school, for example, we lose sight that whatever appearance of the problems our mind gives rise to is a function of mind. Believing the appearance to be the solid reality "out there," we again feel hopeless to do anything and thus become extremely anxious and tense. We worry to the point of becoming sick and we over-react toward our child, which does not help. If we focus instead on the process of mind that gives rise to our perception of the problem as if it existed as some horrible monster "out there," we do not eliminate our concern for our child, only our worry. This allows us to take whatever clear and calm action is necessary to alleviate the problem, Thus not only is compassion necessary for successful practice of mahamudra, but mahamudra realization is necessary for successful practice of compassion.
* "Mahamudra" is a Sanskrit word meaning "great seal" and refers to the nature of all phenomena. Mahamudra also refers to sophisticated Buddhist systems of meditation and practice to realize this great sealing nature.
-- from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
- July 14
The Meaning of Empowerment
As for empowerment in general, what does the term wang, or empowerment, signify? To begin with, our fundamental nature - what we term 'the buddha nature', or tathagatagarbha, the very nature of our mind, is inherently present within us as a natural attribute. This mind of ours, the subject at hand, has been going on throughout beginningless time, and so has the more subtle nature of that mind. On the basis of the continuity of that subtle nature of our mind rests the capacity we have to attain enlightenment. This potential is what we call 'the seed of buddhahood', 'buddha nature', 'the fundamental nature', or tathagatagarbha. We all have this buddha nature, each and every one of us. For example, this beautiful statue of Lord Buddha here, in the presence of which we are now sitting, is a representation that honours someone who attained buddhahood. He awakened into that state of enlightenment because his nature was the buddha nature. Ours is as well, and just as the Buddha attained enlightenment in the past, so in the future we can become buddhas too.
...In any case, there dwells within us all this potential which allows us to awaken into buddhahood and attain omniscience. The empowerment process draws that potential out, and allows it to express itself more fully. When an empowerment is conferred on you, it is the nature of your mind - the buddha nature - that provides a basis upon which the empowerment can ripen you. Through the empowerment, you are empowered into the essence of the buddhas of the five families. In particular, you are 'ripened' within that particular family through which it is your personal predisposition to attain buddhahood.
So, with these auspicious circumstances established in your mindstream, and when you reflect on what is taking place and maintain the various visualizations, the conditions are right for the essence of the empowerment to awaken within you, as a state of wisdom which is blissful yet empty - a very special state that is the inseparability of basic space and awareness. As you focus your devotion in this way, it allows this special quality of mind, this new capability, as it were, to awaken.
-- from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- July 7
[Part 3]
The Level of Great Capacity
Atisha continues his discussion on the three capacities by turning his attention to spiritual trainees at the highest level.
Verse 5
Those who, through their personal suffering,
Truly want to end completely
All the suffering of others
Are persons of supreme capacity.
[-- Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment]
Practitioners at this level use their deep understanding of the nature of suffering, derived from reflection on their personal experience, to recognise the fundamental equality of oneself and others insofar as the desire to overcome suffering is concerned. This then leads to the arising of a spontaneous wish to free all sentient beings from their suffering, a wish which becomes the powerful impetus for engaging in spiritual practices aimed at bringing about this altruistic objective.
The most important practice in relation to this altruistic goal is the generation of bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
-- from Lighting the Way
- June 30
[Part 2]
The Level of Middling Capacity
In the following verse Atisha describes the characteristics of spiritual trainees of the middling capacity.
Verse 4
Those who seek peace for themselves alone,
Turning away from worldly pleasures
And avoiding destructive actions
Are said to be of middling capacity.
[-- Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment]
The phrase 'destructive actions' refers to the afflictions that, together with karma, constitute the origin of suffering. This is why practitioners at the level of middling capacity concentrate on the spiritual practices that are primarily aimed at the elimination of the afflictions. Broadly speaking, these practices fall into two categories. One is training the mind to cultivate the genuine desire to gain freedom from cyclic existence, which is often referred to as the cultivation of renunciation. The other is cultivating the path to bring about the fulfillment of that wish for renunciation. In order to train one's mind in this way, one needs to reflect upon the defects of cyclic existence and to develop an understanding of the causation chain of karma and the afflictions. Through these reflections one cultivates the wish to gain freedom and then embarks upon the path to bring about that freedom.
--
from Lighting the Way
- June 23
[Part 1]
The Level of Initial Capacity
All the essential spiritual practices related primarily to the achievement of rebirth in the higher realms belong to what Atisha calls the 'small capacity'.
Verse 3
Know that those who by whatever means
Seek for themselves no more
Than the pleasures of cyclic existence
Are persons of the least capacity.
[-- Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment]...the principal means for attaining birth in the higher realms is the ethical discipline of refraining from the ten negative actions of body, speech and mind. These comprise three actions of the body - killing, stealing and sexual misconduct; four verbal actions - lying, divisive speech, harsh speech and frivolous speech; and three mental actions - covetousness, ill-will and harbouring wrong views. To live an ethically sound life, it helps to remind ourselves of what are known as the four reflections, namely the preciousness of human life; the inevitability of our death and the uncertainty of the time of death; the infallibility of the law of cause and effect and the workings of karma; and understanding the nature of suffering. Concerning the first reflection, some Tibetan masters have said that when we contemplate the preciousness of this human existence, we should literally cultivate the determination to make our human life something precious in itself, rather than allowing it to be wasted or to become a cause of future suffering.
Contemplating these four reflections gives us the courage to engage earnestly in the practice of the Dharma in order to free ourselves from the possibility of rebirth in the lower realms. This involves a process of training our mind, not just at the mental level but also at the level of our emotions and actions. Living an ethical life is not a case of adhering to a set of regulations imposed on us from outside, such as the laws of a country. Rather it involves voluntarily embracing a discipline on the basis of a clear recognition of its value. In essence, living a true ethical life is living a life of self-discipline. When the Buddha said that 'we are our own master, we are our own enemy', he was telling us that our destiny lies in our own hands.
-- from Lighting the Way
- June 16
...you should have the deep conviction that cessation of the sufferings and the delusions is possible, and also that it is possible within your mind. True cessation is a state where you have destroyed the delusions at their root so that there remains no potential for their re-emergence. Such a cessation can be realized only through the true paths that penetrate into the nature of reality.
When you develop this conviction, you will also be able to develop faith in a being who has really mastered cessation, who is the Buddha -- a person who has fully accomplished the realization of the dharma. If you contemplate along such lines, you will be able to develop a very deep faith and conviction in Buddha Shakyamuni and see him as an incomparable master.
What distinguishes Buddhist practitioners from others is the factor of taking refuge. But merely seeking a refuge out of the fear of suffering is not unique to Buddhists; non-Buddhists could also have such a motivation. The unique practice of refuge that Buddhists should have is that of taking refuge in the Buddha out of a deep conviction in his exceptional qualities and realizations. If you think in such terms you will be able to understand Lama Tsongkhapa's profound praise of Buddha Shakyamuni: "Those who are far from his doctrine always reinforce the illusion of self-existence that they have within themselves, whereas those who follow his guidance will be able to free themselves from such confusions."
-- from The Path to Bliss
- June 9
When we practice, initially, as a basis we control ourselves, stopping the bad actions which hurt others as much as we can. This is defensive. After that, when we develop certain qualifications, then as an active goal we should help others. In the first stage, sometimes we need isolation while pursuing our own inner development; however, after you have some confidence, some strength, you must remain with, contact, and serve society in any field -- health, education, politics, or whatever.
There are people who call themselves religious-minded, trying to show this by dressing in a peculiar manner, maintaining a peculiar way of life, and isolating themselves from the rest of society. That is wrong. A scripture of mind-purification (mind-training) says, "Transform your inner viewpoint, but leave your external appearance as it is." This is important. Because the very purpose of practicing the Great Vehicle is service for others, you should not isolate yourselves from society. In order to serve, in order to help, you must remain in society.
-- from The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness
- June 2
Buddhas are always striving for the welfare of beings migrating in cyclic existence. In every hour and minute they create limitless forms of welfare for beings throughout billions of emanations of their body, speech and mind. For instance, in this aeon - an aeon being a period of an extremely great number of years - they will appear in the aspect of one thousand supreme Emanation Bodies (Nirmanakaya) as Buddhas, and each will have his own new teaching.
-- from The Buddhism of Tibet
- May 26
Ordinarily, it is difficult to remember one's past life. Such recollections seem to be more vivid when the child is very young, such as two or three, and in some cases even younger. ...When the present body is fully formed, the ability to recall past life seems to diminish.
The mental associations with this life become increasingly dominant. There is a close relationship during the first few years of one's life with the continuum of consciousness from the previous life. But as experiences of this life become more developed and elaborate, they dominate.
It is also possible within this lifetime to enhance the power of the mind, enabling one to reaccess memories from previous lives. Such recollection tends to be more accessible during meditative experiences in the dream state. Once one has accessed memories of previous lives in the dream state, one gradually recalls them in the waking state.
-- from Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with The Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism, ed. by Zara Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston and B. Alan Wallace
- May 19
All sentient beings are exactly the same in that every one desires happiness and seeks to avoid misery. We are not isolated entities disconnected from each other. The happiness and suffering of other beings affect us. This mutual relation is obvious. Sentient beings have been kind and have benefited us directly and indirectly throughout beginningless time. These beings are intrinsically the same as us in their pursuit of happiness and effort to avoid suffering. Thus, it is essentially logical for us to train in cultivating an impartial attitude wishing for the happiness of all beings.
--from Stages of Meditation
- May 12
Now in terms of the actual practice, when one is immersed in the contemplation of the clear light, since all dualistic appearances vanish, it becomes impossible to distinguish the object from the consciousness perceiving it. They seem to become as if they were one, like water mixed with water. Of course, strictly speaking, there are two entities, subject and object, but within the experience of the clear light this duality is lost.
-- from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists
- May 5
When we talk of karma or action, it entails action committed by an agent, in this case, oneself, in the past. So what type of future will come about, to a large extent, lies within one's own hands and can be determined by the kind of initiatives that one takes now. Not only that, but karma should not be understood in terms of passive, static kind of force, but rather in terms of active process. This indicates that there is an important role for the individual agent to play in determining the course of the karmic process. Consider, for instance, a simple act like fulfilling our need for food. In order to achieve that simple goal one must take action on one's own behalf: one needs to look for food, to prepare it, to eat it. This shows that even a simple act, even a simple goal is achieved through action.
-- from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- April 25
I believe that in human actions, the prime mover is motivation. On the spot, it is important to tackle the symptoms of problems, but in the long run, it is necessary to look at the motivation and whether there is possibility to change it. For the long run, this is crucial. As long as the negative motivation is not changed, then although there might be certain rules and methods to stop counterproductive actions, human beings have the ability through various ways to express their negative feeling. Thus, for the long run, we need to look at our motivation and try to change it. This means that we must try to cultivate the right kind of motivation and try to reduce the negative motivation.
-- from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation, ed. by Jeffrey Hopkins
- April 18
Killing and eating meat are interrelated, so do we have to give up eating animal products? I myself once tried to give it up, but health problems arose and two years later my doctors advised me to again use meat in my diet. If there are people who can give up eating meat, we can only rejoice in their noble efforts. In any case, at least we should try to lessen our intake of meat and not eat it anywhere where it is in scarce supply and our consumption of it would cause added slaughter.
-- from The Path to Enlightenment
- April 11
The human essence of good
sense finds no room with anger. Anger, jealousy, impatience, and hatred are the real
troublemakers; with them problems cannot be solved. Though one may have temporary success,
ultimately one's hatred or anger will create further difficulties. With anger, all actions are
swift. When we face problems with compassion, sincerely and with good motivation, it may take
longer, but ultimately the solution is better, for there is far less chance of creating a new
problem through the temporary "solution" of the present one.
-- from Kindness, Clarity
and Insight
- April 4
REFUGE
What kind of refuge does
Buddhism offer? How are Buddhists and non-Buddhists differentiated? From the viewpoint of
refuge, a Buddhist is someone who accepts Buddha, his doctrine, and the spiritual community as
the final refuge. From the viewpoint of philosophy, a Buddhist is someone who asserts the four
views that guarantee a doctrine as being Buddhist. With respect to the three refuges, called the
Three Jewels, it is said that the Buddha is the teacher of refuge but that the 'actual' refuge
is the Dharma, the doctrine. Buddha himself said, "I teach the path of liberation. Liberation
itself depends upon you." From the same perspective, Buddha said, "You are your own master." The
spiritual community are those who assist one in achieving refuge.
-- from The Dalai Lama
at Harvard
- March 28
It is not good to begin many different
works, saying 'This looks good; that looks good', touching this, touching that, and not
succeeding in any of them. If you do not generate great desires but aim at what is fitting, you
can actualise the corresponding potencies and become an expert in that. With success, the power
or imprint of that practice is generated.
-- from Tantra in Tibet
- March 21
Religion does not mean just precepts,
a temple, monastery, or other external signs, for these as well as hearing and thinking are
subsidiary factors in taming the mind. When the mind becomes the practices, one is a
practitioner of religion, and when the mind does not become the practices one is not.
--
from Deity Yoga
- March 14
Whether or not we actually achieve
the realisation of bodhicitta and to what level or depth we gain such a realisation depends
upon the force of our experience of great compassion. This great compassion, which aspires to
free all sentient beings from suffering, is not confined to the level of mere aspiration. It
has a dimension of far greater power, which is the sense of commitment or responsibility to
personally bring about this objective of fulfilling others' welfare. In order to cultivate this
powerful great compassion, we need to train our mind separately in two other factors. One is to
cultivate a sense of empathy with or closeness to all sentient beings, for whose sake we wish to
work so that they become free from suffering. The other factor is to cultivate a deeper insight
into the nature of the suffering from which we wish others to be relieved.
-- from
Lighting the Way
- March 7
SETTING THE APPROPRIATE MOTIVATION
It is very important before receiving any Dharma teaching to set a proper motivation, or
reaffirm and enhance that motivation if we already basically have it. This is
important not only for those who are listening to a spiritual discourse, but also for the
person delivering it. If a discourse or explanation is given with an attitude of pride,
competitiveness or jealousy, it will not do as a Dharma teaching. A Buddhist teaching must be
given with the sincere wish to benefit all beings by means of it.
Likewise, the listeners to a Buddhist teaching must have a proper motivation, always thinking,
"What new point can I learn from this that will help me be of more benefit to others?" If we sit
here with the notion to learn something about mahamudra so that we can make a display of
ourselves and proudly talk to others about mahamudra so that they will consider us an erudite,
spiritual person, we have a completely wrong motivation.
-- from The Gelug/Kagyü
Tradition of Mahamudra
- February 28
The path to genuine co-operation is
again through sincere compassion and love. Sometimes we misunderstand compassion as being
nothing more than a feeling of pity. Compassion is much, much more. It embraces not only a
feeling of closeness, but also a sense of responsibility. When you develop compassion, it will
help you enormously to generate inner strength and self-confidence, and to reduce your feelings
of fear and insecurity. So compassion and love, embodied in an attitude of altruism, are
qualities that are of tremendous importance for the individual, as well as for society and the
community at large.
-- from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- February 21
The essence of dharma practice is
to bring about a discipline within the mind, a state of mind free of hatred, lust and harmful
intentions. Hence the entire message of the buddhadharma could be summed up in two succinct
statements: "Help others," and "If you cannot help them, at least do not harm others." It is a
grave error to think that apart from such a disciplining of the physical and mental faculties
there is something else called "the practice of dharma." Various, and in some cases divergent,
methods to achieve such an inner discipline have been taught in the scriptures by the
Buddha.
-- from The Path to Bliss
- February 14
What is my purpose in life, what is
my responsibility? Whether I like it or not, I am on this planet, and it is far better to do
something for humanity. So you see that compassion is the seed or basis. If we take care to
foster compassion, we will see that it brings the other good human qualities. The topic of
compassion is not at all religious business; it is very important to know that it is human
business, that it is a question of human survival, that is not a question of human luxury. I
might say that religion is a kind of luxury. If you have religion, that is good. But it is clear
that even without religion we can manage. However, without these basic human qualities we cannot
survive. It is a question of our own peace and mental stability.
-- from The Dalai Lama,
A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings By and About the Dalai Lama
- February 7
The Meaning of Dharma
The word
'dharma' in Sanskrit means 'that which holds'. All existents are 'dharmas,' phenomena, in the
sense that they hold or bear their own entity or character. Also, a religion is a 'dharma' in
the sense that it holds persons back or protects them from disasters. Here the term 'dharma'
refers to the latter definition. In rough terms, any elevated action of body, speech or mind
is regarded as a 'dharma' because through doing such an action one is protected or held back
from all sorts of disasters. Practice of such actions is practice of dharma.
-- from The
Buddhism of Tibet
- January 31
From a Buddhist point of view, one
might be able to distinguish different states of dreaming. Generally speaking, a dream is a
dream, something you can't control. But for the highly advanced meditator, there could be
possibilities for gaining certain insights through dreams.
I know
some Tibetans who lived in Tibet prior to the 1959 uprising. Before their escape from Tibet,
they did not know about the natural trails and passes by which to get over the Himalayas into
India. Some of these people I met had very clear dreams of these tracks and, years later, when
they actually had to follow the actual trails, they found that they were already familiar with
them because of the very clear dreams they had had previously.
-- from Consciousness at the
Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism ed. by Zara
Houshmand, Robert B. Livingston and B. Alan Wallace
- January 17
When you engage in a project or an activity that
helps other sentient beings, there is no question of a time limit. You must do it continuously. This is how you
should train your mind. If you think you will achieve enlightenment or bodhichitta within a few days or months,
and if you think that you will get enlightened after entering into a retreat for three years and three months,
you are mistaken. When I hear the suggestion that you will attain Buddhahood if you go into retreat for three
years and three months, sometimes I jokingly say that this is just like communist propaganda. I
tell my Western friends that wanting to practice the most profound and the quickest path is a clear sign that
you will achieve no result. How can you achieve the most profound and the vast in the shortest way? The story
of the Buddha says that he achieved Buddhahood after three countless aeons. So harboring an expectation to
achieve Buddhahood within a short time- like three years and three months- is a clear indication that you will
make no real progress. We have to be practical. There is no use in fooling others with your incomplete
knowledge.
--from Stages of Meditation
- January 10
Question: How do things exist if
they are empty of inherent existence?
His Holiness: The doctrines
of emptiness and selflessness do not imply the non-existence of things. Things do exist. When
we say that all phenomena are void of self-existence, it does not mean that we are advocating
non-existence, that we are repudiating that things exist. Then what is it we are negating? We are
negating, or denying, that anything exists from its own side without depending on other things.
Hence, it is because things depend for their existence upon other causes and conditions that they
are said to lack independent self-existence.
-- from Answers: Discussions with Western
Buddhists
2004
- December 20
One difference between the
destructive, negative emotions on the one side and constructive, positive emotions on the other
is that constructive, positive emotions have a strong grounding in valid experience and
reasoning. In fact, the more we analyze these positive emotions, the more they are enhanced.
Negative, afflictive emotions, by contrast, are usually quite superficial. They have no grounding
in reason and often arise out of habit rather than reasoned thought processes.
-- from
Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment
- December 13
When we talk about patience or tolerance, we should understand that there are many
degrees, starting from a simple tolerance, such as being able to bear a certain amount of heat and cold, progressing toward the highest level of
patience, which is the type of patience and tolerance found in the great practitioners, the Bodhisattvas on the high levels of the Buddhist path.
Since patience or tolerance comes from a certain ability to remain firm and steadfast, to not be overwhelmed by the adverse situations or
conditions that one faces, one should not see tolerance or patience as a sign of weakness, but rather as a sign of strength coming from a deep
ability to remain steadfast and firm. We can generally define patience or tolerance in these terms. We find that even in being able to tolerate a
certain degree of physical hardship, like a hot or cold climate, our attitude makes a big difference.
If we have the
realization that tolerating immediate hardship can have long-term beneficial consequences, we are more likely to be able to tolerate everyday
hardships. Similarly, in the case of those on the Bodhisattva levels of the path practicing high levels of tolerance and patience, intelligence
also plays a very important role as a complementary factor.
-- from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective
- December 6
I always explain that violence is not the human way. I believe that, fundamentally,
human nature is positive, gentle; therefore, the non-violent way is the human way. Also, whatever result we achieve through non-violence has no
negative side effect. Through violence, even though we may get some kind of satisfaction, negative side effects are also incurred. Then, most
importantly, whether we like it or not, we have to live side by side with the Chinese; thus, in the long future, generation to generation, in
order to live happily, peacefully, it is extremely important, while we are carrying on the struggle, to accord with the principle of
non-violence.
-- from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
- November 29
Karma has four main characteristics. The first is its increasing effect: goodness
heralds further goodness and evil heralds further evil. Secondly, karma is definite: in the long run, goodness always produces joy and negativity
always produces suffering. Thirdly, one never experiences a joy or sorrow that does not have an according karmic cause. And lastly, the karmic
seeds that are placed on the mind at the time of an action will never lose their potency even in a hundred million lifetimes, but will lie dormant
within the mind until one day the conditions that activate them appear.
-- from The Path to Enlightenment
- November 15
Material progress is for the sake of achieving that happiness and relieving that
suffering which depends upon the body. But it is indeed difficult to remove all suffering by these external means and thereby achieve complete
satisfaction. Hence there comes to be a great difference between seeking happiness in dependence upon external things and seeking it in
dependence upon one's own internal spiritual development. Furthermore, even if the basic suffering is the same, there is a great difference in
the way we experience it and in the mental discomfort that it creates, depending upon our attitude towards it. Hence our mental attitude is very
important in how we spend our lives.
-- from Kindness, Clarity and Insight
- November 8
We have the bias of considering some people to be enemies and others to be friends.
If this really were true such that an enemy always remained an enemy and a friend always remained a friend, then there might be a reason to hate
certain people and love others. But, again, this is not the case. There is no certainty in relationships.
-- from The Dalai Lama at
Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- October 25
The teeth, hair and nails are
not I, nor am I bone, blood, mucus, phlegm, pus or
lymph.
Bodily oil is not I, nor is sweat, fat or
the entrails either. The cavity of the entrails is not I, nor is excrement or
urine.
Flesh is not I, nor are the sinews,
warmth nor air. The bodily cavities are not I, nor is any one of the six types of consciousness.
If the self truly exists in the manner in which it appears, then it should be identifiable as one inspects the components of a
person one by one. Following the above verses, no part of the body, including the four elements and space, nor the six types of
consciousness can be identified as the self. This implies that the self that experiences joy and sorrow and that appears to the
mind as if it existed independently does not exist at all. This is ascertained by engaging in such analysis.
-- from
Transcendent Wisdom
- October 18
Mere belief in a source of refuge is not firm; unless there is valid
cognition, you are going only on the assertion that Buddhism is good. Refuge is not an act of partisanship but is based on
analysing what scriptures are reasonable and what scriptures are not. In order for the mind to engage one-pointedly in practice,
there must be reasoned conviction that only the Buddhist path is non-mistaken and capable of leading to the state of complete
freedom from defects and possession of all auspicious attainments. One should engage in honest investigation, avoiding desire
and hatred and seeking the teaching that sets forth the means for fulfilling the aims of trainees.
-- from Tantra in
Tibet, trans. & ed. by Jeffrey Hopkins
- October 11
In general, the countries of the East have had less material
progress and thus have great suffering from poverty. In the West, though poverty is not severe, there is the suffering of worry
and not knowing satisfaction. In both East and West, many persons spend their lives in jealousy and competition; some think only
of money, and when they meet with conditions unfavourable to their wish develop a dislike or enmity for these unfavourable
circumstances from the very orb of their heart. Within and between countries people are disturbed, not trusting and believing
each other, having to spend their lives in continual lies and deceit. Since the most we can live is a hundred years, what point
is there in spending our lives in jealousy, deceit, and competition?
-- from Deity Yoga, translated and edited by
Jeffrey Hopkins
- October 4
Many people who approach the practice of Buddhism are willing to
sacrifice one or two hours of their day in order to perform some ritual practice or engage in meditation. Time is relatively
easy to give up, even though their life may be very busy. But, they are not willing to change anything of their personality -
they are not willing to forgo anything of their negative character. With this type of approach to Buddhism, it hardly matters
how much meditation we do, our practice remains merely a hobby or a sport. It does not touch our lives. In order actually to
overcome our problems, we have to be willing to change - namely to change our personality. We need to renounce and rid ourselves
of those negative aspects of it that are causing us so much trouble.
-- from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra by
H.H. the Dalai Lama & Alexander Berzin
- September 27
When we practice, initially, as a basis we control ourselves,
stopping the bad actions which hurt others as much as we can. This is defensive. After that, when we develop certain
qualifications, then as an active goal we should help others. In the first stage, sometimes we need isolation while pursuing our
own inner development; however, after you have some confidence, some strength, you must remain with, contact, and serve society
in any field-health, education, politics, or whatever.
-- from Kindness, Clarity and Insight
- September 20
Like yourself, everyone else from their own side equally does not
want suffering and equally wants happiness. For example, among ten ill people, each of them just wants happiness; from their
side they are all ill, and they all want to be freed from their illness. Hence there is no possible reason for making a biased
exception, treating a certain one better and neglecting the others. It is impossible to select one out for better treatment.
Moreover, from your own viewpoint, all sentient beings, in terms of their connection with you over the course of lifetimes, have
in the past helped you and in the future will help again. Thus, you also cannot find any reason from your own side to treat some
better and others worse.
-- The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- September 13
First it is important to recognize the human form as rare and
precious. It is not enough just to obtain this precious human form which has great potential; rather, you should use that
potential to its fullest extent by taking its essence. For example, if a person's ascent to high office is not followed by good
work for the community and people, it is not very beneficial and worthwhile. If, on the basis of full use of the potential, one
is able to accomplish great feats, that would truly be a great success. Therefore, it is important initially to recognize all
the significance and great potential of this human existence.
-- from The Path to Bliss
- September 6
Everything on this planet functions according to the law of nature.
Particles come together, and on the basis of their co-operation everything around us, our whole environment, can develop and be
sustained. Our own body too has the same structure. Different cells come together and work together in co-operation, and as a
result, human life is sustained. In a human community the same law and principle of co-operation applies. Even for an aeroplane
to fly or for a single machine to work, it can only do so by depending on many other factors, and with their co-operation.
Without them it is impossible. Just so, to sustain everyday life in human society we need co-operation.
-- from Dzogchen:
Heart Essence of the Great Pefection
- August 30
Lack of understanding of the true nature of happiness, it seems to
me, is the principal reason why people inflict sufferings on others. They think either that the other's pain may somehow be a
cause of happiness for themselves or that their own happiness is more important, regardless of what pain it may cause. But this
is shortsighted, no one truly benefits from causing harm to another sentient being. Whatever immediate advantage is gained at
the expense of someone else is short-lived. In the long run causing others misery and infringing their rights to peace and
happiness result in anxiety, fear and suspicion within one-self. Such feelings undermine the peace of mind and contentment which
are the marks of happiness.
-- from The Dalai Lama: A Policy of Kindness
- August 23
It is very important to understand the context of the Buddhist
emphasis on recognizing that we are all in a state of suffering, otherwise there is a danger we could misunderstand the Buddhist
outlook, and think that it involves rather morbid thinking, a basic pessimism and almost an obsessiveness about the reality of
suffering. The reason why Buddha laid so much emphasis on developing insight into the nature of suffering is because there is an
alternative - there is a way out, it is actually possible to free oneself from it. This is why it is so crucial to realize the
nature of suffering, because the stronger and deeper your insight into suffering is, the stronger your aspiration to gain
freedom from it becomes. So the Buddhist emphasis on the nature of suffering should be seen within this wider perspective, where
there is an appreciation of the possibility of complete freedom from suffering. If we had no concept of liberation, then to
spend so much time reflecting on suffering would be utterly pointless.
-- from The Dalai Lama's Book of Awakening
- August 16
Now in our day-to-day lives we know that the more stable, calm and
contented our mind is, the more feelings and experiences of happiness we will derive from it. The more undisciplined, untrained,
and negative our mind is, the more we suffer mentally, and physically as well. So we can see only too well that a disciplined
and contented mind is the source of our happiness.
-- from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- August 9
If we do not wish merely to know intellectually about the view of
emptiness, but rather wish to experience it ourselves in our own continuum, we should build a firm foundation for this. Then,
according to our mental ability we should hear and consider both the sutras and treatises which teach the profound view of
emptiness as well as the good explanations of them by the experienced Tibetan scholars in their commentaries. Together with
this, we should learn to make our own ways of generating experience of emptiness accord with the precepts of an experienced wise
man.
-- from Buddhism of Tibet
- August 2
A great deal of our suffering comes from having too many thoughts.
And, at the same time, the way we think is not sane. We are only concerned by our immediate satisfaction and forget to measure
its long-term advantages and disadvantages, either for ourselves or for others. But such an attitude always goes against us in
the end. There is no doubt that by changing our way of seeing things we could reduce our current difficulties and avoid creating
new ones.
-- from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart
- July 25
Sufferings arise from specific causes and conditions, which are collected by individual sentient
beings. That being so, it is extremely important that individual sentient beings know what is to be practiced and what is to be
given up- what brings suffering and what brings long-lasting happiness. We must show sentient beings the right path, which
brings happiness and the wrong path, which brings suffering. Therefore, when we talk about benefiting other sentient beings, it
is through showing them the path and helping them understand what is to be given up and what is to be practiced. This is how we
can help other sentient beings.
--from Stages of Meditation
- July 19
In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and
they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the
intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is
also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go
together.
-- from Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists
- July 5
No quote
- July 5
What is the purpose of the Dharma? Just
like other spiritual traditions, Buddhadharma is an instrument for training the mind- something
we use to try to work out the problems that we all experience; problems that originate mainly at
the mental level. Negative emotional forces create mental unrest, such as unhappiness, fear,
doubt, frustration and so forth; these negative mental states then cause us to engage in
negative activities, which in turn bring us more problems and more suffering. Practicing Dharma
is a way of working out these problems, be they long-term or immediate. In other words, Dharma
protects us from unwanted suffering.
-- from Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment
- June 28
Insofar as the destructive effects of
anger and hateful thoughts are concerned, one cannot get protection from wealth; even if one is
a millionaire, one is subject to these destructive effects of anger and hatred. Nor can
education guarantee that one will be protected from these effects. Similarly, the law cannot
guarantee protection. Even nuclear weapons, no matter how sophisticated the defense system may
be, cannot give one protection or defend one from these effects.
The
only factor that can give refuge or protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred
is the practice of tolerance and patience.
-- from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience
from a Buddhist Perspective
- June 21
Now that as humans we have met with
spiritual teachings and have met a teacher, we should not be like a beggar doing nothing
meaningful year after year, ending up empty-handed at death. I, an ordinary monk in
the lineage of Buddha Shakyamuni, humbly urge you to make efforts in spiritual practice.
Examine the nature of your mind and cultivate its development. Take into account
your welfare in this and future existences, and develop competence in the methods that produce
happiness here and hereafter. Our lives are impermanent and so are the holy teachings. We
should cultivate our practice carefully.
-- from The Path to Enlightenment
- June 14
There are two kinds of food- food for
mental hunger and food for physical hunger. Thus a combination of these two- material progress
and spiritual development is the most practical thing. I think that many Americans,
particularly young Americans, realize that material progress alone is not the full answer for
human life. Right now all of the Eastern nations are trying to copy Western technology. We
Easterners such as Tibetans, like myself, look to Western technology feeling that once we
develop material progress, our people can reach some sort of permanent happiness. But when I
come to Europe or North America, I see that underneath the beautiful surface there is still
unhappiness, mental unrest, and restlessness. This shows that material progress alone is not
the full answer for human beings.
-- from The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness
- June 7
Inner development comes step by step.
You may think "Today my inner calmness, my mental peace is very small," but still, if you
compare, if you look five, ten, or fifteen years back, and think, "What was my way of thinking
then? How much inner peace did I have then and what is it today?"- comparing it with what it
was then, you can realize that there is some progress, there is some value. This is how you
should compare- not with today's feeling and yesterday's feeling, or last week or last month,
even not last year, but five years ago. Then you can realize what improvement has occurred
internally. Progress comes by maintaining constant effort in daily practice.
-- from
Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
- May 31
One of the most important practices is
that of tolerance, patience. Tolerance can be learned only from an enemy; it cannot be learned
from your guru. At these lectures, for instance, you cannot learn tolerance, except perhaps
when you are bored! However, when you meet your enemy who is really going to hurt you, then, at
that moment you can learn tolerance. Shantideva makes a beautiful argument; he says that one's
enemy is actually a good spiritual guide because in dependence upon an enemy one can cultivate
patience, and in dependence up patience one accumulates great power of merit. Therefore, it is
as if an enemy were purposefully getting angry in order to help you accumulate merit.
--
from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- May 24
Generally speaking, whenever we
perceive things, our perception is deluded, in that we project onto things a status of
existence and a mode of being which is simply not there. We exaggerate things, and the way they
then appear falsely to our minds gives rise to afflictive emotions. When we see our friends or
enemies, for instance, we superimpose on them a quality of desirability or undesirability that
is beyond the actual facts of the situation, and this superimposition or exaggeration sparks
off fluctuating states of emotion in our mind. Towards our friends we feel strong attachment
and desire, and towards our enemies powerful anger and hatred. So if we are serious about
trying to purify our minds of these afflictive emotions, an understanding of emptiness becomes
crucial.
-- from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection
- May 17
If you examine the nature of your own
mind, you will realize that the pollutants, such as afflictive emotions and thoughts rooted in
a distorted way of relating to the world, are actually unstable. No matter how powerful an
affliction, when you cultivate the antidote of true insight into the nature of reality, it will
vanish because of the power of the antidote, which undermines its continuity. However, there
is nothing that can undermine the basic mind itself; nothing that can actually interrupt the
continuity of consciousness. The existence of the world of subjective experience and
consciousness is a natural fact. There is consciousness. There is mind. There is no force
that can bring about a cessation of your mental continuum.
-- from Illuminating the Path
to Enlightenment
- May 10
Expecting tranquility or peace of mind
through money or through power is wrong. The ultimate potential to create peace of mind, a
happy person, a successful and happy future, depends to a large extent on inner qualities. Of
course, external facilities, such as money, are useful, we need them, but they are not the
ultimate source or condition of inner peace.
from The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace
Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
- May 3
Encountering sufferings will definitely
contribute to the elevation of your spiritual practice, provided you are able to transform the
calamity and misfortune into the path.
from The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom
- April 26
In Buddhism, both learning and
practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to
rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must
definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and
practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere
practice in our daily lives. These two must go together.
from Answers: Discussions
with Western Buddhists
- April 19
The root of all the vows for
laypersons and for monks and nuns is the ethics of the abandonment of the non-virtues. Three
physical actions (killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct), four verbal actions, (lying,
divisive talk, harsh speech, and senseless chatter), and three mental actions (covetousness,
harmful intent, and wrong views) are to be abandoned.
from The Dalai Lama at Harvard:
Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace
- April 12
There is no self or person existing
in isolation from the mental and physical aggregates. This is to say that a person exists in
reliance upon the aggregates. This can be well understood by observing our everyday
conventions. When the body and other aggregates are young, we say the person is young; when
they age, we say the person is old. These conventional expressions concur with the actuality
that the person exists in dependence on the aggregates.
--from Stages of Meditation
- April 5
Anyone who is indifferent to the
well-being of other people and to the causes of their future happiness, can only be laying the
ground for their own misfortune.
from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart
- March 29
If you ask "Do humans have rights?",
yes, there are human rights. How is it that humans have rights? It is on the basis of the valid
innate appearance of an I to our consciousness that we naturally want happiness and do not want
suffering, and that wanting of happiness and not wanting of suffering itself, with this
appearance as its basis, is the very reason for there being human rights.
from
Kindness, Clarity, and Insight
- March 22
You should understand the whole purpose of listening to teachings, taking
teachings and studying them is to put them into practice, just as after having
learned how to prepare a certain dish, you utilize that knowledge to make the
dish and derive full nutritional benefit from it. What you know should
be put into practice immediately; you can thus derive the benefit of having
some transformation within your mind. Even though it might be a very
minor effort, a very small practice just leaving imprints within your mind,
still you must think that it is worthwhile to do. Otherwise your
knowledge of dharma will be quite fruitless, and like merely playing something
on a tape.
from The Path to Bliss
- March 15
THE IMPORTANCE OF BODHICITTA
The highest
perfection of altruism, the ultimate altruism, is bodhicitta complemented by
wisdom. Bodhicitta- the aspiration to bring about the welfare of all sentient
beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake- is really the distilled
essence, the squeezed juice, of all the Buddha's teachings, because
ultimately, the Buddha's intention is to lead all sentient beings to perfect
enlightenment, complete omniscience. Since it is bodhicitta that determines
whether or not our practice becomes the path to enlightenment, bodhicitta is
truly the heart essence of all the teachings of the Buddha. Thus, all 84,000
discourses of the Buddha can be seen as either preliminary to the practice of
bodhicitta, the actual practice of bodhicitta, or precepts and activities in
which we must engage as a result of taking the bodhicitta
pledge.
from Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment
- March 8
When we speak of mental awareness, it does not always refer only to the subtle
awareness. From the time of conception to the time of death, the body is
obviously functioning in some way, but when the body ceases to function as a
body, there is still a very subtle form of consciousness and that is
independent of the body. The fact that the body is able to act as a basis for
mental events is dependent on the pre-existence of a subtle form of
consciousness.
from Consciousness at the Crossroads:
Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism
- March 1
Let's say that I compare myself to an insect. I am a follower of the
Buddha, and a human being equipped with the capacity to think and, supposedly,
to be able to judge between right and wrong. I am also supposed to have
some knowledge of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, and theoretically I
am committed to these practices. Yet when I find certain negative
tendencies arising in me, or when I carry out negative actions on the basis of
these impulses, then from that point of view there is certainly a case to be
made that I am in some ways inferior to the insect. After all, an insect
is not able to judge between right and wrong in the way humans can, it has no
capacity to think in a long-term way and is unable to understand the
intricacies of spiritual teachings, so from the Buddhist point of view,
whatever an insect does is the result of habituation and karma. By
comparison, human beings have the ability to determine what they do. If,
despite this, we act negatively then it could be argued that we are inferior
to that innocent insect! So when you think along these lines, there are
genuine grounds for seeing ourselves as inferior to all other sentient
beings.
from Transforming the Mind: Teachings on Generating
Compassion
- February 23
Bigger issues like
overpopulation, environmental problems, and so forth are now beyond national
boundaries. These are not questions of my nation's survival but of the
survival of humanity. These bigger issues are our responsibility to tackle.
Compared to these problems, small, small things within ourselves are minor.
Once all the bigger issues are solved, then there will be time to discuss-
even, if necessary, to quarrel- among ourselves concerning these small, small
things.
from The Art of Peace: Nobel
Peace Laureates discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation
- February 16
In this world, just as
there are many medicines for a particular disease, so there are many religious
systems that serve as methods for achieving happiness for all sentient beings,
human and otherwise. Though each of these systems has different modes of
practice and different modes of expression, I think that they are all similar
in that they improve the body, speech and mind of those who practice them, and
in that they all have good aims. They are all similar in teaching that bad
actions of speech, such as lying and divisiveness, and bad physical actions,
such as stealing and killing, are improper.
from The Buddhism of
Tibet
- February 9
In our approach to
life, be it pragmatic or otherwise, a basic fact that confronts us squarely
and unmistakably is the desire for peace, security and happiness. Different
forms of life at different levels of existence make up the different levels of
existence on this earth of ours. And no matter whether they belong to
the higher groups such as human beings, or to the lower groups such as
animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort and security. Life is
as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Even the lowliest insect
strives for protection from dangers that threaten its life. Just as each
one of us wants happiness and fears pain, just as each one of us wants to live
and not to die, so do all the other creatures.
from The Heart of Compassion: A Practical Approach to a Meaningful
Life
-
January 26
Sometimes religious
persons, people who are genuinely engaged in the practice of religion,
withdraw from the sphere of human activity. In my opinion, this is not
good. It is not right. But I should qualify this. In certain
cases, when a person genuinely wishes to engage in intense meditation, for
example, when someone wishes to attain 'samatha', then it is all right to seek
isolation for certain limited periods of time. But such cases are by far
the exception, and the vast majority of us must work out a genuine religious
practice within the context of human society.
fromAnswers: Discussions
with Western Buddhists
-
January
19
Laziness will stop your progress in
your spiritual practice. One can be deceived by three types of laziness:
the 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 nonvirtue.
from The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom
-
January 12
Generally speaking, we find in Buddhist literature a description of the ideal
form of human existence, which is endowed with what are known as the eight
qualities that make one's existence full and complete. These include
possessing material wealth and being successful in the world, and so on. These
are seen as favorable conditions; if one can use them constructively, then
they can be very useful. They can assist the individual not only on his or her
spiritual path, but also will make him or her all the more effective when
working for the benefit of other sentient beings.
However, while one possesses the facilities of wealth, position, education,
and so on, it is crucial that there be some internal restraining factor that
constantly keeps one in check so one is not spoiled by these facilities and
never loses the fundamental insight into the underlying unsatisfactory nature
of cyclic existence. In that case, one's attitude toward all these facilities
will be in its proper perspective, i.e. to be utilized as an aid in the path
and for working for the benefit of other sentient beings. There is always the
need to maintain balance, to not go to any extremes, and at the same time to
have full knowledge of how to proceed along the path in the best and most
effective way.
from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a
Buddhist Perspective
2003
-
December
22
Through the
establishments in mindfulness of body, feeling, mind, and phenomena in terms
of their specific and general characters, one understands that these have a
nature of impermanence and of suffering. Through this, one's mind turns away
from over-emphasis on the appearances of this life-time and from
uni-directional adherence to the prosperity of future lifetimes of high status
within cyclic existence as the aim to be attained. Overcoming such
over-emphasis on the appearances of this and future lifetimes, one generates
an awareness that is directed toward liberation from cyclic existence in all
its forms.
from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the
Buddhist Path to Peace
-
December
15
This idea of universal
responsibility is rooted in a very simple fact- in general terms, all others'
desires are the same as mine. Every being wants happiness and does not
want suffering. If we, as intelligent human beings, do not accept this
fact, there will be more and more suffering on this planet. If we adopt
a self-centered approach to life, and constantly try to use others for our own
self-interest, we may gain temporary benefits but, in the long run, we will
not succeed in achieving even personal happiness; and world peace will be
completely out of the question.
from Heart of Compassion: A Practical
Approach to a Meaningful Life
-
December 8
Life lasts at the most
about a hundred years. This is very short compared with geological periods. If
we spend this short time doing harm our life will have been pointless.
Everyone has the right to happiness but nobody has the right to destroy the
happiness of others. In no event can the goal of human existence entail making
anyone suffer.
from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily
Advice from the Heart
-
December
1
As a basis for change, we need to
recognize that as long as we live in this world we will encounter problems,
things that obstruct the fulfillment of our goals. If, when these
happen, we lose hope and become discouraged, we diminish our ability to face
these difficulties. If, on the other hand, we remember that not just we
but everyone has to undergo suffering, this more realistic perspective will
increase our determination and our capacity to overcome troubles. By
remembering the suffering of others, by feeling compassion for others, our own
suffering becomes manageable. Indeed, with this attitude, each new
obstacle can be seen as yet another valuable opportunity to improve our mind,
another opportunity for deepening our compassion! With each new
experience, we can strive gradually to become more compassionate; that is, we
can develop both genuine sympathy for others' suffering and the will to help
remove their pain. As a result, our own serenity and inner strength will
increase.
from The Compassionate Life
-
November
24
I generally believe
that every major religion has the potential for giving any human being good
advice; there is no question that this is so. But we must always keep in mind
that different individuals have different mental predispositions. This means
that for some individuals one religious system or philosophy will be more
suitable than another. The only way one can come to a proper conclusion as to
what is most suitable for oneself is through comparative study. Hence, we look
and study, and we find a teaching that is most suitable to our own
taste.
from
Answers: Discussions with Western Buddhists
-
November
17
When we take refuge in
the Three Jewels, it is important to be aware of the ultimate significance of
refuge. Its ultimate meaning comes from understanding the potential or
seed that we all posses within us, which is known as 'the buddha
nature.' This is a potential that allows us, through the process of
spiritual training, to attain the state of complete enlightenment. Once
we are able to activate this potential seed within, and explore it to its
fullest, then ultimate refuge is achieved.
from Dzogchen: The Heart
Essence of the Great Perfection, Teachings given in the West by His Holiness
the Dalai Lama
-
November 3
If you harbor negative feelings
towards others, and yet expect them to be friendly to you, you are being
illogical. If you want the atmosphere around you to be more friendly,
you must first create the basis for that. Whether the response of others
is positive or negative, you must first create the ground of
friendliness. If others still respond to you negatively after this, then
you have the right to act accordingly.
from
The Dalai Lama's Book of Love and Compassion
-
October 27
Even though there are
so many of us on this planet, everyone can only see themselves. We
depend on others to eat, to have clothes, to find a job or become famous, and
yet we regard other people as our enemies even though we are all so intimately
connected. Is this not a patent contradiction?
from 365 Dalai
Lama: Daily Advice from the Heart
-
October 20
From within the
scientists' circle, it is not clear whether affection and compassion are
illusions or real. Often we cannot specifically pinpoint the objects of
our compassion, of our projected kindness, the objects of our affection.
Anyway, having compassion is something very important throughout human
society, isn't it? Whether compassion has an independent existence
within the self or not, compassion certainly is, in daily life, I think, the
foundation of human hope, the source and assurance of our human future.
from Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on
Brain Science and Buddhism
-
October 13
Basically, the concept
of "I" is the key. The things that surround you, all these ultimately
are designated, so the designator, the self, is supreme. That's why, in
many countries, one's own country is the center of the universe. Then,
within the country, ultimately the person himself or herself is the center of
the whole universe. Now, this self wants happiness and does not want
suffering. Generally speaking, violence produces suffering; compassion
or non-violence brings us happiness. Therefore, violence we consider to
be negative, and non-violence we consider to be positive. Violent things
like Hurricane Mitch in Central America are without any motivation, so we call
them natural disasters. These we can't avoid. But in the other
type of violence, which is created by humans ourselves, motivation is
involved. Those kinds of violence can be changed- we can reduce them,
and there is even a possibility to eliminate them. Therefore, we need to
try to change our attitude, to cultivate the right kind of motivation.
from
The Art of Peace: Nobel Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and
Reconciliation
-
October 6
Why is it that we don't
succeed in enjoying the lasting happiness that we are seeking? And why
are we so often faced with suffering and misery instead? Buddhism
explains that our normal state of mind is such that our thoughts and emotions
are wild and unruly, and since we lack the mental discipline needed to tame
them, we are powerless to control them. As a result, they control
us. And thoughts and emotions, in their turn, tend to be controlled by
our negative impulses rather than our positive ones. We need to reverse
this cycle, so that our thoughts and emotions are freed from their
subservience to negative impulses, and so we ourselves, as individuals, gain
control of our own minds.
from Transforming the Mind: Teachings on
Generating Compassion
-
September 29
"I find that giving a
discourse based on religious texts is a good way of showing that religion has
a lot to tell us, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. However, I am
better at it now than I was in the beginning. In those days I lacked
confidence, although it improved every time I spoke in public. Also, I found,
as every teacher does, that there is nothing like teaching to help one
learn."
from The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom
-
September 15
"It is vital for a
leader to keep in touch with the common people. I myself had learned at
an early age that anyone who wishes to lead must remain close to the common
people."
from The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom
-
September 8
It is up to everyone to
bring an end to war. We can of course identify those who have incited
conflict, but we cannot pretend that they sprung up out of nowhere or that
they acted in isolation. They were members of a society of which we are
all members too, and for which each one of us carries a share of
responsibility. If we want to bring about peace in the world, let us
star by creating it in ourselves.
from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily Advice
for the Heart
- August 25
The fact remains that
the birth cycles of all sentient beings are beginningless, and that countless
times in previous lives we have each fulfilled the role of a mother. The
feeling of a mother for her child is a classic example of love. For the
safety, protection, and welfare of her children, a mother is ready to
sacrifice her very life. Recognizing this, children should be grateful
to their mothers and express their gratitude by performing virtuous
deeds.
fromPath to Tranquility: Daily
Wisdom
- August 18
"Buddhist texts speak of four
principal obstacles that one must overcome for meditation to be
successful. The first is mental scattering or distraction, which arises
at the coarse level of mind and refers to the tendency for our thoughts to be
scattered. The second obstacle is dullness and drowsiness, or the
tendency to fall asleep. The third is mental laxity, which means that
our mind is unable to retain sharpness and clarity. Finally, at a more
subtle level, there is mental excitement, or agitation which stems from the
fluctuating, changeable nature of our mind".
from Transforming the
Mind: Teachings on Generating Compassion
-
August 11
"When practioners cultivate the
recognition that the emotional and mental afflictions are the true enemy and
that underlying them is fundamental ignorance, they then engage in the methods
for eliminating this ignorance. Practitioners recognize that as long as
they remain under the control of the afflictions, they will never be free of
dissatisfaction and suffering. If, based on its recognition, practioners
then generate a genuine and deeply felt aspiration to seek liberation from
this bondage, that is true renunciation."
from
Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment
-
August 4
"If you hurriedly change your
religion, then after some time you may find some difficulties and some
confusion. Therefore, be very careful. An important thing to
remember is that once you change your personal religion, there is a natural
tendency, in order to justify your newly adopted religion, to take a critical
view toward your previous religion. This is very dangerous.
Although your previous religion may be unsuitable or ineffective for you, at
the same time, millions of people may still get benefit from that
tradition. So we must respect each other's individual rights. If
it is their belief, and millions of people get their inspiration from it, we
must respect that. And there are many reasons to do that."
from Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a
Buddhist Perspective
-
July 28
"If there are sound reasons or
bases for the points you demand, then there is no need to use 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. Even in daily human contact, if we talk seriously,
using reasons, there is no need to feel anger. We can argue the
points. When we fail to prove with reason, then anger comes. When
reason ends, then anger begins. Therefore, anger is a sign of
weakness."
from The Dalai Lama, A Policy of Kindness:
An Anthology of Writings by and About the Dalai Lama
-
July 21
"In defense of
politicians, they are necessarily the products of a society. If it is a
society that thinks only of money and power, without any concern for moral
values, we should not be surprised if politicians are corrupt, and should not
therefore consider that the responsibility for such a situation lies entirely
with them."
from 365 Dalai Lama: Daily
Advice from the Heart
-
July 14
"Let me explain what I
mean by compassion. Usually, our concept of compassion or love refers to
the feeling of closeness we have with our friends and loved ones.
Sometimes compassion also carries a sense of pity. This is wrong- any
love or compassion which entails looking down on the other is not genuine
compassion. To be genuine, compassion must be based on respect for the
other, and on the realization that others have the right to be happy and
overcome suffering just as much as you. On this basis, since you can see
that others are suffering, you develop a genuine sense of concern for
them."
from The Dalai Lama's Book of Love & Compassion
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July 7
"What is violence and
what is non-violence? We can't make a clear demarcation betwee | | |
