#1559 -
Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - Editor: Joyce
(Know_Mystery)
[Editor's
Note: His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin
Gyatso, visited Boston last weekend. Over a
four day period, he consecrated a local Tibetan
Buddhist center, the Kurukulla Center, participated in a
conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
titled "Investigating the Mind: Exchanges between
Buddhism and the Biobehavioral Sciences on How the Mind
Works", and met with members of the
Harvard University community. On Sunday, September 14,
he conducted a Public Talk for New England
in Boston. This issue of the NDHIghlights
presents selected portions of his talk at the Fleet
Center in Boston, transcribed from my personal notes.
Responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies is
mine, alone... I am grateful beyond measure
for having had the opportunity to be in the
presence of His Holiness last weekend as he
brought this message of compassion to the people of
Boston... joyce]
By nature, everyone has the seed of
compassion. I think, biologically speaking - my own observation is - if we
look deeply into the very nature of our life - the seed
is at the beginning
where it starts... It depends on the mother's care and
affection. The fundamental
fact of life is an almost innate sense of affection...
There is a biological basis for our human affection .
His
HolinessThe Dalai LamaBoston, MassachusettsSeptember 14, 2003
His
Holiness
The Dalai Lama
What
are some reasons why people may have come to see me
today?
Because
you're curious? That's OK.
To hear about the buddhadharma? You should already know
that. [Said with humor and twinkling eyes.]
To hear about how to lead a happy life?
Not for the excitement? You have too much expectation -
you'll be disappointed. [Said with humor.]
The
belief that the Dalai Lama has special power, healing
power, is not good... I'm skeptical of people claiming to
have healing power... If someone really has healing
power, I'd like to call them about my knees. [Laughter]
This
is just meeting another human being. We are the same,
emotionally, physically... No differences... All are the
same: Human Beings... and all want a happy life. Everyone
has the right to have a happy life, happy days. I'm here
just talking at the level of another Human Being, that's
all.
As
a Buddhist monk, I try to keep my own sort of mental
peace of mind, to rely on myself, not on another.
Comparatively my mind is for the most part calm, even
with the death of my Mother, my tutors, people close to
me.
So,
for a happy life, a successful life, much depends on
our own inner state. Too much reliance on others leads to
disappointment. Self-confidence is important. How to
develop self-confidence properly? I believe that with all
heart - compassion - that will develop self confidence.
The
basic human values - human affection, concern for one
another - these human values are essential for a happy
life.
So,
how to develop compassion? By nature, everyone has the
seed of compassion. I think, biologically speaking
- my own observation is if we look deeply into the very
nature of our life - the seed is at the beginning where
it starts... It depends on the mother's care and
affection and the fundamental fact of life is an almost
innate sense of affection... There is a biological basis
for our human affection - dependence upon the mother.
Given
the fact that expression of affection and love is
something very deeply embedded and natural, physical
affection is needed for proper development of the brain.
Constant fear or
suspicion or anger or jealousy - eventually that affects very
badly for our health, our digestion, our sleep. To move from
self-confidence and compassion, take the sense of care for
another.... Concern for another is a sign of inner serenity.A warm
hearted person taking care of another...this is reducing fear and
suspicion... A compassionate mind reduces fear and
suspicion... Compassion is good for happiness and health.We are social animals, what is
required for a successful life: compassion, lovingkindness,
forgiveness. The basic human values are there from birth.
Religious faith comes later.
Some
people feel that compassion is something you feel for another.
That is a mistake.
Two
years ago, I had an infection in my intestines, near death. We
visited an area in a car - a poor area, saw children that no one
was taking care of, we saw one person alone in a small hut
looking sick, no one was there, no one was taking care of them.
That night, I was very sick, curled up in great pain... but that
night, in my mind I constantly reflected on those poor people,
those children... And that concern diverted my mind and the pain
lessened.
When we are
self-centered - we think only of ourself, even small problems
appear unbearable... From a wider perspective, they appear not so
big.
In
our daily life, I think it is important to reflect upon the fact
that in an experience of pain, pleasure, suffering, there are two
levels: the physical level and the mind. Happiness and suffering
have more to do with the mind. The desire to overcome pain is at
the physical level.
Mental
levels of experience - positive and negative - are much much
stronger. Mental levels of experience have much different input
on our experiences.
[Here
His Holiness discussed *friendly-fire* vs. *enemy fire* ]
Whether
friendly fire or enemy fire - the bullet causes the same pain...
It can be physically painful, but mentally much less... Enemy
fire may be expected, but friendly fire is not expected...
Outrage is stronger when you are hit with friendly fire than
enemy fire... Physical pain is easy to subdue by mental effort.
Mental pain is very difficult to subdue by physical effort.
It is
natural that the greater the operation of compassion, the more
distant you will be from the destructive emotions that undermine
compassion. The internal world, the world of mind, the
world of emotion - some emotions are very useful for a happy
life, so analyze which is good and which is bad.
I
personally promote the importance of the secular values. I want
you to activate them on a deeper level - the practice of
tolerance, of patience... Connected with this is the important
value of cultivating forbearance and tolerance... Not to be a
slave to anger.... But this does not mean that you simply give
in.Nonviolence does not mean merely
absence of violence... Look at the motivation - if you want to
exploit another or cheat another, then it is violence.Nonviolence
depends on the emotion of human compassion. In
some cases, people cannot deal with conflicted emotions and it
leads to discomfort.Respect other's
rights, compromise... at the family level, the community level.Why we are always talking peace, peace, nonviolence.I've expressed this wish quite often that we
should try to break into the curriculum at schools so that
children are exposed to dialog as a means of conflict resolution.There is external disarmament and internal
disarmament to promote human affection and reduce jealousy. We
must convey implementation of external disarmament... We must
have a blueprint... We should have one goal in the 21st Century -
to develop a sense of concern for one another.About
ecology - this planet is our only hope. It is possible for
[future] exploration of other planets... Regardless of how
problematic our planet is, I don't think there is a planet out
there that is better than ours. I think its very important to
take good care of ours. Think about humanity - the present
generation and future generations.
Contentment... Contentment
is necessary and useful.... With relation to objects that have
limits, one could own the world, but that's the
end. [And still] the inner greed and desire [persist].
Without inner contentment you will reach tremendous
disappointment.
In our day
to day life, we tend to be discontented with our material things
- we always want more. But in our inner life, the opposite - we
tend to be complacent, we don't strive for better.
Love, compassion,
forgiveness, contentment - all religions teach us these values.
All religions have the same chance to do this. As a Buddhist
monk, I always try to promote religious harmony. It is very
essential to promote harmony among the different religions,
learning as one tries.
If you have a
certain religious belief, then you should take it very seriously.
That belief should be part of your life - it is very essential.
If you meet someone
who makes you uncomfortable, remember that they are the same sort
of creature of God... When you have the negative emotion,
remember the image of God. As a Buddhist practitioner, when you
come across someone who angers you and negative emotion arises,
remember in that moment that he is another individual who wishes
to be happy, wishes to have a good life, too... Remember that in
that moment, the person may have been angry, but in a previous
life they may have been your family member.
The
key idea is self-discipline - adopt a voluntary notion of
restraint.
Try
to follow the basic human values.
Try to be a nice person
Respect other religions - they have the same potential to
increase the basic good human qualities. All carry the same
message.
Question
& Answer Session
Q: What are three things we as everyday people can do to
build compassion in our society?
Dalai
Lama: That I don't know. [said with a smile]
I
personally believe since we humans are gifted with our profound
faculties of intelligence, we should use it to investigate
compassion.
One
basis of compassion - not only a sense of closeness, a feeling
and sense of concern based on respect... The basis is not because
the other does something good for me... Irrespective of the
other's positive attitude towards me, but just because the other
is just like myself, and wants a happy life... I'm biased, even
my enemy is the same Human Being - all have the same rights... On
that basis, you can keep genuine sympathy and compassion... Once
you have that kind of understanding, a situation may arise that
you may need to use a strong countermeasure, but you will not
forget that the other is the same. We distinguish between
the individual and the act... towards the person, compassion...
towards the 'action,' counteraction or force if needed.
Q: What is the purpose of your talks with the scientists?
[The
Dalai Lama said that at first it was just a personal interest,
and then he spoke briefly of the types of studies being done. He
spoke of the need for young Buddhist scholars to engage with
scientists, saying "Science is important to the welfare of
Human Beings. Both scientists and Buddhists try to bring a
happier world."]
Q: I'm so angry about the was in the Middle East. What do
you advise?
Dalai
Lama: Yes, me too. Basically, I'm committed to nonviolence... But
then the world is quite complicated... [He spoke of past wars a
bit...] The Korean War - endless destruction but ultimately good
came of it. The Second World War saved democracy. The Korean War
saved Korea. The Vietnam War - total failure... Iraq? It is too
early to say what will happen. Wait a couple of years and then
history will show us.
[Editor's
Note: This issue of the NDHIghlights presented selected
portions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's talk at the
Fleet Center in Boston, transcribed from my personal notes.
Responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies is mine,
alone, and I extend apologies for any mistakes.
I am grateful beyond measure for having had the
opportunity to be in the presence of His Holiness last
weekend as he brought this message of compassion
