Top 1506 Quotes & Sayings by Dalai Lama - Page 3

The point of life is happiness.

Never give up. No matter what is happening, no matter what is going on around you, never give up.

Moving towards better rather than moving away from bad is an attitude of embracing life rather than rejecting it.

Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If someone is angry with you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster. On the other hand, if you control your anger and show its opposite - love, compassion, tolerance and patience - not only will you remain peaceful, but the other person's anger will also diminish.

Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.

We can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion. This, then, is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need.

Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

As you breathe in, cherish yourself. As you breathe out, cherish all Beings.

Love is the absence of judgment.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.

I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It is the ultimate source of success in life.

Whether you believe in God or not does not matter so much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life. And a good life does not mean just good food, good clothes, good shelter. These are not sufficient. A good motivation is what is needed: compassion, without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their rights and human dignity.

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.

Through difficult experiences, life sometimes becomes more meaningful.

We are all here on this planet, as it were, as tourists. None of us can live here forever. The longest we might live is a hundred years. So while we are here we should try to have a good heart and to make something positive and useful of our lives. Whether we live just a few years or a whole century, it would be truly regrettable and sad if we were to spend that time aggravating the problems that afflict other people, animals, and the environment. The most important things is to be a good human being.

If your heart has peace, nothing can disturb you.

If you have peace of mind, when you meet with problems and difficulties they won’t disturb your inner peace. You’ll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biased, unable to see reality. So whatever you do will be unrealistic and naturally fail.

You have to start giving first and expect absolutely nothing.

Today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly, live.

The challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others.

When you talk you are only repeating something you already know. But, if you listen you may learn something new.

The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kinds.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Don't be a person of success, be a person of value.

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.

If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.

Anger, hatred and jealousy never solve problems, only affection, concern and respect can do that.

When you think everything is someone else's fault, you will suffer a lot.

A sense of concern for others gives our lives meaning; it is the root of all human happiness

We often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive, over-reacting to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally.

Pain can change you, but that doesn't mean it has to be a bad change. Take that pain and turn it into wisdom.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

Love and compassion benefit both ourselves and others. Through kindness to others, your heart and mind will be peaceful and open.

The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share.

Everyone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. We create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we tend to be slaves to powerful emotions like anger, hatred and attachment that are based on misconceived projections about people and things. We need to find ways of reducing these emotions by eliminating the ignorance that underlies them and applying opposing forces.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.

Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

Giving material goods is one form of generosity, but one can extend an attitude of generosity into all one's behavior. Being kind, attentive, and honest in dealing with others, offering praise where it is due, giving comfort and advice where they are needed, and simply sharing one's time with someone - all these are forms of generosity, and they do not require any particular level of material wealth.

If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another. Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for guidance, for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance at this hour. Most of all, they are looking to you for love.

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

Follow the three R's: - Respect for self. - Respect for others. - Responsibility for all your actions.

If someone does not smile at you, be generous and offer your own smile. Nobody needs a smile more than the one that cannot smile to others.

In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values.

If it can be solved, there's no need to worry, and if it can't be solved, worry is of no use.

True friendship develops not as a result of money or power but on the basis of genuine human affection.

A heart full of love and compassion is the main source of inner strength, willpower, happiness, and mental tranquility

True happiness comes from having a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved by cultivating altruism, love and compassion, and by eliminating anger, selfishness and greed.

A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can't grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon.

Each of us has the potential to contribute... You have a great opportunity to make a new shape of the world.

Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.

If every 8 year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation

Like anyone else, I too have the potential for violence; I too have anger in me. However, I try to recall that anger is a destructive emotion. I remind myself that scientists now say that anger is bad for our health; it eats into our immune system. So, anger destroys our peace of mind and our physical health. We shouldn’t welcome it or think of it as natural or as a friend.

A positive state of mind is not merely good for you, it benefits everyone with whom you come into contact, literally changing the world.