“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
– Dalai Lama
Exiled from his own country ( Tibet – currently under China’s occupation) since 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, is one of the most respected and vocal spiritual leaders of our time.
A man of peace, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of his nation.
He has spent most of his life traveling the world to advocate policies of non-violence and spread messages of peace, even when faced with extreme aggression. His life philosophies which focus on compassion and kindness above all else – are truly awe-inspiring.
With that, I’m sharing with you some of his most profound words of wisdom, that when followed and integrated into your own daily actions, may just help you to lead a happier, more meaningful, and peaceful life. Enjoy!
On Living Life
“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
“There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?”
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”
“Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquility and happiness we all seek.”
“Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.”
On Challenging times
“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
“Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience.”
“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways–either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.”
“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”
“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”
On Peace
“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.”
“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.”
“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”
On Forgiveness
“The way to change others’ minds is with affection, and not anger.”
“Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don’t usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the following day.”
“If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding.”
“I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends.”
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