To me that speaks to his life-cultivating presence and his care for other people."īonus quote: "Life's purpose of happiness can be gained only if people cultivate the basic human values of compassion, caring and forgiveness."
It's the reason he draws stadiums full of people who want to see him. "Even though he's experienced more than his fair share of suffering, the Dalai Lama models a type of lightheartedness and kindness that's very powerful for people and very moving," Hellstrom says. While the Dalai Lama recognizes that "genuine happiness comes from within" and is a product of a calm and compassionate mind, he also recognizes the infectious power of a smile, a hug or even a joke to spark that happiness in others. It is the ultimate source of success in life." This helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter.
Cultivating a close, warm-hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. "The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. "From my own limited experience I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion," the Dalai Lama wrote. Perhaps it's because the Dalai Lama knows how difficult it is for humans to extinguish things like greed, ignorance and hatred that he prescribes a more manageable path to happiness.
The only way to free yourself from this suffering and obtain happiness is by ridding yourself of the source of all suffering, which is desire and attachment.Įasy, right? Hardly. According to the Four Noble Truths taught by Buddha, our existence is mired in suffering - emotional suffering, psychological suffering, physical suffering.
"I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy."īuddhism has an interesting take on happiness. If you find what I say useful, then I hope you will try to practice it."Ģ. "Every day, he prepares himself mentally to be the kind of presence that everyone's expecting - 100-percent present, focused and ready to be as compassionate and kind as he can be, no matter what happens," Hellstrom says.īonus quote: "I speak to you as just another human being as a simple monk. There's power in understanding that the warmth and compassion exuded by the Dalai Lama doesn't come naturally, but is a product of decades of daily mindful practice. Then the rest of my day I should spend according to those principles: being honest, truthful, compassionate, peaceful, nonviolent." "Every morning, as soon as I wake up, I remember Buddha and recite some of Buddha's teachings, sort of shaping my mind. "I myself am a Buddhist monk," he said at the Global Buddhist Congregation in 2011. The Dalai Lama says that he relies on this monastic spiritual practice to keep his mind focused and to direct his actions. When his workday is over, the Dalai Lama has tea at 5 p.m., followed by evening prayer and meditation and then bedtime at 7 p.m. From 6 to 9 a.m., it's more prayer and meditation. He wakes up at 3 a.m., showers, and sits in prayer and meditation until 5 a.m., when he has a light breakfast and listens to the BBC World News.
The Dalai Lama travels extensively, but when he's home in Dharamsala, he keeps monk hours. Why? Hellstrom thinks it's because so much of what the Dalai Lama represents and how he lives his life is rooted in his daily practices of meditation, study and prayer - a spiritual routine shared by all Buddhist monks. Yet when asked to describe himself, he chooses arguably the humblest label, a monk. He has met with presidents, popes and dignitaries on every continent. The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent struggle to win independence for Tibet. "I always consider myself first and foremost to be a monk.