“We have bigger houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicines, but less healthiness; We’ve been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve built more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever but have less communications; We have become long on quantity, but short on quality. These times are times of fast foods; but slow digestion; Tall man but short character; Steep profits but shallow relationships. It is a time when there is much in the window, but nothing in the room.”
The Relevance of the Dalai Lama in the Modern World — Study Buddhism
The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935 in Taktser, China.
At age 15, he assumed the political power of Tibet as the Dalai Lama. The Almost 87-year-old Buddhist monk Dalai Lama is a living legend of the 21st century. Dalai Lama devoted his life to promoting human values around the world. His teaching on human values and their importance are more relevant in today’s world.
Dalai Lama’s dedication to the virtue of kindness is obvious in his way of life:
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
Being kind is not just personal development, it is a collective
growth of humanistic values such as love, compassion, and friendliness.
Kindness is more needed in today’s time when people at large need each other to understand, empathize, and share each other’s suffering. The Buddhist philosophy
Maitri or Metta meaning loving-kindness is the first of the four sublime states taught by Buddha. The ancient text of Hinduism and Jainism also mentions the importance of kindness, love, and compassion. . . . “Kindness and a good heart are the foundation for success in this life, progress on the spiritual path, and the fulfillment of our aspirations.”
Remember, as a child, you used to help everyone, regardless of their names, color, or status. It was a pure act of kindness.
Your bitter experiences or exploitation have corrupted the very conception of helping others. It made you skeptical about offering genuine help to any stranger.
Kindness is not a task you go out to perform one day and get a reward for.
It comes naturally from the heart, with pure sympathy for others’ suffering.
Being a kind person makes you more empathetic towards others. Others see you as a better human with mutual understanding. You become more appealing to other people.
The right attitude and behavior will get you more opportunities and set a path towards a successful life. Kindness resonates with spiritual peace and tranquility.
It helps you better understand yourself, making you more confident. . . .
“Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace.”
In this fast-moving world, we are much more concerned about material needs than the spiritual state of mind. We have become consumers of our own longings.
In the race of achieving goals, mental peace and satisfaction are often sacrificed.
The feeling of being useful to others in any form will always surge a sense of pride and
self-satisfaction. Helping others or caring for others with no intentions makes you a better person in your eyes and in others.
Helping someone cross the road, carrying heavy bags of groceries or giving food to the needy ones, or even just smiling at a stranger. These blissful memories will always be a beacon in the darkness.
The more of these memories build-up, the more content you become.
As Dalai Lama said, “The more you nurture a feeling of kindness,
the happier and calmer you will be.” . . .
“If we remember that others too are human beings like us,
we can extend a sense of kindness even towards those we think of as enemies.”
Dalai Lama fought for his land before becoming a refugee in India.
He talked with the Chinese for peaceful resolution and dialogues.
The sense of fraternity has lost its way in categorization and groupings. Others are humans like us, they eat like us; they breathe like us. They cry and they bleed like us.
And it does not matter if they don’t like us or they are enemies, they are still fellow humans. Kindness does not filter out anyone, it just flows from one heart to another.
Practicing compassion and kindness is not cowardice, it takes a courageous heart to accept others and empathize with them. If we understand each other, we can extend the sense of kindness or express love and compassion.
In Dalai Lama’s words, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible”
Being kind does not need a transformation of life or change in way of thinking.
It is an aspect of human nature that needs no special implementation.
We often ignore people’s suffering. We value our time more than caring for people’s problems or even listen to them. There may be many reasons, or more accurately excuses, to not reaching out to the people in need.
Kindness should flow like a river without worrying about its path or destination.
It is always possible. There should not be any excuses or reasons to be kind.
It does not need a place, time, or conditions to be a kind person.
Be kind whenever or in whatever form needed.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
Our lives have become slaves of our dreams and desires. We are so self-consumed in our achievements we forgot the very basic virtue that makes us what we are. Humanity.
We call ourselves humans, not because we live together, but because we care for each other’s value in the world. Love, compassion, and kindness are the symbols of humanity.
Our shared values of love and compassion towards each other make us human.
And if we let go of these values, hostility towards each other may increase.
Eventually, we might lose our only identity, humanity.
How To Be Kind:
Being kind is not a specialty, it does not require any exercise or particular efforts.
It requires opening your heart and your mind for others.
Dalai Lama himself expressed the simplicity of kindness,
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.”
Start with little.
Listen to people
Understand their problems and their feelings
Help others without worrying about personal gains
Express gratitude to others, even if not needed
Make friends, genuinely, not for any benefits
Share smiles whenever possible
Treat everyone as a fellow human
Change your perspective to realize others’ problems, sympathize with them,
and ensure your support for them.
“Whether one believes in a religion or not and whether one believes in rebirth or not. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.” — Dalai Lama
In the time of Corona-virus kindness, love and compassion are much needed to share
the suffering and thrive towards a better society.
We cannot expect any third entity to elevate every human life and eventually make everyone happy. Our problems must be solved by ourselves, collectively.
Not Giving a F**K . . . . Apathy – Wikipedia
10 Lessons from Dalai Lama That Will Change Your Life
Robert Locke
Author of Ziger the Tiger Stories, a health enthusiast specializing in relationships,
life improvement and mental health.
It is not often that Oprah Winfrey is lost for words!
Yet this was exactly what happened when she asked the Dalai Lama a very pertinent question, which is recounted in the book by Victor Chan entitled The Wisdom of Forgiveness.
She asked him, “Have you ever had to forgive yourself for something?”
His Holiness replied, “My attitude towards mosquitoes is not very favorable, not very peaceful. Bed bugs also.”
Oprah was astounded that there was nothing else to be forgiven for in a life spanning 78 years. Forgiveness and compassion for all living creatures are the two pillars of the Dalai Lama’s teachings. Let’s discover together how his teachings will change your life.
⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄
Your Action Plan to Achieve What You Want
1. Be compassionate.
“The topic of compassion is not at all religious business; it is important to know it is human business, it is a question of human survival.”
Research now shows that when you are compassionate, you experience a
similar feeling of pleasure as when you have sex, good food or a relaxing holiday.
Basically, showing compassion is good for your health. Take compassionate action
and get the “giver’s high.” Benefits are reduced stress, more regular heartbeat and
improved immune system.
You can show compassion by understanding the person’s feelings and emotions.
That means talking to them and trying to share what they are going through. It is more demanding than a mere act of kindness. If you are compassionate, you are going to get emotionally involved. You also ask what help is needed.
You could apply this to:
A friend who is ill
Someone who has lost their job
A relative who has been bereaved
Someone going through a separation
A homeless person
2. Be kind and help others.
“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”
Being kind and generous costs little and the benefits you gain in happiness are considerable. That was the conclusion that Michael Norton and colleagues at the Harvard Business School came to, after doing some very interesting research. The volunteers who gave away some money were happier than those who had spent it on themselves.
Get the push you need to move forward by grabbing your FREE action plan to turn your ideas into actionable tasks and make your goal happen!
Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
3. Find happiness.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
In the rat race, the one thing you really want at the end of the day is the capacity to find happiness.
When he was interviewed about this, the Dalai Lama said that we are bombarded with messages about material possessions. There are very few messages about forgiving, being compassionate, patient, tolerant, and kind. You really have to give those values top priority in order to be happy.
“Happiness is not ready made—it comes from our own actions.”
4. Discover inner peace.
The Dalai Lama advises everybody to spend a little time alone each day. Time to reflect and chase away the negative thoughts such as anger, resentment, jealousy, and tiredness. Try to replace those with positive emotions such as optimism, gratitude, love, and peace. He rightly says that the truly calm mind is the source of happiness and good health.
5. Do not harm others.
“If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.”
If you start telling lies, gossiping and spreading nasty rumors, bullying, and taking advantage of others, then the negative fallout from them will come back to haunt you. These are just a few of the actions that can harm others.
6. Nurture your friendships.
Friendships should never be undervalued. They need tender loving care because they
can generate trust and affection. Real friendships will never depend on money or political clout. It is a sad fact that neglected or stillborn friendships lead to loneliness. This is one of the risk factors which probably contributes to depression in our society.
7. Don’t let technology rule your life.
Did you know that the Dalai Lama has over 8 million followers on Twitter?
While he admires the advances in social media in helping us to communicate,
he nevertheless warns against its overuse for the following reasons:
It can control your life—look at people in restaurants using their cell phones.
Who is in charge? You or the technology?
It is a poor substitute for real friendship.
It cannot help you to be compassionate.
Real human interaction will suffer.
“We are the controllers of technology. If we become a slave of technology, then that’s not good.”
8. Don’t argue or fight; just negotiate.
“Non-violence means dialogue, using our language, the human language. Dialogue means compromise; respecting each other’s rights; in the spirit of reconciliation there is a real solution to conflict and disagreement. There is no hundred percent winner, no hundred percent loser—not that way but half-and-half. That is the practical way, the only way.”
Whether it is an international crisis or an argument with your partner or boss,
the key to a peaceful, non-violent outcome is dialogue. In this way, you learn the art of compromise and negotiation. His Holiness recommends that you should never bring up the past but concentrate on what is causing the present problem.
9. Be gentle with the earth.
In order to survive, we have a duty to preserve this planet as best we can. Learning how to recycle, looking at ways to create alternative energy, and learning about the current issues are all ways that can help to delay the tipping point.
10. Learn from your failures.
“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”
When you screw up, it is important to examine what went wrong.
Maybe you said the wrong thing or maybe you haven’t thought the whole process through. Perhaps there was a problem in planning the project and maybe you did not think about worst-case scenarios. Reflection can help you learn every time you fail. Could these ten lessons really change your life?
Try to apply them to your life and work. You will soon discover that truth, honesty, warm-heartedness and compassion will be the driving forces in your life and will help you to gain real happiness. Tell us in the comments what teachings or quotes from the Dalai Lama have inspired you and how they have changed your life.
Dalai Lama Famous Quotes – Bing video
THE PARADE OF THE PLANETS!
Peaks last night !The rare planetary alignment:
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn of 2022.
We won’t be seeing this again until 2040.