The words of the Dalai Lama

So tonight a collection of the wisdom of the Dalai Lama, enjoy ~ Rev Kane

WARM HEARTEDNESS

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a simple level we find that if we have a compassionate heart we naturally have more friends. And scientists today are discovering that while anger and hatred eat into our immune system, warm-heartedness and compassion are good for our health.

INNER PEACE

It is clear that inner peace is the principal cause of happiness. We can observe this in our daily lives. On days when we are calm and happy, even if difficulties arise or we fall victim to a mishap, we take it well, it doesn’t bother us unduly. But on days when we feel sad or have lost our usual calmness, the least little annoyance will take on enormous proportions and be deeply upsetting to us.

ANGER

If your mind is dominated by anger, you will lose the greatest part of your human intelligence-wisdom that is the ability to discern between good and evil. Anger is one of the greatest problems that we have to face in the world today. In the course of our daily human relations, if we speak straight forwardly and in a reasoned way, anger is not necessary. Any point of difference can be discussed. Whenever we cannot justify ourselves through reason, that is when anger rises. It is when reason ends that anger begins. In my experience, even if anger gives us the strength to reach or to respond in the event of conflict, the energy it gives us is blind and difficult to control. Anger is a sign of weakness.

OUTLOOK

Our feeling of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, loss of hope and so forth are in fact related to all phenomena. If we do not adopt the right outlook, it is possible that anything and everything could cause us frustration. Yet phenomena are part of reality and we are subject to the laws of existence. So this leaves us with only one option: to change our own attitude. By bringing about a change in our outlook towards things and events, all phenomena can become friends or sources of happiness, instead of becoming enemies or sources of frustration.

UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY

I believe that to meet the challenge of the next century all human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for his or her own self, family or nation, but for the benefit of all mankind. It is very old-fashioned to think in terms of my nation, or my country, Universal Responsibility is the real key to human survival.