too caught up in finding "one special person" or romantic partner who we hope will heal our loneliness, yet prop up our illusion that we are still independent. Dalai Lama recommends maintaining closeness with as many people as possible, aim to connect with everyone in some way.Ĭoncepts of intimacy vary among cultures. Relationships are not about just knowing people and superficial exchange, but to really share deepest problems and concerns in forming intimate friendships. True antidote of greee is contentment - to appreciate what we already have. Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events.Įxcessive desire leads to greed, which leads to frustration, disappointment, problems and unhappiness. Here are some things to consider in these situations.Ĭutler just seemed so stuck in his Western "we can make an algorithm for happiness and box it up neatly and put it on the shelf" ways and it's just not that simple.ĭalai Lama believes in fundamental goodness in all human beings, in the value of compassion and kindness, and a sense of commonality among all living creatures. "Ĭutler - "Yeah OK, so can you give me 3 steps that everyone can do to be happy?"ĭalai Lama - (I can hear him sighing through the pages) "Yes, well I've given you some basic guidelines, but it's not a simple 3-step process. I would paraphrase the entire book like this:Ĭutler - "So what can every person do to be happy?"ĭalai Lama - "Well this is a really complicated question and we need to look at specific cases in order to answer it fully. I really enjoyed the segments that were pure quotes from the Dalai Lama, but found myself constantly frustrated by Cutler's questions and (obviously inserted after-the-fact) 'summaries' of the responses. It is mostly presented as interviews or meetings between himself and the Dalai Lama. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.ĭespite the 'author' being the Dalia Lama, this book was actually written by a Western Psychologist named Howard Cutler. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. These talks ultimately failed.Īfter a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two. Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub), the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is influential as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the world's most famous Buddhist monk, and the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India.
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