Book Contents

Foreword by Tashi Wangdi

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: A Short Biography by Michele Martin

The United Nations International Day of Peace

Tashi Delek by Jeremy Wilber

Genuine Compassion by Andrea Barrist Stern

Bodyguard Embodies Courage and Compassion by lama Kathy Wesley

The Dalai Lama Speaks to the People of Woodstock

Long Life Prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Acknowledgments

Resources

Book Excerpts

Genuine Affection

Whenever we meet people who smile at us with genuine feeling, and without suspicion, we feel very happy. But we don’t like to see someone who always looks a little stern, or whose smile seems artificial. I think that not only humans, but also animals—dogs, cats, birds—respond very nicely if we feed them with sincere feeling. In 1959 when I left Tibet, I had a dog that I had to leave behind. I did not feel bad about that, because my relationship with the dog was not very good. You see, although I wanted a friendly attitude from the dog, my own attitude was sometimes kind and sometimes a little prone to disciplinary actions. As a result that dog, who was quite smart, was sometimes nice to me and sometimes not nice, and I did not think he had a very friendly attitude. At another time when I was young, I had a small parrot. One of my attendants, an old monk, whenever he was passing through, fed nuts to that bird. The parrot got excited whenever he heard the old man’s footsteps, even from a distance, and when the monk fed him he was delighted and affectionate. Then I got to thinking, “The real owner of that parrot is me, not that monk.” I wanted my parrot to have a good attitude toward me, too, so I fed him nuts a few times. He had been so nice to the monk, but when I gave him a nut, he would take it and eat it, and then peck at me aggressively. Eventually I lost my temper and I used a little stick to punish him. In the end my relation with that small parrot worsened; it got much worse, with no hope of reconciliation. So that’s the story. The point is that those animals, poor animals, appreciate genuine affection, and they also know if a person is cheating or tricking them. They know. They have no religion, no constitution—nothing, no police—but they do appreciate genuine affection. That’s really the wonderful quality of human beings, that from birth we have this kind of warmheartedness, this love and affection.

Mary Smiled at Me

I visited Lourdes in southern France, and there I stood in front of the statue of Mary, and some water pipes. As I stood there, I had a kind of strange, very very deep experience. At that place, millions of people throughout the centuries have received deep inspiration and satisfaction in the name of Jesus Christ, or in the name of Mary. These pilgrims have included sick people who came away with stories of cure or healing. In the same way, at a holy place in Fatima I meditated before a small statue of Mary. After meditating silently for a few minutes, my group began to leave. For a moment I turned back and saw that small Mary statue actually smile. She was just smiling. I had had this kind of experience one time in India with a Tibetan statue of a Tibetan lama, so when I turned back to the statue in Fatima it was a similar experience. Hopefully, there is not something wrong with my head—but I don’t know [laughter]. We need further investigation to determine whether something that happens is true or not. Still, I did really get the impression that Mary smiled at me. I feel very happy, because I think that perhaps Mary acknowledged my sincere admiration of what Christianity is about.

A Compassionate Heart

In my life I have passed through many difficulties and many different circumstances. I am still passing through these things. I am still a refugee, and there is still a lot of sadness there. Nevertheless, my own experience tells me that these inner qualities give me inner strength. The more inner strength you have, the easier it is to face challenges. When challenges come, instead of losing hope you will become more determined and you will have more willpower. The practice of compassion really gives you inner strength, and as a result, you have less fear. With a more compassionate heart, it is easier to communicate with other people because your outlook toward others is positive. If their attitude becomes negative in spite of your positive attitude, then of course you have the right to judge what kind of appropriate measure is necessary. But first of all, from your own side, reach out and create a positive environment, and that will produce a happy atmosphere.

Meditate on Love

If you look at the practical side of different religions, you will find that they are the same! They all practice love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and self-discipline. All religions are the same, although they may be presented differently because of different philosophies, but they are all the same in practice. Among my friends are some Christians, some Muslims, some Hindus, and some Jews. The individuals are really, really remarkable, and their practice is admirable. For example, I once visited a monastery in Barcelona, Spain, where I met a Christian monk. Before the meeting, the organizers told me that the monk had spent five years in the mountain behind the monastery, living on bread and water. When I met him, his body was weak; he was quite small, and bearded, and his English was even worse than mine. My English was very broken, but compared to him I was fluent. Because of this I had the courage to speak with him in my broken English, and I asked him, “I heard you spent five years in the mountains as a hermit. What kind is your practice?” Without hesitation he responded to me, “Meditate on love.” When he said that something appeared in his eyes, a kind of light, something special.

A Beautiful, Sunny Day

Hello! Tashi Delek! It's a beautiful, sunny day, and we are sitting in a field surrounded by a beautiful forest and small, tidy houses. It's really very beautiful, very tidy. Over there, in the cemetery next to this field, is our final destination. Before reaching there, we have a life span of about a hundred years at most, and I believe that period should be utilized to live a meaningful life.

A meaningful life means that you are happy yourself and that you bring happiness to other people and create a happier, peaceful environment. That is what I think is meaningful. Therefore, wherever I go there are two things that I always share with others. Number one, we are all sentient human beings, and we all have every right to have a successful, happy life.

On the other hand, among people who have just a few material facilities but no luxuries, there are some who are really happy. They worry very little, and even when something happens, they face their difficulties more easily. This shows that it is a mistake to place too much trust in external means, and to allow our hopes and expectations to rely on material goods. We should never forget or neglect our inner values. By inner values I mean feelings of closeness or human affection, in other words, human compassion.

Human compassion is the main component of our inner values, and this is the second point that I always share with people. I call these things human values because they come not from religious faith or civil laws or education, but by birth. We are born with these qualities already present, and in fact, without feelings of affection and closeness we cannot survive. For example, just after you are born you see another person. You have no idea who that person is, but biologically you must completely rely on the person who is caring for you, and that is usually your mother. From the mother’s side comes a tremendous sense of caring and concern, and a feeling of closeness. That person, our mother, treats us as even more precious than her own life. The more nurturing and warm feelings that the child receives from its mother, the more the child grows up well and healthy. We can observe that children are much happier when they come from a warm family full of love and affection, and they are physically healthier as well. Mentally they are fresher; they show interest in many things and because of that they learn quickly and in a variety of ways. Proper development on both physical and mental levels is more difficult for children who grow up in a family that is cold, with little love and affection, and it is even worse when there is fear as a result of abuse or trauma. Such children usually exhibit more anger, hatred, and fear, and these negative emotions become dominant. I think that in order to learn the value of human goodness, you don’t need to read many books—you just need to look. We can judge from our own experience.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: A Short Biography

by Michele Martin

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. On July 6, 1935, he was born into a peasant family living in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. Following Tibetan tradition, he was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are considered to be the manifestations of Chenrezik, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, whose only intention is to benefit others. The Dalai Lama’s name means Ocean of Wisdom.

In February of 1959 His Holiness completed the Geshe Lharampa degree, the Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy, passing all the examinations with honors. In the central temple of Lhasa, in the morning he was examined by thirty scholars on logic. In the afternoon, he debated with fifteen scholars on the philosophy of emptiness. In the evening, thirty-five scholars tested his knowledge of the canon of monastic discipline and the study of metaphysics.

In 1950 His Holiness was called upon to assume full political responsibility when Tibet was threatened by China. In 1954 he went to Peking to meet with Mao Tse-Tung and other Chinese leaders. In March 1959, when all his efforts to find a peaceful solution in the face of brutal suppressions of the Tibetan national uprising by Chinese military forces failed, His Holiness escaped to India where he was given political asylum. In all, 80,000 Tibetans followed him into exile. Since 1960 he has resided in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. He remains firmly committed to the path of nonviolence and to finding a solution for the Tibetan issue through negotiations and understanding.

In 1963, His Holiness promulgated a democratic constitution, based on Buddhist principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as a model for a future free Tibet. For decades, he has set up educational, cultural, and religious institutions which have made great strides in preserving Tibet’s identity and rich heritage.

Since 1967, His Holiness has journeyed to more than forty nations. His reputation as a scholar and man of peace has grown steadily. In recent years, a number of universities and institutions have conferred peace awards and honorary doctorate degrees upon His Holiness. In October 2006, he received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States. The ceremony will be held in October 2007. In November 2006, he received the Honorary Citizenship of Canada, one of the highest national awards given to a foreign leader.

In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In its citation, “the committee wants to emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet has consistently opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people. The Dalai Lama has developed his philosophy of peace from a great reverence for all things living and upon the concept of universal responsibility embracing all mankind as well as nature.”

His Holiness always speaks of his belief in the oneness of the human family and the need for each individual to develop a genuine sense of universal responsibility, of the commonality of faiths and the need for unity among different religions, and of love and compassion as the moral fabric of world peace.

“I am just a simple Buddhist monk—no more, no less.” Following the life of a Buddhist monk, His Holiness lives in a small cottage in Dharamsala. He rises at four in the morning to meditate and pursues a busy schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences, and religious teachings and ceremonies. He concludes each day with further prayer before retiring. In explaining his greatest sources of inspiration, he often cites a favorite verse, found in the writings of the renowned eighth-century Buddhist saint Shantideva:

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world