According to the Dalai Lama, we can only solve our problems through truly peaceful means –not just peaceful words, but actions based on peaceful mind and heart. This is the way we will come to live in a better world (p. 4). Politicians, leaders, and policy makers need to cultivate moral behaviors and compassion more than anybody else, for their decisions affect so many people. Ethical behavior is as crucial to a politician as it is to a religious practitioner (p.80).
The sole source of peace within you, in the family, the country, and the world is altruism –love and compassion (p.10), and the ultimate purpose of transformative mental practice is to help others (p.8). Think of others. Don’t be selfish. Engage in activities that help others become happier, replace the causes of their sufferings with the causes of their happiness(pp.10-11). Compassion is a priceless jewel (p.119). If you are able to, help others; if you are not able to help others, at least do not harm them. This is the essential meaning of the practice of transformation of mind and heart. We do not need to build temples; we do not need complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple, and the philosophy is simple kindness (p.120).
When facing adversaries, remember tough circumstances can be valuable. For in tough time you can gain the most knowledge and experience, build determination and inner strength,learn to appreciate the uselessness of anger, and the invaluable opportunities to practice tolerance and patience; and finally, you can come closer to reality (pp.17-18). Thus, adversity helps build your character (p. 21).
With regard to material things, contentment (happy with what you have, and stop demanding for more)is the key for happiness (p.45).
When enjoy freedom and individualism, remember they require self-discipline (p.53).
How to Identify the Basic Nature of the Mind? This is a technique to identify the basic nature of the mind:
First, stop remembering what happened in the past.
Second, stop thinking about what might happen in the future.
Third, let the mind flow at its own accord without the overlay of thought. Observe it for a while in its natural state (p.74).
Compassion Education
Compassion is a priceless jewel (p.119), and a training that needs to be introduced early in life. All problems can be overcome through education, particularly by introducing compassionate concerns for others at the pre-school level. It may seem impractical and idealistic, but we have no effective alternative except compassion, recognizing human value and the oneness of humanity: this is the only way to achieve lasting happiness (p.84).
Meditation on Enemy
Consider the so-called enemy this way:
1. Because this person’s mind is untamed, s/he is engaged in activities that are harmful to you.
2. If anger –the wish to harm– were part of the basic nature of this person, it could not be altered in any way; but as we have seen, hatred does not reside in the nature of a person.
3. Even if it were the nature of the person to hate, then, just as we cannot get angry at fire because it burns our hand (it is the very nature of fire to burn), so we should not get angry at a person expressing his/her nature.
4. This said, hatred is actually peripheral to a person’s nature. When a cloud covers the sun, we do not get angry with the sun, so we should not get angry with the so-called enemy, but instead hold the person’s afflictive emotion responsible.
5. We ourselves sometimes engaged in bad behaviors, do we not? Still, most of us do not think of ourselves as completely bad. We should look on others the same way.
6. Therefore, the actual troublemaker is not the person, but his/her afflictive emotion (pp. 88-89).
Tibetan Training in Altruism
When you are happy, do not get too excited about it, but dedicate to the welfare of all sentient beings the good karma that yields happiness; and when you suffer, take on yourself all the pain of all sentient beings. …in this way you can maintain inner courage, not allowing either fortune or misfortune to disturb your peace of mind –neither too happy nor too sad, but stable (p. 94).
Practice Is Long Term
Cultivating an attitude of compassion is a slow process. Like a big piece of ice in the water, your mass of problems will gradually melt away. As you transform your mind, you will transform your surroundings (p. 97).
Detachment and Attachment
Detachment involves the absence of narrow-mindedness which focuses on yourself and for just the short term. Attachment shuts things out. It is an obstacle. The narrow-minded world is characterized by the eight worldly concerns: like/dislike, gain/loss; praise/blame, fame/disgrace (p. 101).
Source:
How to Be Compassionate—A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Translated and Edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D.
(New York, NY: ATRIA Books, 2011).
