Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama Quotes

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By being inattentive to the needs of others, inevitably we end up harming them.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Every man has the basis of good. Not only human beings, you can find it among animals and insects, for instance, when we treat a dog or horse lovingly.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Tolerance and patience should not be read as signs of weakness.
They are signs of strength.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of 'I' and we're all the same in wanting happiness and in wanting to avoid suffering.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Forming a new world religion is difficult and not particularly desirable. However, in that love is essential to all religions, one could speak of the universal religion of love.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
In today's highly interdependent world, individuals and nations can no longer resolve many of their problems by themselves. We need one another. It is our collective and individual responsibility to protect and nurture the global family, to support its weaker members, and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Once a positive goal is chosen, you should decide to pursue it all the way to the end. Even if it is not realized, at least there will be no regret.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
The most important benefit of patience consists in the way it acts as a powerful antidote to the affliction of anger - the greatest threat to our inner peace, and therefore our happiness. The mind, or spirit, is not physical, it cannot be touched or harmed directly. Only negative thoughts and emotions can harm it. Therefore, only the corresponding positive quality can protect it.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
In the past, the respect people had for religion meant that ethical practice was maintained through a majority following one religion or another. But this is no longer the case. We must therefore find some other way of establishing basic ethical principles.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
What is the relationship between spirituality and ethical practice? Since love and compassion and similar qualities all, by definition, presume some level of concern for others' well-being, they presume ethical restraint. We cannot be loving and compassionate unless at the same time we curb our own harmful impulses and desires.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Not only can I not recall my experiences in my previous lives, sometimes I can't even remember what I did yesterday.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
I want to show that there are indeed some universal ethical principles which could help everyone to achieve the happiness we all aspire to.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
For a better, happier, more stable and civilized future, each of us must develop a sincere, warm-hearted feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
To be in flow means to be totally absorbed in whatever one is doing at the moment. It occurs when one is fully present and completely focused on the task at hand...Flow can occur during any human activity, whether work or at play.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Scientists may study mainly matter but they cannot ignore the human mind, or consciousness: spiritual practitioners may be engaging mainly in developing the mind but they cannot completely ignore their physical needs. It is for this reason that I have always stressed the importance of combining both mental and the material approach to achieving happiness for humankind.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Each of you should feel that you have great potential and that, with self-confidence and a little more effort, change really is possible if you want it. If you feel that your present way of life is unpleasant or has some difficulties, then don't look at these negative things. See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the drug addict feels when indulging his or her habit. Temporary relief is soon followed by a craving for more. And in just the same way that taking drugs in the end only causes trouble, so, too, does much of what we undertake to fulfill our immediate sensory desires.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Without your own effort it is impossible for blessings to come.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
The question of real, lasting world peace concerns human beings, so basic human feelings are also at its roots. Through inner peace, genuine world peace can be achieved. In this the importance of individual responsibility is quite clear; an atmosphere of peace must first be created within ourselves, then gradually expanded to include our families, our communities, and ultimately the whole planet.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Buddhism does not accept a theory of God, or a creator. According to Buddhism, one's own actions are the creator, ultimately. Some people say that, from a certain angle, Buddhism is not a religion but rather a science of mind.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
When you encounter some problems, if you point your finger at yourself and not at others, this gives you control over yourself and calmness in a situation, where otherwise self-control becomes problematic.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Foolish, selfish people are always thinking of themselves and the result is always negative. Wise persons think of others, helping them as much as they can, and the result is happiness. Love and compassion are beneficial both for you and others. Through your kindness to others, your mind and heart will open to peace.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
I love smiles. That is a fact. How to develop smiles? There are a variety of smiles. Some smiles are sarcastic. Some smiles are artificial-diplomatic smiles. These smiles do not produce satisfaction, but rather fear or suspicion. But a genuine smile gives us hope, freshness. If we want a genuine smile, then first we must produce the basis for a smile to come.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
We must work to resolve conflicts in a spirit of reconciliation and always keep in mind the interests of others. We cannot destroy our neighours! We cannot ignore their interests!

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Life does not wait: Whether we spend our lives meaningfully or not, the time will be used up moment by moment.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
There is no self-interest completely unrelated to others' interests. Due to the fundamental interconnectedness which lies at the heart of reality, your interest is also my interest. From this it becomes clear that "my" interest and "your" interest are intimately connected. In a deep sense, they converge.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Whether we like it or not, we have all been born into this world as part of one great human family. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation or another, to one religion or another, adhering to this ideology or that, ultimately each of is just a human being like everyone else. We all desire happiness and do not want suffering.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
Even a small act of compassion grants meaning and purpose to our lives.

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
In our daily life a certain way of thinking makes us happy, and a certain way of thinking makes us unhappy. In other words, there are certain states of mind which bring us problems, and they can be removed...

Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama