Oceans of Wisdom: A brief biography
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| Dalai Lama XIV Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Born to a peasant family in a small Tibetan village on July 6, 1935, he was recognised in accordance to Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnated 13th Dalai Lama. He was two years old and remains the longest serving. He is the "spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people,"1 as Head of State and spiritual leader of Tibet.
His education had begun at age 6 and ended at age 25 with examinations on subjects such as metaphysics and monastic discipline, passing with honours. From the age of 16 he was asked to take on full political power as Head of State and Government at the time of Chinese threat to Tibet. At 19, he met with Mao Tse Tung, followed by meetings with other Chinese leaders in the hope that Tibet would remain free.
"In 1956, while visiting India to attend the 2500th Buddha Jayanti, he had a series of meetings with Prime Minister Nehru and Premier Chou about deteriorating conditions in Tibet. In 1959 he was forced into exile in India after the Chinese military occupation of Tibet. Since 1960 he has resided in Dharamsala, aptly known as "Little Lhasa", the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile."1
He continued to lobby for Tibet as well as maintaining its rich heritage, culture and religion. Politically, he achieved three resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and assured a democratic system of government for Tibet through a draft constitution, named 'The Charter of Tibetans in Exile'.
"In September 1987 His Holiness proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. He envisaged that Tibet would become a sanctuary; a zone of peace at the heart of Asia, where all sentient beings can exist in harmony and the delicate environment can be preserved. China has so far failed to respond positively to the various peace proposals put forward by His Holiness."2
"His Holiness has traveled to more than 62 countries spanning 6 continents. He has met with presidents, prime ministers and crowned rulers of major nations. He has held dialogues with the heads of different religions and many well-known scientists."2 He met with Jewish and Anglican leaders and had several meetings with His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.
Despite his countless awards and honorary doctorates, the Dalai Lama calls himself "a simple Buddhist monk."2
Quotes from the Dalai Lama XIV
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| Copyright, Michael Steer 2012 |
“There is a
saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our
hope, that's our real disaster.”
“Remember
that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds
your need for each other.”
“Love is the
absence of judgment.”
“Happiness
is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
“Choose to
be optimistic, it feels better.”
“Love and
compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot
survive.”
“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.”
“We can
reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot
escape the necessity of love and compassion....This, then, is my true religion,
my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for
mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine or dogma. Our
own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for
others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they
are: ultimately these are all we need. So long as we practice these in our
daily lives, then no matter if we are learned or unlearned, whether we believe
in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at all, as long as we
have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with restraint out of a sense
of responsibility, there is no doubt we will be happy.”
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| Copyright, Tracey Vale, 2012 |
“Our prime
purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least
don't hurt them.”
“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.”
“The whole
purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance,
humility, and forgiveness.”
“If you can
cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers
because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop
tolerance, patience and understanding.”
“People take
different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on
your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”
“Only the
development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the
tranquility and happiness we all seek.”
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| Copyright, Tracey Vale, 2012 |
From: The Art of Happiness
“Look at
children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor
ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of
education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big
smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don’t usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they
express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the
following day.”
“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?”
“A truly
compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave
negatively or hurt you.”
“Hard times
build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to
appreciate the uselessness of anger. Instead of getting angry nurture a deep
caring and respect for troublemakers because by creating such trying
circumstances they provide us with invaluable opportunities to practice
tolerance and patience.”
“The way to
change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.”
“Inner peace
is the key: if you have inner peace, the external problems do not affect your
deep sense of peace and tranquility...without this inner peace, no matter how
comfortable your life is materially, you may still be worried, disturbed, or
unhappy because of circumstances.”
“If we think
only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small
area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the
moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like
ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have
this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens. At this point, your own
problems, even big problems, will not be so significant. The result? Big
increase in peace of mind. So, if you think only of yourself, only your own
happiness, the result is actually less happiness. You get more anxiety, more
fear.” From: The Wisdom of
Forgiveness
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| Copyright, Tracey Vale, 2012 |
“When we feel
love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared
for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
“Whether one
is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or
woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally,
and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter,
safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of
us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our
family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when
we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity,
culture, and language make no difference.” From: Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How
the World's Religions Can Come Together
“You must
not hate those who do wrong or harmful things; but with compassion, you must do
what you can to stop them — for they are harming themselves, as well as those
who suffer from their actions.”
“Anger or
hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that
we are not caught by it.”
“Whether our
action is wholesome or unwholesome depends on whether that action or deed
arises from a disciplined or undisciplined state of mind. It is felt that a
disciplined mind leads to happiness and an undisciplined mind leads to
suffering, and in fact it is said that bringing
about discipline within one's mind is the essence of the Buddha's teaching.”
From: The Art of
Happiness
“Man
surprised me most about humanity.Because he sacrifices his health in order to
make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.And then he is so anxious
about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he
does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to
die, and then dies having never really lived.”
“Sometimes
one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates
as significant an impression by remaining silent.”
“The true
hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.”
“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.”
“Anger is
the ultimate destroyer of your own peace of mind.”
“If I am
only happy for myself, many fewer chances for happiness. If I am happy when
good things happen to other people, billions more chances to be happy!”
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| Copyright, Tracey Vale, 2012 |
“If there is
love, there is hope to have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity,
real peace. If the love within your mind is lost, if you continue to see other
beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education you have, no
matter how much material progress is made, only suffering and confusion will
ensue.”
"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live."
"The mind is everything. What you think, you become."
"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live."
"The mind is everything. What you think, you become."
“I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.”
References
- 1. "The 14th Dalai Lama - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 9 Oct 2012 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1989/lama-bio.html
- 2. http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography Cited 9 Oct 2012
- http://www.squidoo.com/dalai-lama-book Cited 9 Oct 2012
Ebook Resources
A list of ebook resources available for free download from authors including the Dalai Lama XIV; Mahatma Ghandi; Lama Yeshe; Lama Zope Rinpoche; Swami Paramananda and Confucius. There are also free Catholic, Taoist and Chinese monotheist texts available here.
http://www.sourceoflightmonastery.com/
See also, from this blog: http://traceyvale.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/buddhism-in-burma-by-tracey-vale.html
See also, from this blog: http://traceyvale.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/buddhism-in-burma-by-tracey-vale.html
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