Tag: Dalai Lama

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.

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.

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

My dear brothers and sisters,

I am writing these words in response to repeated requests from many people around the world. Today, we are passing through an exceptionally difficult time due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to this, further problems confront humanity such as extreme climate change. I would like to take this opportunity to express my admiration and gratitude to governments across the world, including the Government of India, for the steps they are taking to meet these challenges.

Ancient Indian tradition describes the creation, abiding and destruction of worlds over time. Among the causes of such destruction are armed conflict and disease, which seems to accord with what we are experiencing today. However, despite the enormous challenges we face, living beings, including humans, have shown a remarkable ability to survive.

No matter how difficult the situation may be, we should employ science and human ingenuity with determination and courage to overcome the problems that confront us. Faced with threats to our health and well-being, it is natural to feel anxiety and fear. Nevertheless, I take great solace in the following wise advice to examine the problems before us: If there is something to be done—do it, without any need to worry; if there’s nothing to be done, worrying about it further will not help.

Everyone at present is doing their best to contain the spread of the coronavirus. I applaud the concerted efforts of nations to limit the threat. In particular, I appreciate the initiative India has taken with other SAARC countries to set up an emergency fund and an electronic platform to exchange information, knowledge and expertise to tackle the spread of Covid-19. This will serve as a model for dealing with such crises in future as well.

I understand that as a result of the necessary lockdowns across the world, many people are facing tremendous hardship due to a loss of livelihood. For those with no stable income life is a daily struggle for survival. I earnestly appeal to all concerned to do everything possible to care for the vulnerable members of our communities.

I offer special gratitude to the medical staff—doctors, nurses and other support personnel—who are working on the frontline to save lives at great personal risk. Their service is indeed compassion in action.

With heartfelt feelings of concern for my brothers and sisters around the world who are passing through these difficult times, I pray for an early end to this pandemic so that your peace and happiness may soon be restored.
 
With my prayers,

Dalai Lama

Even more important than the warmth and affection we receive, is the warmth and affection we give. It is by giving warmth and affection, by having a genuine sense of concern for others, in other words through compassion, that we gain the conditions for genuine happiness.

A deep awareness of the goodness of human beings, that they are essentially kind, helpful, and gentle, can give us courage and hope. On a personal level too, such a vision of our basic nature can help promote a greater sense of well-being and connectedness with others.

I urge young women to accept leadership roles. We need you to promote love and compassion. Realise my dream—that the 200 nations of the world be governed by women. There’ll be less war, violence, and economic and social injustice because strength is rooted in love and compassion

We all want to live a life free from turmoil, but we need to have a realistic method to achieve our goal. Warm-heartedness is essential—it yields a calm mind and self-confidence, enabling us to act openly, honestly and transparently, free from anxiety, fear and suspicion.

We have two kinds of emotion, those that are destructive, like anger and jealousy, which destroy our peace of mind and damage our health. But we also have other constructive emotions, like compassion, that bring us inner strength.

Look at the world today—violence is rife, weapons proliferate and countries eagerly pursue arms sales. This is a wrong approach. There are other ways to make money. The world needs non-violence and compassion, not in terms of prayers, but as spurs to a different course of action.