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When we die nothing can be taken with us but the seeds of our life's work and our spiritual knowledge.

Before we seek refuge from suffering, we must first deepen our understanding of its nature and causes. Doing so intensifies our wish to find protection from suffering. Such a mental process, which incorporates study and contemplation, must also be applies to develop our appreciation of the Buddha's qualities.

We speak of three different types of faith. The first is faith in the form of admiration that you have toward a particular person or a particular state of being. The second is aspiring faith. There is a sense of emulation - you aspire to attain that state of being. The third type is the faith of conviction.

True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realized.

If object and people evoke attachment in us, we do not understand the true nature of phenomena. We can only become detached by realizing the true nature of things.

If any sensible person thinks deeply, he will respect justice. There is an inborn appreciation and respect for justice within our human body. In children, we find what is natural to be the human character. But as they grow up, they develop a lot of conditioning and wrong attitudes. I often feel there is more truthfulness in a small child and I find reasons to have confidence in human courage and human nature.

Within oneself, within each single person, one finds many inconsistencies and contradictions. sometimes the disparity between one's thoughts early and late in the day is so great that one spends all one's energy trying to figure out how it can be resolved. This can lead to headaches. So naturally, between two persons, between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, there are differences. conflicts and disagreements are bound to happen. If so, then how do we deal with them? If we have confidence in our capacity for reconciliation then we will be able to deal with these situations.

The mind must be developed by you alone. There is no way for others to do the work and for you to reap the results. reading someone else's blueprint of mental progress will not transfer its realizations to you. You have to develop them yourself.

When a problem first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude, and be concerned that the outcome is fair.

I feel that love and compassion are the moral fabric of world peace. Let me first define what I mean by compassion. When you have pity or compassion for a very poor person, you are showing sympathy because he or she is poor; your compassion is based on altruistic considerations. On the other hand, love towards you wife, your husband, your children, or a close friend is usually based on attachment. When your attachment changes, your kindness also changes; it may disappear. This is not true love. Real love is not based on attachment, built on altruism.

To develop patience, you need someone who willfully hurts you. Such people give us real opportunities to practice tolerance. They test our inner strength in a way that even our guru cannot. Basically, patience protests us from being discouraged.

The female is the source of genuine human compassion.

Whatever forms of meditation you practice, the most important point is to apply mindfulness continuously, and make a sustained effort. It is unrealistic to expect results from meditation within a short period of time. What is required is continuous sustained effort.

We are now in the twenty-first century... The world is also facing a lot of new problems, most of which are man made. The root cause of these man made problems is the inability of human being to control their agitated minds. How to control such a state of mind is taught by the various religions of this world.

I am of the view that the welfare of the world [is] possible only by following the path shown by lord Buddha.

The impermanence of this present life will force you to leave all wealth behind, bu by giving it away, you can take it with you as good karma.

There is no reason to give up hope, because we have this marvelous intelligence. Because of this intelligence we also have a certain positive potential.

Not so long ago people believed in ideologies, systems, and institutions to save all societies. Today, they have given up such hopes and have returned to relying on the individual, on individual freedom,individual initiative, individual creativity.

I have long looked forward to the time when we could devise a political system, suited both to our traditions and to the demands of the modern world. A democracy that has nonviolence and peace at its roots.

In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. On the level of a religious practitioner, my second commitment is the promotion of religious harmony and understanding amongst different religious traditions. Despite philosophical differences, all major world religions have the same potential to create better human beings. It is therefore important for all religious traditions to respect one another and recognize the value of each other's respective traditions.

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

When we talk about gaining the perfect wisdom of Buddha, we should not think that we need to create qualities in ourselves that are not there already and acquire them from somewhere outside of us. Rather, we should see perfect Buddha wisdom as a potential that is being realized.

Money has its uses, but it is limited. Among worldly powers and possessions, there are, doubtless, good things, but they are limited. However, from a Buddhist viewpoint, mental development will continue from life to life, because the nature of the mind is such that if certain mental qualities are developed on a sound basis, they always remain and, not only that, can increase. In fact, once properly developed, good qualities of mind eventually increase infinitely. Therefore spiritual practice brings both long-term happiness and more inner strength day by day.

In order to achieve both internal and external progresses appropriate for modern times, having modern education is extremely important.

Those who are wise practice love.

All major religious traditions have teachings on the practice o compassion, love, forgiveness, but the Buddha has become a symbol of nonviolence around the world, a symbol of compassion. All ancient masters teach the same message, but the Buddha's message is not just for humanity alone; it is for all sentient beings. It puts a strong emphasis on respect for all forms of life.

These days, yogic exercises have become very popular in the modern world... and this is precisely because many people have found that through yoga they can achieve a degree of physical health that leads to better mental health. The approach that is suggested by the lo jong teachings is slightly different, however. They concentrate directly on the development of the mind itself, through the transformation of our attitudes and ways of thinking.

I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend, that together we succeed in building a better world through human understanding and love, and that in doing so we may reduce the pain and suffering of all sentient beings.

The key to a happier world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.

When I look at birds and animals, their survival is without rules, without conditions, without organization... that's nature.

Only human beings can judge and reason; we understand consequences and think in the long term. It is also true that human beings can develop infinite love, whereas to the best of our knowledge animals can have only limited forms of affection and love. However, when humans become angry, all of this potential is lost. No enemy armed with mere weapons can undo these qualities, but anger can. It is the destroyer.

Love, compassion, and concern for others are real sources of happiness. With these in abundance, you will not be disturbed by even the most uncomfortable circumstances. If you nurse hatred, however, you will not be happy even in the lap of luxury. Thus, if we really want happiness, we must widen the sphere of love. This is both religious thinking and basic common sense.

If a person's basic state of mind is serene and calm, then it is possible for this inner peace to overwhelm a painful physical experience. On the other hand, if someone is suffering from depression, anxiety, or any form of emotional distress, then even if he or she happens to be enjoying physical comforts, he will not really be able to experience the happiness that these could bring.

We should not forget our inner values. By inner value I mean... human affection, or another word, human compassion.

Buddhist are concerned not only for this life but for life after life, on and on. We count not weeks or months or even years, but lives and eons.

This teaching of the stages of the path to enlightenment came to Tibet from India. Buddhism did not come to Tibet until the eighth century.

According to Buddhist teaching, there is a very close interdependence between the natural environment and the sentient beings living in it.

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 governed? 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.

Cultivating an attitude of compassion and developing wisdom are slow processes. As you gradually internalize techniques for developing morality, concentration of mind, and wisdom, untamed states of mind become less and less frequent. You will need to practice these techniques day by day, year by year. As you transform your mind, you will transform your surroundings. Others will see the benefits of your practice of tolerance and love, and will work at bringing these practices into their own lives.

In the Buddha's life story we see the three stages of practice: Morality comes first, then concentrated meditation, and then wisdom. And we see that the path takes time.

With the human population increasing and the gap between rich and poor increasing, the situation of the desperate will increase and there's danger of more violence.

Only a spontaneous feeling of empathy with others can really inspire us to act on their behalf. Nevertheless, compassion does not arise mechanically. Such a sincere feeling must grow gradually, cultivated within each individual, based on their own conviction of its worth. Adopting a kind attitude thus becomes a personal matter. How each of us behaves in daily life is after all, the real test of compassion.

When I speak about love and compassion, i do so not as a Buddhist, nor as a Tibetan, nor as the Dalai Lama. I do so as one human being speaking with another. I hope that you at this moment will think of yourself as a human being rather than as an American, Asian, European, African, or member of any particular country. These loyalties are secondary.

I believe that the proper utilization of time is this: if you can, serve other people, other sentient beings. If not, at least refrain from harming them. I think that is the whole basis of my philosophy.

Broadly speaking, our experiences fall into two categories. One type of experience is more connected with our bodies, and occurs mainly through our sense organs, while the other type is more related to what can be called "the mental consciousness" or "the mind".

Whenever we see any disagreements, we must think how to solve them on basis of recognition of oneness of the entire humanity.

Compassion can be roughly defined in terms of a state of mind that is nonviolent and nonharming, or nonaggresive. Because of this there is a danger of confusing compassion with the attachment and intimacy.

Mischievous people often use religious faith for their own interest and create conflict. We have to look at the real message of all these traditions.

When I consider the lack of cooperation in human society, I can only conclude that is stems from ignorance of our interdependent nature.

Generally speaking, it is better to keep one's own tradition. But among some people... there is an interest in Buddhism. Sometimes, because of their individual mental dispositions, they do not find much in their own tradition that is effective, but they still want a spiritual practice. They feel a strong pull toward Buddhism, an then, of course, it is their right to follow Buddhism. After all, all religions belong to humanity. What's important is that once we make a decision to follow another religion we should keep in our minds that we must avoid criticizing our own previous tradition.

Some Westerners follow Tibetan Buddhism and adopt the dress - this is too extreme. The important thing is to take the spiritual aspects and not the cultural side.

With warm-heartedness... there is no room to exploit or to bully others.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, people never questioned the effectiveness of war, never thought there could be real peace. Now, people are tired of war and see it as ineffective in solving anything.

Every day the media reports incidents of terrorism, crime, and aggression. I have never been to a country where tragic stories of death and bloodshed did not fill the newspapers and airwaves... but the overwhelming majority of the human race does not behave destructively; very few of the five billion people on this planet actually commit acts of violence. Most of us prefer to be as peaceful as possible.

The Tibetan Buddhist tradition teaches us to view all sentient beings as our dear mothers and to show our gratitude by loving them all. For, according to Buddhist theory, we are born and reborn countless numbers of times, and it is conceivable that each being has been our parent at one time or another. In this way all beings in the universe share a family relationship.

Your bad mood serves your enemy

In theistic religions like Buddhism, Buddhist values are incorporated. In nontheistic religions, like some of the ancient Indian thought, the law of karma applies. If you do something good, you get a good result. Now, what we need is a way to educate nonbelievers. These nonbelievers may be critical of all religions, but they should be decent at heart. The happiness and success of humanity depend on this.

In general, I always state that I have three commitments in life. Firstly, on the level of a human being, my first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline. All human beings are the same. We all want happiness and do not want suffering. Even people who do not believe in religion recognize the importance of these human values in making their lives more happier. I remain committed to talk about the importance of these human values and share them with everyone I meet.

I always consider myself as a simple Buddhist monk. I feel that is the real me. I feel that the Dalai Lama as a temporal ruler is a man-made institution. As long as the people accept the Dalai Lama, they will accept me. But being a monk is something which belongs to me. No one can change that.

We (Buddhist) are all students of one teacher - the Buddha. One very kind, wise teacher. That is most important. As followers or students of this great teacher, we should take his own life as a model.

I always tell people that we human beings, in a way because of this intelligence, are the biggest troublemakers. Yet because of this intelligence, we also have the capacity to not only take care of ourselves but also to take care of the whole world. According to Buddhist psychology, most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.

As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery... We have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear, and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the source of peace and happiness.

The whole point of transforming our heart and mind is to find happiness. We all have the natural desire to be happy and the wish to overcome suffering. This is a fact, so we can make it our starting point.

Buddhism is more than a religion. It is a science of the mind.

Without inner peace how can we make real peace?

I see all the different religious traditions as paths for the development of inner peace, which is the true foundation of world peace. These ancient traditions come to us as a gift from our common past. Will we continue to cherish it as a gift and hand it over the the future generations as a legacy of our shared desire for peace?

Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister.

If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. And finally, there is an intense delight in abandoning faulty states of mind and in cultivating helpful ones in meditation.

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

Spend some time alone every day.

Sleep is the best meditation.

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

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.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

When I meet people from other cultures I know that they too want happiness and do not want suffering, this allows me to see them as brothers and sisters.

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.