Dalai Lama is the highest religious leader of Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso was born on 6 July 1935 to a family of farmers in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. He was recognised as next Dalai Lama when he was two years old by his predecessor 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
His monastic educations started at age six and finally graduated at the age of 23 with a Lharampa degree, the highest level of Tibetan Buddhist Academic degree. During the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, he took over the complete political power of Tibet. But after brutal suppression by the Chinese troops, he was forced to fled and take exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 mostly for fighting for Tibet's liberation through non-violence. He was recognised worldwide for his concern for global environmental problems.
His Holiness has been honoured with hundreds of awards and honorary doctorates for his message of non-violence, peace and universal compassion. Below is a list of a few of the most inspiring quotes of Dalai Lama of all times.
The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.
If you are always comparing yourself with the others, it will only lead to, more stress and even hatred towards them. Your only competition should be with your own shortcomings and the person you were yesterday. You are not going to change overnight, but as long as you are becoming better every day, you are on the correct path to your personal development.
Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.
Your happiness can be in your control if you make up your mind. If you could decide that no one else has the power to make you sad, you will be an optimistic person. Become dedicated to being happy, like it's your dream job- job to keep yourself happy. No matter where you are, what you are doing or whatever situation you get stuck in, don't abandon your commitment to be happy.
It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.
Dalai Lama believes humans have immense potential to be good not just towards others but also ownself. We were born to be kind and loving towards others, but somehow fear got better of us. But the potential still exists within all of us to be better people. Not being able to realise this potential is the greatest tragedy.
The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be.
We are either motivated by fear or by love. The former one has the potential to make us neurotic. However, when you are driven by love, you are filled with enthusiasm and satisfaction. Every day of your journey towards your goal feels rewarding.
If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.
It might seem bizarre that an 85-year old Buddhist leader suggests fighting. But he did say those words in response to a question put up to him on the topic of school shootings. Well, Dalai Lama is always a proponent of non-violence and compassion. But when you are in a life-threatening situation, and you have to resort to violence to save your life, do it. All lives are important, including yours.
If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.
As you understood by now, Dalai Lama is not an orthodox Buddist monk. He is broad-minded and understands the importance of education and science. Science is based on experimentations and proven principles, and thus, he believes if somehow any Buddhist preaching finds a contradiction in science, its best to abandon them.
World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.
We cannot expect the world to become a peaceful place until all of us can become peaceful from within. If all of us are peacefully content with our lives, we can end greed for power and riches, which are generally the reason behind all the riots and wars.
We need to learn to want what we have, not to have what we want, in order to get stable and steady happiness.
Human desires are never-ending, and although these desires help us improve our lives, they can also lead to a lot of suffering. Contentment is an integral part of happiness. Many people mistake contentment with passivity and inactivity. While the truth is, you can contend while you are working towards the fulfilment of your dreams.
People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.
There is no universal philosophy for happiness. There are many paths, depending on the past experiences and the kind of person you are today, that can make you more fulfilled in life in comparison to other paths that might not be effective for you.
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Religion is not just about rites and rituals. Fundamentally, every religion tries to propagate the value of compassion and kindness. And through loving and respecting human beings, we are loving God. Dalai Lama says, the most sacred thing to him is kindness, being kind is true worship of God.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
All living entities come to an end eventually. So does humans. But our legacy lives on. If you share your knowledge with others, be it in the form of discourse or creation of art, it will survive long after you are dead. Share what you know with others so that it can contribute in some way to the improvement of entire mankind.
Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.
Love, be it for your family, friends or partners should strengthen them. It should not be conditional, superficial or controlling. If you truly love someone, they should feel liberated to strive for anything they want with your constant support. They should feel safe with you and know that they can always come back to you, especially when things get tough. They should be respected, cared for and motivated when they are with you.
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Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.
If you don't receive what you wished and worked for, its not the end of the world. Don't get disheartened and look around you, you might be surrounded with better opportunities. Always be optimistic and quick to rebound from any failure. You never know, a failure like this can unexpectedly lead you to the future you always wanted.
It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.
Even the worst of situations comes with an upside. Failures often become a breeding ground for better possibilities. All you got to do, search for a glimmer of hope in total darkness.
Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
Fortunately, we live in a time where we can easily express ourselves. An expression is a fundamental right and important for self-fulfilment. However, sometimes it is better to observe silence rather than speak. For example, in situations where you are instigated, it is better to be calm and quiet as that can earn you more respect.
If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.
Worrying is pre-meditation to nothing. It is just a few good hours wasted into oblivion. Two kinds of situations arise and can lead you into a state of helpless worrying. First, something wrong happens but you can still fix it. If that happens, stop getting anxious and start fixing. Second, something goes badly and fixing it is way beyond your control. In that case, once you become certain that there is nothing you can do about it, move on. Don't bother wasting another minute pondering over it. It is not going to change anything.
A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.
Be it in a country's administration or just in an individual's personal relationship, transparency is important to gain the trust of the other party, i.e., countrymen or your partner. Transparency also gives you an impetus, to be honest, and live with the right practices. If you are always trying to hide your methods and goals, it can lead to suspicions and distrust. When that happens, others will never feel safe with you.
A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.
Having a goal does not suffice without determination and hard work. And this can only be achieved through a disciplined mind. As your happiness and goals are related, self-discipline is a must for happiness. On the contrary, lack of it can lead to more mental and physical suffering, for example, not sticking to a healthy diet or exercising routine can damage your body as well as cause regret and self-loathing.
There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow. Today is the right day to Love, Believe, Do and mostly Live.
Today is all we got, yesterday can not be altered and tomorrow is uncertain. So, set your priorities straight and assign today for your life's most important things. Live today to the fullest, believe in your goals and work for it passionately with all your energy and be compassionate towards others.
There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?
The most important thing to be remembered above all is to stay true to yourself. The natural law will dictate and your life will run its course. So, in this limited time, live your life only on your terms. When you are ready to leave, go regretless, taking with you a deep sense of satisfaction that you did everything you ever wanted.
Conclusion
In this article, we have read some of the famous and best Dalai Lama Quotes on Peace, Love, Humanity, Non-Violence, Happiness and Compassion.
Co-author: Shreya Arya
A digital marketing enthusiast with experience in HR and hospital management, Shreya has wide interests ranging from philosophy, psychology to latest trends in automation. She is also a freelance content writer and loves lending beautiful words to ideas and feelings.
