A Transformative Voice
There was a child born to illiterate villagers in an isolated village. He had to flee his homeland and has been a man without a country for more than half a century.
He has never owned a home or a car or had a salary, let alone investments of any kind. He has never had a family of his own.
He never attended an ordinary school; his education was a series of tutorials in an arcane philosophical methods, rituals, and a curriculum developed some six hundred years ago.
And yet he has met regularly for deep discussions with some of the most advanced scientists in the world. He frequently visits with high-powered leaders, schoolchildren, and ordinary citizens of every kind, including those who live in slums, around the world. He travels ceaselessly, always ready to learn.
This, of course, describes the Dalai Lama, a person utterly rare on the planet, free from the many obligations that delimit the concerns of most of us to our own lives, our families and friends, our community, our country.
While he has none of the training of a specialist, his expertise speaks to other dimensions of life. He has accumulated wisdom rather than mere knowledge.
He is a special expertise. He is an expert on reflection and stillness, on selflessness and compassion. Almost none of us would even consider meditating five hours a day as does the Dalai Lama. Yet there is much we can learn from his deep practice and the resulting insight and caring that applies to how to live a good and fulfilled life.
....when it comes to our inner life, to how to be a force for good in this world, we can trust the Dalai Lama as an expert whose guidance can benefit us all.
Begin with looking inward and managing our own minds and hearts, he tells us. Then look outward from a more balanced place in ourselves, and consider the good we can do.
Don't be discouraged by the terrible news we hear; in reality, that reflects a small portion of the human history. Beneath the ugly tip of that glacier lies a vast reservoir of sensitivity and kindness --and each of us can enlarge that goodness.
...the Dalai Lama['s] vision for a better world excludes no one but rather reaches to every stratum of society and to people everywhere. There are no in-group biases in his message; he offers guidance to us all.
Nor does he dictate what action we should take. While he has several explicit goals in mind, he leaves up to each of us whether we follow his lead or not and, if so, how we choose to act.
...He offers his perspective on life freely. It is simply there for our taking.
Refreshingly, rather than having some hidden selfish agenda, his leadership message revolves around a central organizing principle: genuine compassion. And his appreciation of the web of human interconnectiongives him a genuine concern for all of us.
....
While so many leaders today operate within the limits of things as they are and for the benefit of a single group, none of these concerns or limitations confines the Dalai Lama. This lets him expand our thinking to see how our systems can morph to benefit the widest range of people.
This makes the Dalai Lama a transformative leader, one who looks beyond the given of today's reality to offer a map to a better future worldwide. Such leaders have grander horizons and so can tackle our largest challenges, thinking far into our future, paying attention to the issues that matter in the long run and for everyone.
They act not just for themselves or their own groups or organizations but rather for us all, on behalf of humanity itself. These are not by and large the leaders we have but are the voices we need. The world yearns for this kind of leadership.
The more altruistic the guiding values, the longer the time horizon, and the broader the human needs a leader addresses, the greater that leader's vision can be. Transformative leaders serve a transcendent purpose, pointing the way to a new reality. ...
...People around the world admire his wisdom and compassion and are drawn by his charisma. But few realize his value as a futurist who ponders our problems and their solutions globally and over centuries, a visionary who sense what we will need to meet the demands of our coming reality.
(pp. 14-17)
Source:
Daniel Goleman. A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World. (New York, NY: The Bantam Books, 2015). ISBN 978-0-553-39489-4.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Martin Luther King Jr.
"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
MLK Jr.
MLK Jr.
Friday, July 24, 2015
No Self
A human being consists of two components: the physical and the mental. The idea that there exists a "self"of that human being arises from these two elements or components. Physically, the "self " is constructed from many body parts and internal organs inside a bag of skin, with hair, teeth, nails, and all kinds of long and short bones, veins, tendons, knee caps, etc. There are also air, fat and fluids to fill up the bag. Once the human being dies, these elements will decompose or dry up, and sooner or later there is no physical part left of what used to be called "Jane" or "John." Maybe some hair, some teeth, a broken skull, and a few teeth left, but they will change and cannot last forever. The physical elements of the body will return to the basic chemicals of a living thing: carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur.
Mentally, the "self" is built up on the assumptions that the human being's thinking, thoughts, expressions through speech, emotions, feelings and perceptions in general make up what is his/her own mind, character, personality and view of life. When the human thinks or utters a word or a statement, s/he wants to let others know: "I thought so," or "I said so." The idea of the "I" arises based on the assumption that there is a separate entity that possesses and controls the brain, the nerve cells, the tongue, and all thought or language processes.
The awakening question is: Is there really such a separate entity called "I" or "self"?
The enlightening answer is: No.
When you meditate in calm and stillness, you will gradually develop the ability to see that physically and mentally the "self" is like a "chariot" or a "house." There is the assumption that there exists a "chariot" or a "house," but it is only a nomination, a label or a name to call such an impermanent "existence." There are the spokes, the body frame, the wheels, the gears... which make up what is called the "chariot." But there exists no separate "chariot" without the elements called "spokes, body frame, wheels, gears" which form it. Similarly, there are the roof, the beams, the bricks, the plaster, the windows, the doors, the glass, the pillars and columns...which make up what is called the "house." But there is no separate "house" which exists outside or without those elements called "roof, beams, bricks, plaster, windows, doors, glass, pillars, columns." Once the chariot or the house is ruined or destroyed, burned or demolished, we cannot find either the "chariot" or the "house."
The Buddha achieved Enlightenment at the end of His 49-day sitting in meditation. He clearly saw the emptiness of the physical and mental "self" as well as the emptiness of all phenomena. With the realization of No self comes the end of ignorance and complete Liberation from birth and death.
But No Self does not mean nihilism (nothingness in its extreme form). The Buddha did not expound or advocate extremes. Buddhism is fundamentally the Middle Way that helps to liberate all beings from suffering. It is more dangerous if one understands Buddhism half way through or in a shallow manner. One had better learn more, and practice further.
Source:
Mentally, the "self" is built up on the assumptions that the human being's thinking, thoughts, expressions through speech, emotions, feelings and perceptions in general make up what is his/her own mind, character, personality and view of life. When the human thinks or utters a word or a statement, s/he wants to let others know: "I thought so," or "I said so." The idea of the "I" arises based on the assumption that there is a separate entity that possesses and controls the brain, the nerve cells, the tongue, and all thought or language processes.
The awakening question is: Is there really such a separate entity called "I" or "self"?
The enlightening answer is: No.
When you meditate in calm and stillness, you will gradually develop the ability to see that physically and mentally the "self" is like a "chariot" or a "house." There is the assumption that there exists a "chariot" or a "house," but it is only a nomination, a label or a name to call such an impermanent "existence." There are the spokes, the body frame, the wheels, the gears... which make up what is called the "chariot." But there exists no separate "chariot" without the elements called "spokes, body frame, wheels, gears" which form it. Similarly, there are the roof, the beams, the bricks, the plaster, the windows, the doors, the glass, the pillars and columns...which make up what is called the "house." But there is no separate "house" which exists outside or without those elements called "roof, beams, bricks, plaster, windows, doors, glass, pillars, columns." Once the chariot or the house is ruined or destroyed, burned or demolished, we cannot find either the "chariot" or the "house."
The Buddha achieved Enlightenment at the end of His 49-day sitting in meditation. He clearly saw the emptiness of the physical and mental "self" as well as the emptiness of all phenomena. With the realization of No self comes the end of ignorance and complete Liberation from birth and death.
But No Self does not mean nihilism (nothingness in its extreme form). The Buddha did not expound or advocate extremes. Buddhism is fundamentally the Middle Way that helps to liberate all beings from suffering. It is more dangerous if one understands Buddhism half way through or in a shallow manner. One had better learn more, and practice further.
Source:
Friday, July 17, 2015
Change
Change in ourselves and in the world in which we live may not take place in a hurry; it will take time. But if we don't make the effort nothing will happen at all....such change will not take place because of decisions taken by governments or at the UN. Real change will take place when individuals transform themselves guided by the values that lie at the core at all human ethical systems, scientific findings and common sense....as human beings, equipped with marvelous intelligence and the potential for developing a warm heart, each and everyone of us can become a force for good.
Introduction by the 14th Dalai Lama
February 8, 2015 (p.x)
Source:
Daniel Goleman. A Force for Good - The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World (New York, NY: Bantam Books, Penguin Random House LLC, 2015). ISBN 978-0-553-39489-4.
Introduction by the 14th Dalai Lama
February 8, 2015 (p.x)
Source:
Daniel Goleman. A Force for Good - The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World (New York, NY: Bantam Books, Penguin Random House LLC, 2015). ISBN 978-0-553-39489-4.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Justice or Injustice--That Is the Problem
...Mr Obama said for what the US spends
on keeping people in prison per year, $80 billion, there could be universal
pre-school, doubled salaries for high school teachers or free tuition at US
public colleges or universities.
This week's focus on criminal
justice signals a renewed bid by Mr Obama's administration to tackle what he
sees as a lack of fairness in the system.
"Communities that give our
young people every shot at success, tough but fair courts and prisons that seek
to prepare returning citizens to get that second chance...That's what we're
here to build," he said.
The last significant changes to the
criminal justice system in the US came in 2013 when US Attorney General Eric
Holder dropped mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders.
US prisons in numbers
- 208,000 people in federal prisons
- 48% of them for drug offences
- 37% of them are black
- 34% of them are Hispanic
- $80bn the cost of incarceration in the US in 2010
DoJ, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Source:
Monday, July 13, 2015
Join a Force for Good
1.Free the Mind and Heart
When we’ve learned to clear our mind
and calm our heart, we can begin to overcome fear, anger, or any of our other
destructive daily emotions. To become better at helping others, we can question
our self-defeating emotional habits and learn to face turmoil in a calm and
reasoned way. There are many techniques to train the heart and mind, but we can
start with the steps below.
Understand our emotional
patterns—our personal map.
Practice “emotional hygiene” to
minimize the spread of destructive feelings.
Pause before acting on impulse.
Combine a calm mind with a warm,
giving heart.
2.Embody Compassion
Kindness toward others is part of
our biological makeup and can play a larger role in our lives. The first step
is simply to recognize that compassion is good for us: Our own well-being lies
in the welfare of everyone. Genuine compassion calls for us to transcend the
small differences that define race or tribe or group and embrace the
commonality of all human beings. Understanding the principles below can help
guide us to that goal.
Humans have an innate need both to
give and to receive affection.
Caring for others improves our own
emotional state.
Our “circle of concern” can
gradually extend beyond our own group to include all people.
Compassion is a crucial moral rudder
as we tackle the world’s problems.
3.Educate the Heart
A goal of education could be to
create not just good minds but good people. This requires a fundamental
rethinking of how teachers prepare children for the challenges of adulthood. It
can start with “social and emotional” learning: helping students learn how to
recognize and master their turbulent feelings and to acknowledge kindness as an
essential ingredient of everyday life. This fresh approach to education rests
on the precepts below.
Education should be rooted in both
knowledge and ethics.
Social and emotional learning should
be based on sound science.
Techniques for emotional
self-mastery are as fundamental as math.
An ethics-based education is one key
to solving our global problems.
4.Oppose Injustice
Being compassionate does not mean
being passive. Living by the principles of fairness, transparency, and
accountability—the three pillars of an equitable society—sometimes requires us
to act on those principles in the face of injustice. Beyond sympathy with
victims, we are moved to speak out in their defense, to come to their aid, and
to shed light on the source of the injustice. This “muscular” compassion is
rooted in the simple ideas below.
Do not allow anger to be be a spur
to action; compassion, not anger, is a better guide.
Act without hatred or resorting to
violence.
When confronting injustice, oppose
the act but don’t give up on the person.
Recognize that restraint and
nonviolence are not signs of weakness but of strength.
5.Choose Humane Economics
Business can both do good and do
well. But acting on this principle requires us to reframe our notions of
profit, wealth, and success. The ultimate measure of economic strength—on
local, national, and global levels—includes the well-being of all people, not
just an elite few. Humane economic policy reduces financial inequality while
allowing for entrepreneurial dynamism, and it respects the truths listed below.
Loving relationships of all kinds
and meaningful work, which yields more than money, are keys to happiness.
Economic freedom can be balanced
with altruism.
Humane economic policy is guided by
compassion, not self-interest.
Businesses cannot be a force for
good when profit is the only yardstick for success.
6.Help Those in Need
Being a force for good means
extending our hand, our heart, and our intellect to serve the neediest among
us. This may mean leaving our comfort zone to address the misery of others
head-on, with selflessness and compassion. The hard work of helping the
defenseless, the disabled, and the impoverished entails more than just
charity—it asks us to get to the root of those plights. We can start with the
following steps.
Recognize that the origins of
poverty are not just circumstance but also mind-set.
Give people the tools they need to
help themselves.
Advocate against the inequitable
social policies that cause poverty and dislocation.
Support the advancement of women in
leadership roles.
7.Heal the Earth
“A genuine concern for humanity,”
the Dalai Lama has said, “means loving the environment.” His words highlight an
elementary truth: our well-being links to the ecological well-being of our planet.
This holds especially true for the poor, whose lives tend to depend more
directly on nature and its dwindling resources. Because environmental
degradation is a slow-motion event that easily escapes our notice, we can take
the following measures to understand and minimize our role in it.
Advocate for “radical transparency”
that exposes the ecological impacts of what we buy and do.
Embrace tools that measure the
ecological “true cost” of a product or service.
Encourage finding better solutions
to man-made problems, and remain focused on progress—not doom and gloom.
Extend our compassion to include
both people and the planet, in equal measure.
8.Connect Across Divides
When we stop thinking of the world
in terms of “us and them,” battle lines disappear and dialogue can begin. The
simple act of talking, person-to-person, across divides can defuse conflict and
dissolve prejudice, humanizing those whom we’d considered our enemy. Peace on
the ground starts inside ourselves, with the acceptance of the core beliefs
listed below.
War cannot resolve differences; only
dialogue can.
The traits that unite humans far
outnumber the differences that divide them.
Hatred is learned and can be
unlearned.
True compassion has no national,
ethnic, religious, or sectarian boundaries.
Source:
http://www.joinaforce4good.org
Source:
http://www.joinaforce4good.org
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Dhamma
Dhamma is here and now. Learn and observe Dhamma in calm and stillness. Look inside; you will see. Don't be fooled or trapped by words and ideas. Let go everything.
Friday, July 10, 2015
The US Presidential Race 2016
Some guidelines:
- Examine candidates' credentials and long history of good deeds and lasting legacy/achievements, not flowery words. Cross-examine their deeds with their words.
- Examine candidates' roles and power influence on both national and international arenas.
- Look for integrity and transparency.
- Select the lesser evil between the two devils.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
The 14th Dalai Lama's Teachings (Glastonbury, UK)
1. The Dalai Lama's secret: "Don't worry about stuff you can't change and get nine hours sleep every night."
2. "Carry a message of love, a message of tolerance, a message of forgiveness."
3. "Oneness of humanity, then no basis to kill. I love my life. Everyone has the right to live happily. Most problems are created by man: killing, bullying, cheating exploitation.... We have to find long term solutions. This is very difficult."
4. "The existing education system is very much orientated about material values. This creates anger, hatred, negative thinking.... If we continue teaching on the value of external, material values, it will be hard to find solutions."
5. "Inner value needs to be added to education from university to kindergarten. I think it's better to include some moral education."
6. "The long term solution of man-made problems: we must look at education about warm heartedness or a sense of care."
7. "The gap between rich and poor is not only morally wrong but practically wrong."
8. "Keep inner strength, utilise common sense, and look at things realistically."
9. If he could have a day off from being Dalai Lama, he would go back to his farming village and drive a tractor.
10. "We are all human, we all have the same potential, potential for positive or potential for negative."
11. Does music make you happy? "Not really. If music really brings inner peace, can we solve problems in Syria with music? I don't think so. "
Source:
http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/things-learnt-Dalai-Lama-Glastonbury-Festival/story-26792455-detail/story.html
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