I have a great respect for the Dalai Lama. At fifteen he was secreted in the night by monks. The Chinese were invading and they were saving his life. They fled to India through the mountains and he has not been to Tibet since. The world watched as Buddhist nuns and monks were murdered and raped. But the Dalai Lama has kept his positive attitude and his belief in the positive aspects of peace and compassion. He has spent his life traveling the world talking about Tibet and sharing his wisdom on peace, kindness, and compassion. I am going to quote some of his best quotes. We need all of the positive energy we can muster.

“Usually, when I describe the essence of Buddhism, I say that at best we should try to help others, and if we cannot help them at least we should do them no harm. This teaching grows from the soil of love and compassion.”

 

“For us, the focus is not on God but on enlightenment.  Human beings are responsible for their own lives. We alone are the creators of our fate. The Buddha did not create the world, nor is he responsible for its deficiencies. But he shows us ways in which we can move from the present state of suffering to perfection. Because of this and other reasons, the Buddha did not address teachings about the existence of God.”

 

“Buddhism is one of the many religions which teaches us to be less selfish and more compassionate. It teaches us to be humane, altruistic, and to think of others in the way we think of ourselves. Our daily thoughts and actions should be directed toward the benefit of others.”

 

“For certain people, Buddhism may simply not be an answer. Different religious meet different people’s needs. I do not try to convert people to Buddhism. What I try to explore is how we Buddhists can make a contributions to human society in accordance with our ideas and values.”

 

” Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind that is nonviolent and nonharming, or nonaggressive. Because of this there is a danger of confusing compassion with attachment and intimacy.”

 

“Genuine compassion should be unbiased. If we only feel close to our friends, and not to our enemies, or to the countless people who are unknown to us personally and toward whom we are indifferent, then our compassion is only partial or biased.”

 

“Generating concern for others has vast power to transform your mind. If you practice compassion for the sake of all living beings===including animals—then that same limitless merit will accrue to you.”

 

“Without love we could not survive. Human beings are social creatures, and a concern for each other is the very basis of our life together.”

 

“Love is a simple practice yet it is very beneficial for the individual who practices it as well as for the community in which they live, for the nation, and for the whole world.”

 

“Loving oneself is crucial. If we do not love ourselves, how can we love others? It seems that when some people talk of compassion, they have the notion that it  entails a total disregard for one’s own interests—a sacrificing of one’s interests. This is not the case. In fact genuine love should first be directed at oneself.”

 

“If someone greets me with a nice smile, and expresses a genuinely friendly attitude. I appreciate it very much. Though I might not know that person or understand their language, they instantly gladden my heart…Kindness and love, a real sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, these are very precious. They make community possible and this are crucial in society.”