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Pay attention. Stay awake and totally alert. See with receptive eyes and discover a world of ceaseless wonders.
Walk the path of beauty. Relish and encourage its inward and outward expressions. Acknowledge the radiance of the creation.
Open your heart, mind, soul to the pain and suffering in the world. Reach out to others and discover the rewards and obligations of deep feeling.
Cultivate the art of making connections. See how your life is intimately related to all life on the planet. Express your feelings of praise and adoration through devotional practices. Pray with words and pray through actions.
Enthusiasm - Celebrate life with this intoxicating passion. It adds zest to everything and helps build community. Hold nothing back. In both your private and public lives, discover the sweet release that comes from forgiving others. Feel the healing balm of being forgiven and of forgiving yourself.  Spell out your days with a grammar of gratitude.  Be thankful for all the blessings in your life.
Hope - Let this positive and potent emotion fuel your dreams and support your service of others. Through your attitudes and actions, encourage others never to lose hope. Practice hospitality in a world where too often strangers are feared, enemies are hated, and the "other" is shunned. Welcome guests and alien ideas with graciousness. Give imagination free rein in your life. Explore its images and ponder its meaning-making moments, and it will always present you with something new to be seen, felt, or made known.
Joy - Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. Find this divine energy in your daily life and share it with others. Seek liberty and justice for all. Work for a free and fair world where oppression and inequality no longer exist. Let Spirit flow through you in little acts of kindness, brief words of encouragement, and manifold expressions of courtesy. These deeds will add to the planet's fund of good will. Cultivate the art of deep listening in which you lean toward the world in love. All things in the universe want to be heard, as do the many voices inside us. Fall in love over and over again every day. Love your family, your neighbors, your enemies, and yourself. And don't stop with humans. Love animals, plants, stones, even the galaxies. Constantly try to discover the significance of your experiences. Seek further understanding from sacred texts and spiritual teachers. Take good care of the best that is within you. Self-exploration and personal growth continue throughout our lifetimes and equip us to tend to the needs of others.  Hold an open house in your heart for all people and all things. Practice empathy with others and receptiveness toward the universe. Protect the earth's future by promoting peace every day. Your small steps will link you with others who are combating violence in the world. Be playful. Express your creative spirit in spontaneity. Hurrah the pleasures of being, and let loose your laughter. Practice reverence for life. The sacred is in, with, and under all the things of the world. Respond with appropriate respect and awe. Give up trying to hide, deny, or escape from your imperfections. Listen to what your demons have to say.
Silence - Slow down. Be calm. Find a place where you can regularly practice silence. There you will find the resources to revitalize your body, mind, and soul. Be willing to learn from spiritual teachers all around you, however unlikely or unlike you they may be. Always be a sensitive student. Welcome the positive changes that are taking place in your life. Open up the windows and let in some fresh air. Wholeness and healing are waiting in the wings. In this age of global spirituality, respect differences but affirm commonalties. Work together with those who are trying to make the world a better place. Practice the art of seeing the invisible. Use the wisdom of your personal visions to renew yourself and your community.  Cultivate a vibrant curiosity and welcome the reports of your senses. The world is alive and moving toward you with rare epiphanies and wonderful surprises. Remember you are standing on holy ground. Follow your heart's boundless desire. It takes you out of yourself and fosters an appreciation for the multidimensional pleasures of life.
Be passionately aroused by life.
 Cherish every moment, honor your commitment and treasure your kinship with all.
First, one should carefully contemplate the equality of the other and the self: all suffer the same sorrow and the same happiness  I must protect them all like myself. Thus the Bodhisattva resolves: 'I must remove the others' suffering, because it is suffering, like my own. And so I must come to the aid of others, because they are beings like myself. Having recognized one's self as sinful and others as full of virtue, one should practice the abandonment of self and the acceptance of others He who wishes to save himself and others quickly, should devote himself to this supreme mystery: the exchange of the other and the self. Immeasurable aeons have passed while you have been looking for your own gain. Through all this toil you have gained nothing but pain. Turn then to this practice without hesitation. You will come to see its benefits, for the Buddha's words are true.
There are two extremes, the Buddha says, which a person who has renounced the world, is not to follow: the ways of the 'world',  i.e. seeking sense gratification, following the passions, and the way of 'self-torture'  both these ways are 'painful, unworthy and unprofitable.' "There is the Middle Way," the Buddha says, "avoiding these two extremes, discovered by the Tathagata (a title for a Buddha),  a path that opens the eyes and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full Enlightenment, to Nirvana." And what is that middle way? It is the Noble Eightfold Path which consists of: right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right contemplation.
The Buddha emphasized repeatedly that what he announced to the world as the 'Four Noble Truths,' was "not among the doctrines handed down, but there arose within me the eye, there arose in me the knowledge, there arose in me the understanding, there arose within me the wisdom, there arose within me the light:" they constitute the very essence of His Enlightenment.
1. "This is the Noble Truth concerning suffering: birth is suffering, decay is suffering, disease is suffering, death is suffering. Union with the unpleasant is suffering; separation from the pleasant is suffering; any desire that is not satisfied is suffering."
2. "This is the Noble Truth concerning the origin of suffering: it is that craving that causes the entering into a new birth, accompanied by sensual delight which seeks satisfaction here and there, craving for the gratification of passions, craving for a future life, craving for success."
3. "This is the Noble Truth concerning the end of suffering: this is the end, where no passion remains, no craving; the getting rid of craving."
4. "This is the Noble Truth concerning the way which leads to the end of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path."
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." Albert Einstein
 "I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it." Dwight Eisenhower
The Buddha: "For anyone who says, 'In whatever way a person makes kamma, that is how it is experienced,' there is no living of the holy life, there is no opportunity for the right ending of stress. But for anyone who says, 'When a person makes karma to be felt in such and such a way, that is how its result is experienced,' there is the living of the holy life, there is the opportunity for the right ending of stress. There is the case where a trifling evil act done by a certain individual takes him to hell. There is the case where the very same sort of trifling deed done by another individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment. Now, a trifling evil act done by what sort of individual takes him to hell? There is the case where a certain individual is undeveloped in [contemplating] the body, undeveloped in virtue, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in discernment: restricted, small-hearted, dwelling with suffering. A trifling evil act done by this sort of individual takes him to hell. Now, a trifling evil act done by what sort of individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment? There is the case where a certain individual is developed in [contemplating] the body, developed in virtue, developed in mind, developed in discernment: unrestricted, large-hearted, dwelling with the unlimited. A trifling evil act done by this sort of individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment. Suppose that a man were to drop a salt crystal into a small amount of water in a cup. What do you think? Would the water in the cup become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?" "Yes, lord...." "Now suppose that a man were to drop a salt crystal into the River Ganges. What do you think? Would the water in the River Ganges become salty because of the salt crystal, and unfit to drink?" "No, lord...." "In the same way, there is the case where a trifling evil act done by one individual [the first] takes him to hell; and there is the case where the very same sort of trifling deed done by the other individual is experienced in the here and now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment."
"Can the mind even see the mind? We have to answer yes and no. No, because the mind can’t be a subject and object at the same time. The mind interferes, whether it wants to or not, whether it knows it or not, in all that is observes; and with all the more reason when it is a question of itself. But the mind cannot see itself completely. However, the principal tool for purifying the mind is the mind itself. The mind is its own creator, as every instant. Hence, it’s responsibility, which is essential.
"In modern scientific terms, physicists, in their pursuit of understanding the nature of physical reality, have reached a stage where they have lost the concept of solid matter; they can’t come up with the real identity of matter. So they are beginning to see things in more holistic terms, in terms of interrelationships rather than discreet, independent, concrete objects.
"Occasionally people who do not have a proper knowledge of karmic law say that such and such
person is very kind and religious, but he always has problems, whereas so and so is very deceptive and negative, but always seems very successful. Such people may think that there is no karmic law at all. There are others who got to the other extreme and become superstitious, thinking that when someone experiences illness, it is all due to harmful spirits. However, there is a definite relation between causes and effects: that actions not committed will never produce an effect; and that once committed, actions will never lose their potentiality.
"It is important to think very well before entering a particular spiritual tradition. Once you have entered you should stick to it. Do not be like a man who tastes food in the different restaurants but never actually gets down to eating a meal. Think carefully before adopting a practice; then follow it through. This way you will get some results from dedication even a little time each day. Alternatively, if you try to follow all the various paths you will not get anywhere.
"Irrespective of whether we are believers or agnostics, whether we believe in God or karma, moral ethics is a code which everyone is able to pursue. We need human qualities such as moral scruples, compassion, and humility. Because of our innate human frailty and weakness, these qualities are only accessible through forceful individual development in a conducive social milieu, so that a more humane world will come into being." The Dalai Lama
A Prayer For The Children...  We Pray for the Children who sneak popsicles before supper, who erase holes in math workbooks, who can never find their shoes. And we pray for those who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire, who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers, who never "counted potatoes," who are born in places where we would not be caught dead, who never go to the circus, who live in an X-rated world. We Pray for the Children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money. And we pray for those who never get dessert, who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, who watch their parents watch them die, who can't find bread to steal, who don't have rooms to clean up, whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real.  We Pray for the Children who spend their allowance before Tuesday, who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food, who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothes under the bed, who never rinse out the tub, who get visits from the tooth fairy, who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, who squirm during religious services and scream in the phone, whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry. And we pray for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren't spoiled by anybody, who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep, who live and move, but have no being. We Pray for the Children who want to be carried and for those who must, who we never give up on and for those who don't get a second chance. We pray for those we smother and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.

Actually, genuine compassion and attachment are contradictory. According to Buddhist practice, to develop genuine compassion you must first practice the meditation of equalization and equanimity, detaching oneself from those people who are very close to you. Then, you must remove negative feelings towards your enemies. All sentient beings should be looked on as equal. On that basis, you can gradually develop genuine compassion for all of them." The Dalai Lama
'We want only genuine autonomy' (An interview with The Dalai Lama)
Over forty years have gone by since you came here (Dharamsala, India) as a refugee, heading a government-in-exile. What do you see as the future of Tibet?
Dalai Lama: Very bad, if you look at it in local terms. My people are in chains. There is environmental havoc taking place.  There is cultural genocide.  Human rights violations are taking place all the time.  Repression of my people. Things are getting worse and worse out there in a sense. At the same time, things are very good, if you look at it in a global perspective. India, our strongest neighbour, has been very good to us. There is great understanding and compassion, amazing love. There is cultural synergy between our nations. India is the bright light of hope that shines, as one of our greatest writers said, to dispel the darkness that pervades our land. Communism has collapsed worldwide. Be it the Soviet Union, the father of the Marxist state, or the nations of Eastern Europe, they have all realized that totalitaianism is a failure. It cannot survive. Repression must be replaced with freedom. The old order has fallen. I am sure that a new spirit of freedom will pervade the rest of the world and we will move towards a more open, a more democratic social order. Tibet waits for that day. I have been here for 41 years, waiting for that day.
What is your view on the coming of the young Karmapa to India?
DL: He is a very fine young boy. He has come to study here and, as long as the issue does not get politicised, it is fine. India is a warm country. India is always open to people to come to stay here. It welcomes everyone. That is its most wonderful quality. The problem is: Other nations do not always see it in this light.
Do you think that considerations of trade with China will eventually force the Western nations to ignore Tibet and the repression against your people?
DL: Trade is very important to the Western nations, I agree. But how can they ignore human rights violations? How can they ignore repression and cultural genocide? Even the mightiest Marxist states have fallen because they did not listen to the voice of the people. How can Tibet be ignored? It is not possible, Pritish.
How do you see your struggle for a Tibet evolving in the future?
DL: Our own spirit today is very strong. Unlike, say, what it was forty or fifty years ago. Our struggle will continue. But strictly through non-violent means. We are not seeking a complete separation from China. We want only genuine autonomy. Self-rule for the Tibetan people. In fact, more and more Chinese people today understand and appreciate our point of view. More and more Chinese people are themselves beginning to support us. They realise that for reasons of genuine stability in the region it makes sense for the People's Republic of China to give us this autonomy. We are not going to break away. All we need is some degree of freedom, some satisfaction. Up to now they have imposed their will on us and used harsh methods and force. They have to realise that this will not work. We are your shishyas. India is our guru. We believe in non-violent means to achieve our political objectives.
What do you feel about the kind of international support that your movement has been able to drum up in recent years? Is it strong? Is it adequate?
DL: It is strong and, what is more important, it is growing. In fact, it has grown very fast in recent years. In France, Germany, England, Norway; many smaller nations. Support to us is growing faster than we thought it would.
But the free world's trade with China is also growing?
DL: You are referring to America. But they have also appointed a special co-ordinator for Tibetan issues in the State Department.
But China still gets Most Favoured Nation status in the US?
DL: Yes, but there are issues they have to satisfy. That is why the status is annually renewable. It is not a continuing status. It is linked with issues of human rights.  For us, actually, the most important relationship is with India. India has done a great deal for us but it could have done more. It could have taken a stand on issues that it stays clear of today. India's attitude towards China, I believe, as well as its policy towards Tibet is somewhat overcautious. That is why the Chinese leadership may be thinking that they can bully India. That is my feeling. However, in recent months, China appears to have realised the importance of India. That is why during the Kargil crisis,despite the strongest efforts of Pakistan, China stayed neutral. This is a clear indication that they have finally recognised the importance of India. Maybe it is because India has now gone nuclear! That is the sad part. No one
understands your power unless you show it.
So what do you expect of India?
DL: I would like India to recognise Tibet as an autonomous region within the People's Republic of China. That is not difficult to do. This can be done on the basis of the 1914 Simla Convention in British India which recognized Chinese suzerainty over Tibet on the basis that China recognizes Tibetan autonomy. India should press for that. It should recognize China's suzerainty over Tibet and insist that China must give us full autonomy. You know why I said I think that India is overcautious? It is because in 1987 and 1988 there was a lot of tension in Tibet. Some Tibetan people were killed. Many were injured. Lots of nations all over the world expressed their concern. But India kept completely quiet. That was not necessary.  I felt very sad. It was not a political issue at all. It was a human rights issue and India is always known for standing up on such matters.  The whole world sympathised with us and India, which has otherwise done so much for us, chose to keep quiet. It made me very, very sad. India is such a big country. It is such a strong country. It is an upright country. It has done the maximum for us Tibetans. Yet why is it not ready to stand up for us on issues like human rights violations?
What is, in your opinion, India's most important contribution to your people - other than giving you refuge?
DL: Teaching us the importance of non-violence and educating us. I remember Pandit Nehru telling me that if the Tibetan struggle is to succeed we must educate our young people.  We must teach them English.  We must put them through school and college. Only then can they take the message of a free Tibet worldwide. He was so right. The fact that the Tibetan struggle is still alive and is, in fact, finding more and more supporters worldwide is exactly because of this. Because we listened to India, because I listened to Pandit Nehru and encouraged young Tibetans to study and learn and take our message all over the world. Education has been the strongest force in binding us all together in this struggle for autonomy and self-realisation and I owe that to your country and your leaders. They showed us the way.
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Last Update: Sept. 18, 2005