Quotes by Dalai Lama

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

        what is my purpose in life, what is my responsibility?
        whether I like it or not, I am on this planet
        and it is far better to do something for humanity.

        so you see that compassion is the seed or basis.

       If we take care to foster compassion,
       we will see that it brings the other good human qualities.

       the topic of compassion is not at all religious business;
       it is very important to know that it is human business
       that it is a question of human survival
       that is not a question of human luxury....

       It is clear that even without religion we can manage.

       However, without these basic human qualities we cannot survive.
       It is a question of our own peace and mental stability.

  

see also the dalai lama

It is... very helpful to think of adversity not so much as a threat to our peace of mind but rather as the very means by which patience is attained.

 I believe that to meet the challenges of our times,
 human beings will have to develop
 a greater sense of universal responsibility.

Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself,
one's own family or nation, but for the benefit
of all humankind.

Universal responsibility is the key to human survival.
It is the best foundation for world peace.

... Our individual well-being is intimately connected both with that of all others and with the environment within which we live.... Our every action, our every deed, word, and thought, no matter how slight or inconsequential it may seem, has an implication not only for ourselves, but for all others, too.

Although you can find certain differences among the Buddhist philosophical schools about how the universe came into being, the basic common question addressed is how the two fundamental principles--external matter and internal mind or consciousness--although distinct, affect one another. External causes and conditions are responsible for certain of our experiences of happiness and suffering. Yet we find that it is principally our own feelings, our thoughts and our emotions, that really determine whether we are going to suffer or be happy.

"Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend -- or a meaningful day."

"One can overcome the forces of negative emotions,
like anger and hatred, by cultivating their counterforces,
like love and compassion."

Perhaps the most important point is to ensure that science never becomes divorced from the basic human feeling of empathy with our fellow beings. Just as one's fingers can function only in relation to the palm, so scientists must remain aware of their connection to society at large. Science is vitally important, but it is only one finger of the hand of humanity, and its greatest potential can be actualized only so long as we are careful to remember this. Oherwise, we risk losing our sense of priorities. Humanity may end up serving the interests of scientific progress rather than the other way around. Science and technology are powerful tools, but we must decide how best to use them. What matters above all is the motivation that governs the use of science and technology, in which ideally heart and mind are united.

Within the short space of my own lifetime, the impact of science and technology on humanity has been tremendous. Although my own interest in science began with curiosity about a world, foreign to me at that time, governed by technology, it was not very long before the colossal significance of science for humanity as a whole dawned on me---especially after I came into exile in 1959. There is almost no area of human life today that is not touched by the effects of science and technology. Yet are we clear about the place of science in the totality of human life---what exactly it should do and by what it should be goverened? This last point is critical because unless the direction of science is guided by a consciously ethical motivation, especially compassion, its effects may fail to bring benefit. They may indeed cause great harm.