Dalai Lama quotes

Even when we have physical hardships, we can be very happy.

• happy

Religion, any religion, no matter what sort of wonderful religion, never be universal. So now education is universal, so we have to sort of find ways and means through education system, from kindergarten up to university level, to make awareness these good things, the values, inner values.

• education

I think there's every reason this 21st century will be much happier.

• think

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

• compassion

Disagreement is something normal.

• something

If I had remained in Lhasa, even without the Chinese occupation, I would probably have carried the ceremonial role in some orthodox way.

• way

I feel exhausted if I teach too long.

• long

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

• saying

If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive without it.

• faith

If you think only of yourself, if you forget the rights and well-being of others, or, worse still, if you exploit others, ultimately you will lose. You will have no friends who will show concern for your well-being. Moreover, if a tragedy befalls you, instead of feeling concerned, others might even secretly rejoice. By contrast, if an individual is compassionate and altruistic, and has the interests of others in mind, then irrespective of whether that person knows a lot of people, wherever that person moves, he or she will immediately make friends. And when that person faces a tragedy, there will be plenty of people who will come to help.

• selfishness

Out of 6 billion humans, the troublemakers are just a handful.

• troublemakers

I consider myself as a free spokesman for the people.

• myself

The Dalai Lama is just a temporal leader of Tibet.

• leader

We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one's own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.

• happiness

In most cases, my visits to the West are for promotion of human values and religious harmony.

• harmony

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

• motivational

Today different ethnic groups and different nations come together due to common sense.

• today

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength. Thanks to the teachings of Buddha, I have been able to take this second way.

• life

If some people have the belief or view that the Dalai Lama has some miracle power, that's totally nonsense. I am just one human being.

• power

We have bigger houses but smaller families: We have more degrees but less sense;more knowledge but less judgements;more experts but more problems;more medicines, but less healthiness.We've been all the way to the moon and back,but we have trouble crossing the streetto meet the new neighbour.We build more computersto hold more information,to produce more copies than ever,but we have less communication.We have become long on quantitybut short on quality.These are times of fast foods,but slow digestion;tall man, but short character;steep profits, but shallow relationships.It is time when there is much in the windowbut nothing in the room.

• humanity

Physical comforts cannot subdue mental suffering, and if we look closely, we can see that those who have many possessions are not necessarily happy. In fact, being wealthy often brings even more anxiety.

• happy

Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.

• characterized

It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.

• attitude

I have done one thing that I think is a contribution: I helped Buddhist science and modern science combine. No other Buddhist has done that. Other lamas, I don't think they ever pay attention to modern science. Since my childhood, I have a keen interest.

• science

World belongs to humanity, not this leader, that leader or that king or prince or religious leader. World belongs to humanity.

• leader

I think the self-burning itself on practice of non-violence. These people, you see, they easily use bomb explosive, more casualty people. But they didn't do that. Only sacrifice their own life. So this also is part of practice of non-violence.

• life

One thing I want to make clear, as far as my own rebirth is concerned, the final authority is myself and no one else, and obviously not China's Communists.

• myself

It is difficult to violently suppress people in the long run, as the example of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European countries has shown.

• people

Be Kind Whenever Possible. It Is Always Possible.

• kind

I think technology really increased human ability. But technology cannot produce compassion.

• technology

Even when a person has all of life's comforts - good food, good shelter, a companion - he or she can still become unhappy when encountering a tragic situation.

• life

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefitting others, one needs to be engaged, involved.

• actions

Generally speaking, if a human being never shows anger, then I think something's wrong. He's not right in the brain.

• think

I always say that people should not rush to change religions. There is real value in finding the spiritual resources you need in your home religion.

• change

I don't think generally politician come from democratic country. I think not that thinking. But sometimes little bit short-sighted. They are mainly looking for their next vote.

• vote

We all have to live together, so we might as well live together happily.

• together

Even an animal, if you show genuine affection, gradually trust develops... If you always showing bad face and beating, how can you develop friendship?

• friendship

Because of lack of moral principle, human life becomes worthless. Moral principle, truthfulness, is a key factor. If we lose that, then there is no future.

• life

The best way to resolve any problem in the human world is for all sides to sit down and talk.

• best

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

• inspirational

I totally disagree with the view that the Tibet struggle will die, and there will be no hope for Tibet, after the Dalai Lama passes away.

• hope

My main hope is eventually, in modern education field, introduce education about warm-heartedness, not based on religion, but based on common experience and a common sort of sense, and then scientific finding.

• education

Some mischievous people always there. Last several thousand years, always there. In future, also.

• future

If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.

• help

I always tell people that religious institutions and political institutions should be separate. So while I'm telling people this, I myself continue with them combined. Hypocrisy!

• myself

I always believe the rule by king or official leader is outdated. Now we must catch up with the modern world.

• leader

At the beginning when the child is coming, people worry the child may be deformed. When a healthy boy or child comes, people are very happy for a short moment.

• moment

I felt we must separate political responsibility. The Dalai Lama should not carry that burden. So that is my selfish reason - to protect the old Dalai Lama tradition. It is safer without political involvement.

• tradition

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.

• insecurity

Open-minded people tend to be interested in Buddhism because Buddha urged people to investigate things - he didn't just command them to believe.

• believe

I am confident I will set foot again in Tibet in my lifetime.

• confident

As a human being, anger is a part of our mind. Irritation also part of our mind. But you can do - anger come, go. Never keep in your sort of - your inner world, then create a lot of suspicion, a lot of distrust, a lot of negative things, more worry.

• mind

In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.

• positive

My faith helps me overcome such negative emotions and find my equilibrium.

• faith

In order to become prosperous, a person must initially work very hard, so he or she has to sacrifice a lot of leisure time.

• work

With realization of one's own potential and self-confidence in one's ability, one can build a better world.

• world

When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'Oh yes - I already have everything that I really need.'

• yourself

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

• look

My desire to devolve authority has nothing to do with a wish to shirk responsibility.

• responsibility

Most of our problems are related to the mind, so we have to work to reduce our destructive emotions.

• mind

Computers make me totally blank out.

• computers

I think really, China, Chinese, I think they really have a long history of civilization, rich culture.

• history

I never dreamt, in my dream, I'm Dalai Lama.

• dream

My aim is to create a happy society with genuine friendship. Friendship between Tibetan and Chinese peoples is very essential.

• friendship

I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less.

• simple

Of course, when I say that human nature is gentleness, it is not 100 percent so. Every human being has that nature, but there are many people acting against their nature, being false.

• nature

Chinese people themselves, they really want change.

• change

My main concern is meeting with public because my main commitment, main interest is promotion of human value, human affection, compassion and religious harmony.

• compassion

The basic Buddhist stand on the question of equality between the genders is age-old. At the highest tantric levels, at the highest esoteric level, you must respect women: every woman.

• women

Death means change our clothes. Clothes become old, then time to come change. So this body become old, and then time come, take young body.

• change

All religions try to benefit people, with the same basic message of the need for love and compassion, for justice and honesty, for contentment.

• love

I want to be just a pure spiritual leader.

• leader

Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering.

• attitude

It is my belief that whereas the twentieth century has been a century of war and untold suffering, the twenty-first century should be one of peace and dialogue. As the continued advances in information technology make our world a truly global village, I believe there will come a time when war and armed conflict will be considered an outdated and obsolete method of settling differences among nations and communities.

• future

The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.

• rest

The Chinese government wants me to say that for many centuries Tibet has been part of China. Even if I make that statement, many people would just laugh. And my statement will not change past history. History is history.

• change

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

• affection

When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

• respect

China has to go along with world trends. That's democracy, liberty, individual freedom. China sooner or later has to go that way. It cannot go backward.

• freedom

Number of people have said to me, after hearing your thinking, their mind becomes much more happier.

• mind

I became the Dalai Lama not on a volunteer basis.

• volunteer

Conversion is not my intention. Changing religion is not easy. You may develop some kind of confusion or difficulties.

• religion

Appearance is something absolute, but reality is not that way - everything is interdependent, not absolute. So that view is very helpful to maintain a peace of mind because the main destroyer of a peaceful mind is anger.

• peace

Some scientists believe climate change is the cause of unprecedented melting of the North Pole, and that effects these very uncertain weather patterns. I think we should listen to those scientists and experts.

• change

Whether you call it Buddhism or another religion, self-discipline, that's important. Self-discipline with awareness of consequences.

• religion

I have no trouble sleeping.

• trouble

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

• peace

Many Tibetans sacrifice their lives.

• sacrifice

I think governments can't do much.

• think

It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.

• daily

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

• peace

Wherever I go meeting the public... spreading a message of human values, spreading a message of harmony, is the most important thing.

• harmony

I have always had this view about the modern education system: we pay attention to brain development, but the development of warmheartedness we take for granted.

• education

The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life. It should be something useful, something good.

• life

Home is where you feel at home and are treated well.

• home

Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that's very important for good health.

• strength

More compassionate mind, more sense of concern for other's well-being, is source of happiness.

• happiness

I am sometimes sad when I hear the personal stories of Tibetan refugees who have been tortured or beaten. Some irritation, some anger comes. But it never lasts long. I always try to think at a deeper level, to find ways to console.

• sad