Dalai Lama Words of Wisdom
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Dalai Lama Words of Wisdom
If you want to transform the world, try first to promote your personal improvement and make innovations within yourself. These attitudes will be reflected in positive changes in your home environment. From this point forward, the changes will expand to ever greater proportions. Everything we do has an effect, has an impact.
If there is love, there is also hope that there are true families, true brotherhood, true equality and true peace. If there is no more love within you, if you continue to see others as enemies, no matter what knowledge or level of education you have, no matter how much material progress you make, there will only be suffering and confusion in the final reckoning. Man will continue to deceive and subjugate other men, but insulting or mistreating others is pointless. The foundation of all spiritual practice is love. That you practice it well is my only request.
Determination, courage and self-confidence are decisive factors for success. It does not matter what are the obstacles and difficulties. If we are possessed of an unshakable determination, we will be able to overcome them. Regardless of the circumstances, we must always be humble, modest, and devoid of pride.
It would be much more productive if people sought to understand their would-be enemies. Learning to forgive is much more helpful than simply taking a stone and hurling it at the object of your anger. The greater the provocation, the greater the advantage of forgiveness. It is when we suffer the worst misfortunes that great opportunities arise to do good to oneself and others.
Aggression is a tendency that is part of us. So we have to fight against ourselves. Men raised in rigorously non-violent environments turned out to be the most horrible butchers. Which proves that the seed of the most insane aggressiveness lives in the depths of each one of us. But our true nature is by and large peaceful. We all know the turmoil of the human soul, which is subject to frightening unforeseen events. But that is not its dominant force. It is possible and it is necessary to master aggressiveness.
What bothers us most is seeing our dreams frustrated. But remaining in discouragement does nothing to make those dreams come true. If we stay like this, we don't even go in search of our dreams, nor do we recover our good mood! This state of confusion, conducive to the growth of anger, is very dangerous. We have to make an effort and not allow our serenity to be disturbed. Whether we are experiencing great suffering, or have already experienced it, there is no reason for us to harbor the feeling of unhappiness.
Happiness is a state of the spirit. If your mind is still in a state of confusion and turmoil, material possessions will not bring you happiness. Happiness means peace of mind.
It is through the art of listening that your spirit is filled with faith and devotion and that you are able to cultivate inner joy and balance of mind. The art of listening allows you to attain wisdom, overcoming all ignorance. So, it is worthwhile to dedicate yourself to it, even if it costs you your life. The art of listening is like a light that dispels the darkness of ignorance. If you are able to keep your mind constantly rich through the art of listening, there is nothing to fear. This kind of wealth will never be taken from you. This is the greatest of riches.
When you are practicing charity, do it joyfully and with a radiant countenance. We should practice charity with a smile on our face and optimism in our hearts.
Improving patience requires the presence of someone who deliberately harms us. This type of person gives us a chance to practice tolerance. Our inner strength is put to the test with more intensity than our spiritual guide would be capable of. In essence, exercising patience protects us from a loss of trust.
(XIV Dalai Lama)