All quotes from
The Dalai Lama and Daniel's book
The
global economy is like a roof over all of us.
But it depends on individual pillars for support.… First take care of yourself
financially. Then, step by step, stand
on your own feet in order to help others.
We
all have the same potential but not the same opportunities.
The
real purpose of faith is the practice of love.
“To change the future from a sorry retread of
the past, the Dalai Lama tells us, we need to transform our own minds – weaken
the pull of our destructive emotions and so strengthen our better natures. Without the inner shift, we stay vulnerable
to knee-jerk reactions like rage, frustration, and hopelessness.” Daniel
Goleman
“The
Dalai Lama’s view of mental health included qualities like wisdom and
compassion…. Our model of mental health is mostly defined in terms of the
absence of mental illness.” Dr Judd
If we
hear disturbing news but do not have a calm and clear mind then our initial
reaction may be, “Oh, I must do something, this is very bad.” But if at a deeper level we stay calm and
lucid, then we will make a better response.
“Relax
your anxieties, drop your self-obsession, and dial down those me-first
ambitions so you can think about others too.” Daniel Goleman
Loving
is of even greater importance than being loved.
“High academic achievement, the Dalai Lama
argues, in itself does not reflect a complete education. He sees modern schooling as needing
fundamental reform, beyond the standard of knowledge. The Dalai Lama calls for an education of the
heart, with ethics and the capacity for living by compassionate values being
essential. This education would include basics of how the mind works, such as the
dynamics of our emotions, a healthy regulation of emotional impulses and the
cultivation of attention, empathy, and caring, learning to handle conflicts
non-violently, and a sense of oneness with humanity.” Daniel Goleman
A
sense of being special is a form of self-deception.
Sometimes we feel all the world’s problems are huge. But who creates these problems? Humanity is only a collection of individuals,
so change must come from each of us. I
myself am also one of the seven billion human beings, so I have both moral
responsibility and the opportunity to make a contribution, which starts at the mental level with fewer
destructive emotions --- more constructive ones. Then share with friends, anyone can. Changes spreads that way.
Intentions
result in acts, which result in effects that condition the mind toward certain
traits and propensities, all of which may give rise to further intentions and
actions. The entire process is seen as
an endless self-perpetuating dynamic.
The chain reaction of interlocking causes and effects operates not only
in individuals but also for groups and societies, not just in one lifetime but
across many lifetimes.
"Today,
according to United Nation statistics, just 0.7% of the people worldwide die a
violent death – and that number includes all those caught in the smaller
conflicts still smoldering round our globe.
The decline in the rate of violent deaths over 10,000 years: from 1 in
every 5-10 deaths to 1 in every 140 or so.
This may be the safest era yet, not the most dangerous."
On any
day of the year, the denominator of kindness will be vastly greater than the
numerator of cruelty.” Daniel Goleman
The potential for cruelty is far greater than the aggression
actually acted out.
Consider
how societies change. “Society” is but the aggregate of us all.
