“I don’t like formality. There’s no formality when we’re born and none when we die. In between we should treat each other as brothers and sisters because we all want to live a happy life. This is our common purpose and our right.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Anger and aggression
“Anger and aggression sometimes seem to be protective because they bring energy to bear on a particular situation, but that energy is blind. It takes a calm mind to be able to consider things from different angles and points of view.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Learning to live with realistic limits
“Controlling our desire for more, learning to live within realistic limits, is not only in our own interest. It’s also necessary if we are to overcome the challenges to life on Earth that our incessant quest for more generates—since the material resources of this planet are finite.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
promotion of basic human values
“As a human being, I am committed to the promotion of what I call basic human values, by which I mean especially compassion. Nurturing the compassionate seed within us and acting out of this innate capacity are the keys to fulfilling our basic aspiration to happiness.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Concern for others
“Self-centredness creates a distance from others, leading to dishonesty, fear and anger. This is how disturbing emotions work. While fear, hatred and anger, are bad for our health, concern for others leads to self-confidence and inner strength, while helping to reduce anger.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Compassion touches us all
“There’s an intimate connection between love and compassion, on the one hand, and genuine happiness, on the other. The indispensability of compassion touches us all, from the very first day of our lives, when we’re wholly dependent on the love of our mother or some other caregiver.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Time
“Time is always moving on; nothing can stop it. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it to shape the future. Stress on ‘us’ and ‘them’ is a source of conflict. We neglect basic human qualities of kindness and compassion. Let’s work together to create a happier future.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
How to defeat anger
“If a person shows anger to you, and you show anger in return, the result is disaster. If you nurse hatred, you will never be happy, even in the lap of luxury. By contrast, if you control your anger and show its opposite – love, compassion, tolerance, and patience – then not only do you remain in peace, but gradually the anger of others also will diminish.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Care for coming generations
“We can no longer exploit the resources of this earth—the trees, the water, and other natural resources—without any care for coming generations. Common sense tells us that unless we change, we won’t survive. This Earth Day let’s resolve to live in harmony with nature.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Heart to heart
“In our world today, we’re heavily dependent upon each other. It’s essential, therefore, that we cooperate with one another—then we’ll be able to solve many problems. Good relations, heart to heart, are important and necessary—everything depends upon our having a good motivation.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama