Quotes by the Dalai Lama (Page 2 of 5)

Life can be pleasant or miserable. To lead a fruitful life, and to make it positive, practice analytical meditation.

I call the light and high aspects of my being spirit and the dark and heavy aspects soul.

A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise, a foolish man cannot understand the wise man´s wisdom even if he associates with a sage.

Today we understand that the future of humanity very much depends on our planet, and that the future of the planet very much depends on humanity.

A generous heart and wholesome actions lead to greater peace.

God exists or God does not exist. Leave it for us. Your task is to learn how to live peacefully.

Genuine happiness and compassion go hand in hand.

Genuine happiness comes from focusing on the happiness of others.

Even without a religion, we can become a good human being.

I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter. Far more important is that they be a good human being.

Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being. The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. That's the way.

If we see pride among people who have no idea about Dharma, it is understandable. However, if afflictive emotions and haughtiness are present among Dharma practitioners, it is great disgrace to practice.

You can’t help someone just by making a wish to do so, you have to take action.

I think when religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism -- as well as Christianity and Judaism -- were founded, at that time societies were generally male-dominated. So, therefore this social notion also influenced religion.

The ultimate way to solve human problems is with nonviolence.

Look at children...
If they feel angry with someone,
they express it, and then it is finished.
They can still play with that person the following day.

The essence of all religions is love, compassion and tolerance. Kindness is my true religion. No matter whether you are learned or not, whether you believe in the next life or not, whether you believe in God or Buddha or some other religion or not, in day-to-day life you must be a kind person.

One country ... one ideology, one system is not sufficient. It is helpful to have a variety of different approaches ... We can then make a joint effort to solve the problems of the whole of humankind.

True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.

In some cases is keeping your mouth shut the best answer.

It is in everybody's interest to seek those actions that lead to happiness and avoid those which lead to suffering. And because our interests are inextricably linked, we are compelled to accept ethics as the indispensable interface between my desire to be happy and yours.

Ethics: The indispensable interface between my desire to be happy and yours.

Compassion and love is the source of external and internal peace and is also the root of racial survival.

A learned person will become noble only when he or she has put into real practice what has been learned, instead of mere words.

I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask me how I find the strength to laugh now, I reply that I am a professional laugher.

If you're looking for work and have a choice of a job, choose a job that allows the opportunity for some creativity, and for spending time with your family. Even if it means less pay.

Like the lotus which thrives in mud, the potential for realization grows in the rich soil of everyday life.

Love and compassion benefit both ourselves and others. Through kindness to others, your heart and mind will be peaceful and open.

To reduce destructive emotions we need to strengthen constructive emotions. For example, to counter anger we cultivate love and compassion.

One scientist had discussions about love and compassion. Usually, he felt irritation. After our meeting, for some months, anger never come.

Developing love and compassion and reducing anger and spite is a universal activity which requires no faith in any religion whatsoever.

With genuine love and compassion, another person's appearance or behavior has no affect on your attitude.

Love and compassion are the pillars of world peace.

Whatever the intellectual quality of the education given our children, it is vital that it include elements of love and compassion, for nothing guarantees that knowledge alone will be truly useful to human beings.

My earnest request is that you practice love and kindness whether you believe in a religion or not.

Whether or not we follow any particular spiritual tradition, the benefits of love and kindness are obvious to anyone.

Compassion is one of the principal things that make our lives meaningful. It is the source of all lasting happiness and joy.

Every religion emphasizes human improvement, love, respect for others, sharing other people's suffering. On these lines every religion had more or less the same viewpoint and the same goal.

There is a saying in Tibetan that at the door of the miserable rich man sleeps the contented beggar. The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come with wealth, but from setting limits to one's desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction.

I don't take myself too seriously! That makes me happy.

By deceiving one another through false assumptions and misrepresentations there has been, in reality, a great lapse and delay in achieving the real goals.

There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of the most important factors is human compassion and affection: a sense of caring.

Medical science begin to notice for good health, peace of mind, self-confidence, optimism is something very important. And also preventive measure.

To foster inner awareness, introspection, and reasoning is more efficient than meditation and prayer.

The practicing of loving kindness toward one's enemy is the ultimate test of one's own spiritual attainment.

Spend some amount of time alone everyday.

Life does not wait: Whether we spend our lives meaningfully or not, the time will be used up moment by moment.

Our love could change the orbit of the earth. So, if a meteor ever comes hurtling towards earth with the guarantee of destruction, top scientists may call on us to, well, you know, do it like crazy for the sake of humankind.

Basically, a human being is a social animal. So, if you create some short moment of happiness for people, you get deep satisfaction.

If you resort to violent methods because the other side has destroyed your monastery, for example, you then have lost not only your monastery, but also your special Buddhist practices of detachment, love, and compassion.

In our own case, we don't consider the loss of a monastery or a monument the end of our entire way of life. If one monastery is destroyed, sometimes it happens.

Concern yourselves more with the needs of others, with the needs of all humanity, and you'll have peace of mind.

When you engage in fulfilling the needs of others, your own needs are fulfilled as a by-product.

Self satisfaction alone cannot determine if a desire or action is positive or negative. The demarcation between a positive and a negative desire or action is not whether it gives you a immediate feeling of satisfaction, but whether it ultimately results in positive or negative consequences.

One can overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, by cultivating their counter-forces, like love and compassion.

There is soul music, soul food, and soul love.

Do something that scares you every day. You have nothing to lose but fear itself.

When I meet people from other cultures I know that they too want happiness and do not want suffering, this allows me to see them as brothers and sisters.

We have to adopt a wider perspective, and always find common things between the people of north, east, south, and west. Conflict comes from the basis of differencs.

For those who may not find happiness to exercise religious faith, it's okay to remain a radical atheist; it's absolutely an individual right, but the important thing is with a compassionate heart -- then no problem.

I one individual human being. One of the seven billion human being. I believe each of us, our future depends on the rest of humanity.

The practice of love can be expressed in one sentence: 'Do not harm others.'

The real enemy of happiness is the mind's fixations and delusions... If you have the right mind, you can overcome anything -- you can be happy, no matter what.

I am the source of my own suffering, because of the habits of my mind.

Firstly, as a Buddhist monk, I hold that violence is not good. Secondly, I am a firm believer in the Gandian ethic of passive resistance. And thirdly, in reality, violence is not our strength.

It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.

If you shift your focus from yourself to others, extend your concern to others, and cultivate the thought of caring for the well being of others, then this will have the immediate effect of opening up your life and helping you to reach out.

Everybody wants a happy life and a peaceful mind, but we have to produce peace of mind through our own practice.

Tolerance and patience should not be read as signs of weakness. They are signs of strength.

At a personal level, as a Buddhist practitioner, I deliberately visualize and think about death in my daily practice. Death is not separated from our lives. Due to my research and thoughts about death, I have some guarantee and some conviction that it will be a positive experience.

A positive future cannot emerge from the mind of anger of despair.

All beings want to live in peace and happiness, undisturbed. Therefore the concept of human rights is universal.

Infinite altruism is the basis of peace and happiness. If you want altruism, you must control hate and you must practice patience. The main teachers of patience are our enemies.

What is important is to see how we can best lead a meaningful everyday life, how we can bring about peace and harmony in our minds, how we can help contribute to society.

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot.

Inner peace is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your deep sense of peace and tranquility... Without this inner peace, no matter how comfortable your life is materially, you may still be worried, disturbed or unhappy because of circumstances.

It is very wrong for people to feel deeply sad when they lose some money, yet when they waste the precious moments of their lives they do not have the slightest feeling of repentance.

Buddha was speaking about reality. Reality may be one, in its deepest essence, but Buddha also stated that all propositions about reality are only contingent.

Our prime purpose in life is to serve others.

Some people consider the practice of love and compassion is only related to religious practice and if they are not interested in religion they neglect these inner values. But love and compassion are qualities that human beings require just to live together.

Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease.

Different people describe me in a different ways. Some describe me as the living Buddha. Nonsense. Some describe me as 'God-king.' Nonsense. Some consider me as a demon or a wolf in Buddhist robes. That also, I think nonsense.

We have to have some form of politics. Politics is a form of resolving conflicts. Politics which comes from sincere motivation is constructive.

Follow the three R's: -- Respect for self. -- Respect for others. -- Responsibility for all your actions.

I consider non-violence to be compassion in action. It doesn't mean weakness, cowering in fear, or simply doing nothing. It is to act without violence, motivated by compassion, recognising the rights of others.

In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realized.

If we adopt a self-centered approach to life, by which we attempt to use others for our own self interest, we might be able to gain temporary benefits, but in the long run we will not succeed in achieving even our personal happiness, and hope for the next life is out of the question.

Buddhism does not accept a theory of God, or a creator. According to Buddhism, one's own actions are the creator, ultimately. Some people say that, from a certain angle, Buddhism is not a religion but rather a science of mind.

Without religion, also there is a way, it could be this way, through education, through scientific findings, then you get conviction. Not necessarily really love other, but for their own interest they are showing love, compassion to other like that.

If you are showing love to your fellow human beings, you are showing love to your God.

The universe is a single atom: the convergence of science and spirituality.

If one's cause is supported by sound reasoning, there is no point in using violence. It is those who have no motive other than selfish desire and who cannot achieve their goal through logical reasoning who rely on force.

Self-discipline is crucial to a simpler, more contented life.

People should not rush to change religions. There is real value in finding the spiritual resources you need in your home religion. Even secular humanism has great spiritual resources; it is almost like a religion to me.

Our life depends on others so much that at the root of our existence is a fundamental need for love. That is why it is good to cultivate an authentic sense of responsibility and concern for the welfare of others.

All People and things are interdependent. The world has become so small that no nation can solve its problems alone, in isolation from others. That is why I believe we must all cultivate a sense of responsibility based on love and compassion for each other.

I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is towards happiness.

Just as compassion is the wish that all sentient beings be free of suffering, loving-kindness is the wish that all may enjoy happiness.

Just as you have the instinctive natural desire to be happy and overcome suffering, so do all sentient beings; just as you have the right to fulfill this innate aspiration, so do all sentient beings. So on what exact grounds do you discriminate?

There should be a balance between material and spiritual progress, a balance achieved through the principles based on love and compassion.

A positive state of mind is not merely good for you, it benefits everyone with whom you come into contact, literally changing the world.

In order to meditate correctly, you must have knowledge.

If we want spiritual development, the practice of patience is essential.

If there is a solution to a problem, there is no need to worry. And if there is no solution, there is no need to worry.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being.

Anger, hatred, fear, is very bad for our health.

Samsara -- our conditioned existence in the perpetual cycle of habitual tendencies and nirvana -- genuine freedom from such an existence- are nothing but different manifestations of a basic continuum. So this continuity of consciousness us always present. This is the meaning of tantra.

To be in flow means to be totally absorbed in whatever one is doing at the moment. It occurs when one is fully present and completely focused on the task at hand...Flow can occur during any human activity, whether work or at play.

Happiness comes through taming the mind; without taming the mind there is no way to be happy.

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.

Other human beings have a right to peace and happiness that is equal to our own; therefore we have a responsibility to help those in need.

As soon as I wake up I pay homage to the Buddha, and I try to prepare my mind to be more altruistic, more compassionate, during the day to come so I can be of benefit to beings. Then I do physical exersice -- I walk on a treadmill.

Compassion is of little value if it just remains an idea. It must motivate how we respond to others and be reflective in all our thoughts and actions.

All human beings have an innate desire to overcome suffering, to find happiness. Training the mind to think differently, through meditation, is one important way to avoid suffering and be happy.

Happiness can be achieved through training the mind.

Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.

We must recognize that all beings want the same thing we want. This is the way to achieve a true understanding, unfettered by artificial consideration.

Anger and hatred lead to fear; compassion and concern for others allow us to develop self-confidence, which breeds trust and friendship.

Inner values like friendship, trust, honesty and compassion are much more reliable than money -- they always bring happiness and strength.

Who has magnificent self-confidence
And fears nothing that exists?
The man who has attained to truth
And lives free of error.

Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

Death and dying provide a meeting-point between the Tibetan Buddhist and modern scientific traditions. I believe both have a great deal to contribute to each other on the level of understanding and of practical benefit.