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Dalai Lama

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“I think every human being, born from mother, and at least the next few years, you see, received immense affection from our mother. So the child's first experience in this lifetime at the beginning, I think that immense affection from other is in our blood. So therefore, the whole rest of life, other people show you smile, genuine sort of closeness feeling. You feel happy. Even animals also like that.”

PeopleThinkingFeelsYearsFirstsHumansChildrenWholeShowsFeelingsMotherNextBornHuman BeingsAnimalBloodLifetimeAffectionGenuineImmenseClosenessRest Of Life
Author:Dalai Lama
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“In a free country, America, or India, and Japan, and many places, democracy country, free country, but still within the sort of rule of law, some injustice, some sort of problems, some discrimination, and also some sort of scandals or the corruptions. These things, you see, they are always in my mind, I think many people agree, lack of moral principle.”

PeopleThinkingMindStillsCountryProblemAmericaLawMoralPrinciplesDemocracyIndiaAgreeInjusticeCorruptionDiscriminationJapanScandalRule Of LawMoral PrinciplesFree Country
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“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?”

PeopleWayWantLifeMindImportantMatterHelpingFacesSpiritualDiesAsksNo Matter WhatWho You AreGuidesLive Your Life
Author:Dalai Lama
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“Is this what you have in mind,' I asked the Dalai Lama, 'when you say in teachings that the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the world are the most selfish beings of all, that by cultivating altruism they actually achieve ultimate happiness for themselves?' Yes. That's wise selfish,' he replied. 'Helping others not means we do this at our own expense. Not like this. Buddhas and bodhisattvas, these people very wise. All their lives they only want one thing: to achieve ultimate happiness. How to do this? By cultivating compassion, by cultivating altruism.”

PeopleWorldWantMindMeanHelpingCompassionWiseOne ThingTeachingAchieveUltimateSelfishHelping OthersExpensesAltruismCultivatingLamaDalaiVery WiseBodhisattvaUltimate Happiness
Author:Dalai Lama
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“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.”

PeopleInspirationalHumansLittlesDoeWarCountryPainLastsValuesPassionIndividualLostNationsPeaceFreedomRightsDyingColdComfortConscienceHungerHuman RightsAbsenceBuddhistTortureRemoveFedsPrisonerLoved OnesFloodUbuntuBeing At PeaceMake Peace Not WarDeforestationPeace Not WarSomeone Who Is Dying
Author:Dalai Lama
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“Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same.”

PeopleInspirationalNeedsFeelsDifferentMatterFacesDifferencesShareBrotherCircumstancesBehaviorDressesFoolishSignificantBuddhistDivisionIdentical
Book:The Compassionate Life
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“I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness and greed.”

PeopleInspirationalBelievePainSufferingTurnsI BelievePeaceCompassionIgnoranceGreedSatisfactionSelfishInner PeacePursuitSelfishnessContentmentAltruismTrue HappinessCultivationEliminationLove And CompassionCompassion For OthersSelfishness And Greed
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“We may now have reached a point where this gap in our make-up has become unsustainable; partly because what in the past would have counted as material plenty has become the norm for the majority in much of the world; and partly because the slow retreat of religion that coincided with the spread of a capitalist economy has left a gaping hole in millions of people's lives. (Geoff Mulgan)”

PeopleWorldMayPastSpiritualLeftMillionsEconomyMaterialsMajoritySpreadHolesPlentyGapsCapitalistRetreatNormCapitalist Economy
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“Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people's hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human brain with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human heart with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is.”

PeopleWayInspirationalTryingHumansHeartRealSeemsCareBrainCompassionRolesIgnoranceCivilizationImportanceWesternSpreadThese DaysHuman HeartFillingHuman BrainWestern Civilization
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“A wider of more altruistic attitude is very relevant in today's world. If we look at the situation from various angles, such as the complexity and inter-connectedness of the nature of modern existence, then we will gradually notice a change in our outlook, so that when we say 'others' and when we think of others, we will no longer dismiss them as something that is irrelevant to us. We will no longer feel indifferent.”

PeopleIfsThinkingWorldFeelsLooksHelpingWisdomTodayNatureChangeExistenceAttitudeSituationWiseModernWise WordsWords Of WisdomVariousHelping OthersIndifferenceComplexityRelevantIndifferentAltruismAngleIrrelevantOutlookRelevanceNoticingCaring For OthersConnectednessInterconnectedInterconnectednessToday's WorldDismissal
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“Human beings are not intrinsically selfish, which isolates us from others. We are essentially social animals who depend on others to meet our needs. We achieve happiness, prosperity and progress through social interaction. Therefore, having a kind and helpful attitude contributes to our own and others' happiness.”

PeopleNeedsHumansKindHelpingHappinessSocialHuman BeingsAnimalAttitudeKindnessProgressAchieveHuman NatureDependsProsperitySelfishHelping OthersBuddhistHelpfulInteractionSocial InteractionOthers HappinessNot Selfish
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“There are many different kinds of power. True power comes from serving and helping others. Such behavior makes people respect you. They are willing to listen to your views and advice, and they support you. The energy of many people is thus channeled through one person. This kind of power is positive and authentic.”

PeopleKindPersonsDifferentHelpingEnergyViewsPowerSupportAdviceWillingBehaviorHelping OthersServingDifferent KindsPersonal PowerSupport YouTrue Power
Book:Imagine All the People: A Conversation with the Dalai Lama on Money, Politics, and Life As It Could Be
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“To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. Rather than speaking badly about people and in ways that will produce friction and unrest in their lives, we should practice a purer perception of them, and when we speak of others, speak of their good qualities.”

PeopleWayShouldSpeakQualityPracticeAwarenessProduceThousandPerceptionOneselfShortcomingsFrictionGood QualityUnrest
Book:The Path to Enlightenment
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“I call the light and high aspects of my being spirit and the dark and heavy aspects soul. Soul is at home in the deep, shaded valleys. Heavy torpid flowers saturated with black grow there. The rivers flow like warm syrup. They empty into huge oceans of soul. Spirit is a land of high white peaks and glittering jewel-like lakes and flowers. Life is sparse and sounds travel great distances. There is soul music, soul food, and soul love... People need to climb the mountain not simple because it is there But because the soulful divinity needs to be mated with the spirit.”

PeopleNeedsSoulHomeLightLife IsSpiritGrowsSoundBlackDarkSimpleWhiteLandFlowerHugeMountainOceanAspectFlowRiversEmptyDistanceHeavyWarmDivinityClimbsLakesValleysJewelsSoulfulSaturatedMusic SoulSyrupFood For The SoulFlower Life
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“I really feel that some people neglect and overlook compassion because they associate it with religion. Of course, everyone is free to choose whether they pay religion any regard, but to neglect compassion is a mistake because it is the source of our own well-being.”

PeopleFeelsWellsWisdomSpiritualReligionChoicesCoursesPayMistakeCompassionHealthSourceWise WordsWords Of WisdomEmpathyRegardBuddhistWell BeingWellnessNeglectSympathySpiritual WisdomAssociatesMonkWise Man Once SaidTibetanFreedom To ChooseChoose WiselySpiritual Health
Author:Dalai Lama
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“Lack of understanding of the true nature of happiness, it seems to me, is the principal reason why people inflict sufferings on others. They think either that the other's pain may somehow be a cause of happiness for themselves or that their own happiness is more important, regardless of what pain it may cause. But this is shortsighted. No one truly benefits from causing harm to another sentient being. . . . . In the long run causing others misery and infringing their rights to peace and happiness result in anxiety, fear, and suspicion within oneself.”

PeopleThinkingMayLongImportantReasonSeemsRunningPainSufferingCausesUnderstandingResultsCompassionRightsAnxietyBenefitsMiseryOneselfHarmReason WhyLong RunsSuspicionPrincipalTrue NaturePeace And HappinessSentient BeingsLack Of Understanding
Author:Dalai Lama
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“We are all here on this planet, as it were, as tourists. None of us can live here forever. The longest we might live is a hundred years. So while we are here we should try to have a good heart and to make something positive and useful of our lives. Whether we live just a few years or a whole century, it would be truly regrettable and sad if we were to spend that time aggravating the problems that afflict other people, animals, and the environment. The most important things is to be a good human being.”

PeopleIfsShouldTryingYearsHumansHeartImportantWholeProblemMightWould BeHuman BeingsAnimalForeverEnvironmentOur LivesCenturyPlanetsHundredImportant ThingsLife ChangingTouristsGood HeartAggravatingGood Human Being
Book:Path To Tranquility
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“When young we have a vivid sense of basic values like trust and warm-heartedness, which we tend to neglect in today's competitive world as we grow up, yet from birth we all have a need for affection. The emotions we experience today have not changed much over the last few thousand years, but the interest increasing numbers of people are showing in their inner world and how their emotions work is a sign of maturity.”

PeopleWorldNeedsYearsTodayLastsYoungValuesGrowsInterestNumbersEmotionGrowing UpChangedTrustBirthThousandAgingAffectionWarmBuddhistMaturityNeglectAffectedThousand YearsVividInner WorldCore Values
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“With a basic understanding of all humans as brothers and sisters, we can appreciate the usefulness of different systems and ideologies that can accommodate different individuals and groups with different cultural heritages, having different dispositions and tastes. Each person has the right to choose whatever is most suitable, on the basis of a deep understanding of all others as brothers and sisters.”

PeopleHumansPersonsDifferentWisdomIndividualUnderstandingWiseRightsRelationshipGroupsBrotherWise WordsWords Of WisdomTasteAppreciateBasesAppreciationIdeologyHeritageDispositionBrothers And SistersSisterWise Man Once SaidUsefulnessSuitableAccommodateFreedom To ChooseCultural HeritageDeep Understanding
Author:Dalai Lama
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