When asked "How does one counteract violence without hatred or anger?" the Dalai Lama replied, "The antidote to hatred in the heart, the source of violence, is tolerance. Tolerance is an important virtue of bodhisattvas [enlightened heroes and heroines] -- it enables you to refrain from reacting angrily to the harm inflicted on you by others. You could call this practice 'inner disarmament,' in that a well-developed tolerance makes you free from the compulsion to counterattack. For the same reason, tolerance is the 'best armor,' since it protects you from being conquered by hatred itself. It may seem unrealistic to think we can ever become free from hatred, but Buddhists have systematic methods for gradually developing a tolerance powerful enough to give such freedom. Without mutual tolerance emerging as the foundation, terrible situations like those of Tibet and Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Rwanda, can never be effectively improved."
Source:
http://www.mcllo.com/Interviews%20Dalai%20Lama%20Dharamsala%20%5BMcllo%5D.html
