The Dalai Lama Quotes

#1. As human beings we have the same experience of destructive and constructive emotions. We also have a human mind capable of developing wisdom. We all have the same Buddha nature.

Dalai Lama

#2. No matter how much violence or how many bad things we have to go through, I believe that the ultimate solution to our conflicts, both internal and external, lies in returning to our basic or underlying human nature, which is gentle and compassionate.

Dalai Lama XIV

#3. To train the mind, you must exercise the patience and determination it takes to shape that steel.

Dalai Lama XIV

#4. If you can cultivate the right attitude, your enemies are your best spiritual teachers because their presence provides you with the opportunity to enhance and develop tolerance, patience and understanding.

Dalai Lama XIV

#5. The world has also learned that economic growth, by itself, cannot close the gap between rich and poor.

Dalai Lama XIV

#6. Human beings are children of the Earth. Whereas our common Mother Earth has tolerated our conduct up to now, she is showing us at present that we have reached the limits of what is tolerable.

Dalai Lama XIV

#7. Altruism is the surest and most effective way to bring about genuine life satisfaction.

Dalai Lama XIV

#8. Some people consider the practice of love and compassion is only related to religious practice and if they are not interested in religion they neglect these inner values. But love and compassion are qualities that human beings require just to live together.

Dalai Lama

#9. In this century we have made remarkable material progress, but basically we are the same as we were thousands of years ago. Our spiritual needs are still very great.

Dalai Lama

#10. When we are motivated by compassion and wisdom, the results of our actions benefit everyone, not just our individual selves or some immediate convenience. When we are able to recognize and forgive ignorant actions of the past, we gain strength to constructively solve the problems of the present.

Dalai Lama XIV

#11. World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Dalai Lama XIV

#12. From adversity we can learn the value of patience.

Dalai Lama

#13. A good model of how to 'work with the enemy' internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Alice Walker

#14. Every man has the basis of good. Not only human beings, you can find it among animals and insects, for instance, when we treat a dog or horse lovingly.

Dalai Lama

#15. The Dalai Lama took the Archbishop's hand, and then they were more eight than eighty, laughing and making jokes together as they strolled toward the terminal, yellow umbrella sheltering above them. Even

Dalai Lama XIV

#16. The book is a dialogue between The Dalai Lama and a group of scientists about how we can better handle our destructive emotions and how to overcome them.

Daniel Goleman

#17. Samsara-our conditioned existence in the perpetual cycle of habitual tendencies and nirvana - genuine freedom from such an existence- are nothing but different manifestations of a basic continuum. So this continuity of consciousness us always present. This is the meaning of tantra.

Dalai Lama

#18. Buddhism does not accept a theory of God, or a creator. According to Buddhism, one's own actions are the creator, ultimately. Some people say that, from a certain angle, Buddhism is not a religion but rather a science of mind.

Dalai Lama

#19. Once we are able to combine a feeling of empathy for others with a profound understanding of the suffering they experience, we become able to generate genuine compassion for them. We must work at this continually.

Dalai Lama XIV

#20. Our life depends on others so much that at the root of our existence is a fundamental need for love. That is why it is good to cultivate an authentic sense of responsibility and concern for the welfare of others.

Dalai Lama

#21. Love is a simple practice yet it is very beneficial for the individual who practices it as well as for the community in which he lives, for the nation, and for the whole world

Dalai Lama

#22. I am confident that the next century will be better than this one.

Dalai Lama

#23. Always embrace the common humanity that lies at the heart of us all.

Dalai Lama

#24. Tibetans must take full authority and responsibility for developing industry, looking from all different perspectives, taking care of the environment, conserving resources for long-term economic health, and safeguarding the interests of Tibetan workers, nomads, and farmers.

Dalai Lama

#25. If you make your best effort to be kinder, nurture compassion, make the world a better place, then you can say 'At least I've done my best.

Dalai Lama

#26. We cannot overcome anger and hatred simply by suppressing them. We need to actively cultivate the antidotes: patience and tolerance.

Dalai Lama

#27. Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.

Dalai Lama

#28. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.

Dalai Lama

#29. It is ... very helpful to think of adversity not so much as a threat to our peace of mind but rather as the very means by which patience is attained.

Dalai Lama

#30. Because the twentieth century was a century of violence, let us make the twenty-first a century of dialogue.

Dalai Lama

#31. Even if I have to do it alone, I will free all sentient beings from suffering and the causes of suffering, and set all sentient beings in happiness and its causes.

Dalai Lama XIV

#32. It becomes clear that, given our diversity, no single religion satisfies all humanity. ... And since the majority does not practice religion, I am concerned to try to find a way to serve all humanity without appealing to religious faith.

Dalai Lama

#33. Dangerous consequences will follow when politicians and rulers forget moral principles. Whether we believe in God or karma, ethics is the foundation of every religion.

Dalai Lama XIV

#34. Each of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people's hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance on filling the human brain with knowledge, but no one seems to care about filling the human heart with compassion. This is what the real role of religion is.

Dalai Lama

#35. 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.

Dalai Lama

#36. All problems, including terrorism, can be overcome through education, particularly by introducing concern for all others at the preschool level.

Dalai Lama XIV

#37. It is crucial that we realize the great value of human existence, the opportunity and the potential that our brief lives afford us. It is only as humans that we have the possibility of implementing changes in our lives.

Dalai Lama

#38. As far as ignorance is concerned, not just Buddhism, every religion recognizes it as the source of suffering.

Dalai Lama

#39. Self-rule means that China must stop its intensive effort to colonize Tibet with Chinese settlers and must allow Tibetans to hold responsible positions in the government of Tibet.

Dalai Lama

#40. Buddhism has long had a theory of what in neuroscience is called the plasticity of the brain.

Dalai Lama XIV

#41. The most compassionate form of giving is done with no thought or expectation of reward, and grounded in genuine concern for others.

Dalai Lama

#42. Lha Gyal Lo! (Victory to the gods)

Dalai Lama XIV

#43. The development of a kind heart, or feeling of closeness for all human beings, does not involve any of the kind of religiosity we normally associate with it ... It is for everyone, irrespective of race, religion or any political affiliation.

Dalai Lama

#44. The time one has to live is like the sun peeping through clouds,

Dalai Lama XIV

#45. Dalai Lama once said that 'My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.' This is a great thought! Humanity has never seen and will never see any religion better than this! Seek no religion other than the religion of kindness!

Mehmet Murat Ildan

#46. Are there any celebs I'd like to meet? I'd love to meet the Dalai Lama.

Martin Shaw

#47. I believe that Willy Nelson is the hillbilly Dalai Lama.

Kinky Friedman

#48. We all wish to live a happy life. In addition, we all have the same right to fulfil this goal. And we all have the potential to do so for the simple reason that future is not fixed, it can be changed. Therefore, we should live in hope that we really can overcome whatever problems we face.

Dalai Lama

#49. It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.

Dalai Lama

#50. The practice of cultivating altruism has a beneficial effect not only from the religious point of view but also from the mundane point of view, not only for long term spiritual development but even in terms of immediate rewards.

Dalai Lama XIV

#51. Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom.

Dalai Lama

#52. Soul is at home in the deep, shaded valleys. Heavy torpid flowers saturated with black grow there. The rivers flow like warm syrup. They empty into huge oceans of soul.

Dalai Lama

#53. Spiritual practice should not be confused with grim duty. It is the laughter of the Dalai Lama and the wonder born with every child.

Jack Kornfield

#54. In replacing religion as the final source of knowledge in popular estimation, science begins to look a bit like another religion itself.

Dalai Lama XIV

#55. Black Power If the motive is good, and there are no other possibilities, then seen most deeply it [violence] is nonviolence, because its aim is to help others.

Dalai Lama

#56. The various features and aspects of human life, such as longevity, good health, success, happiness, and so forth, which we consider desirable, are all dependent on kindness and a good heart.

Dalai Lama XIV

#57. Often when we think of exile we think of destruction or loss. But the Dalai Lama always says exile is reality, it's something we can make use of, and he has used it to get rid of everything that he thought was stifling and old, and to create a new, improved and much healthier Tibet.

Pico Iyer

#58. Awareness of death is the very bedrock of the entire path. Until you have developed this awareness, all other practices are obstructed.

Dalai Lama

#59. You must not procrastinate. Rather, you should make preparations so that even if you did die tonight, you would have no regrets. If you develop an appreciation for the uncertainty and imminence of death, your sense of the importance of using your time wisely will get stronger and stronger.

Dalai Lama

#60. One can overcome the forces of negative emotions, like anger and hatred, by cultivating their counter-forces, like love and compassion.

Dalai Lama

#61. Love and compassion are the pillars of world peace.

Dalai Lama

#62. All beings come from a mother's womb. We should have a clear realization of the oneness of all humanity.

Dalai Lama

#63. Love and Compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this, we do not need to believe in any religion.

Dalai Lama XIV

#64. This generation has a responsibility to reshape the world. Start the task even if it will not be fulfilled in your lifetime. Even if it seems hopeless now, never give up. Offer a positive vision, with enthusiasm and joy, and an optimistic outlook.

Dalai Lama

#65. Everything is interconnected. My
interest is linked to everyone else's. Our survival and future are linked. Therefore the destruction of your so-called enemy is actually the destruction of your self.

Dalai Lama

#66. He told me that while he was in a Chinese Communist gulag for almost eighteen years, he faced danger on a few occasions. I thought he was referencing a threat to his own life. But when I asked, "What danger?" he answered, "Losing compassion toward the Chinese.

Dalai Lama XIV

#67. When selflessness is seen in objects, the seed of cyclic existence is destroyed.

Dalai Lama XIV

#68. Buddhism suits me 'cuz nobody's in charge. Nobody's decidin' for me if I'm good or bad, goin' to heaven or hell. It's just me workin' on my head, you workin' your head, the friggin' Dalai Lama workin' on his head.

Ramez Naam

#69. All sentient beings have the seed of the Buddha within them.

Dalai Lama

#70. The ultimate source of my mental happiness is my peace of mind. Nothing can destroy this except my own anger.

Dalai Lama

#71. Women have the capacity to lead us to a more peaceful world with compassion, affection, and kindness.

Dalai Lama

#72. The feeling of being happy or unhappy rarely depends on our absolute state, but on our perception of the situation, on our capacity to be satisfied with what we have.

Dalai Lama

#73. Just as rust, which arose from the iron itself, wears out the iron, likewise, performing an action without examination would destroy us by projecting us into a negative state of existence.

Dalai Lama

#74. The greatest antidote to insecurity & sense of fear is compassion. It brings one back to the basis of one's inner strength.

Dalai Lama

#75. The main cause of suffering is egoistic desire for one's own comfort and happiness.

Dalai Lama

#76. Real affection comes from the face. Those political leaders, when they meet, they are always hugging, but not very genuine. Deep, sincerity comes from face and eye.

Dalai Lama

#77. There should be a balance between material and spiritual progress, a balance achieved through the principles based on love and compassion.

Dalai Lama

#78. If you have a great deal of knowledge, but you're governed by negative emotions, then you tend to use your knowledge in negative ways. Therefore, while you are learning, don't forget the importance of warmheartedness.

Dalai Lama

#79. I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask me how I find the strength to laugh now, I reply that I am a professional laugher.

Dalai Lama

#80. The more we feel concern for others and seek their well-being, the more friends we will have and the more welcome we will feel.

Dalai Lama

#81. By saying that phenomena are empty of intrinsic existence, we are declaring not their nonexistence but their interdependence, their absence of concrete reality. And the emptiness of phenomena, far from being a mental construct or a concept, corresponds to the reality itself of the phenomenal world.

Dalai Lama XIV

#82. I appreciate any organization or individual people who sincerely make an effort to promote harmony between humanity, and particularly harmony between the various religions. I consider it very sacred work and very important work

Dalai Lama

#83. I believe the twenty-first century can become the most important century of human history. I think a new reality is emerging. Whether this view is realistic or not, there is no harm in making an effort.

Dalai Lama XIV

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

Dalai Lama

#85. Your motivation should be sincere and your life should be of benefit to some people. That is the main thing. Don't care after my death.

Dalai Lama

#86. Those questions which are unexpected and complicated are the ones I appreciate most. They can help me a great deal. as I am compelled to take an interest in something that might not otherwise have occurred to me.

Dalai Lama XIV

#87. What the Dalai Lama had to resolve was whether to stay in Tibet or leave. He wanted to stay, but staying would have meant the total destruction of Tibet, because he would have died and that would have ripped the heart out of his people.

Martin Scorsese

#88. The Dalai Lama said that he thinks mother's love is the best symbol for love and compassion, because it is totally disinterested.

Richard Gere

#89. People think of animals as if they were vegetables, and that is not right. We have to change the way people think about animals. I encourage the Tibetan people and all people to move toward a vegetarian diet that doesn't cause suffering.

Dalai Lama XIV

#90. The question is not to know what is the meaning of life, but what meaning I can give to my life.

Dalai Lama

#91. The point of life is happiness.

Dalai Lama

#92. The essence of compassion is a desire to alleviate the suffering of others and to promote their well-being

Dalai Lama

#93. THE BASIC SOURCES OF HAPPINESS ARE a good heart, compassion, and love. If we have these, even if we're surrounded by hostility, we'll feel little disturbance.

Dalai Lama XIV

#94. [Through practice] we can get to the point where some disturbance may occur but the negative effects on our mind remain on the surface, like the waves that may ripple on the surface of an ocean but don't have much effect deep down.

Dalai Lama XIV

#95. Patience as we wait to take action is a kind of compassionate mind. Impatience on the other hand can be a source of failure.

Dalai Lama

#96. I feel that we should not only maintain gentle, peaceful relations with our fellow human beings bur also that is very important to extend the same kind of attitude toward the natural environment.

Dalai Lama

#97. If an individual has a calm state of mind,
that person's attitudes and views will be calm and tranquil
even in the presence of great agitation.

Dalai Lama

#98. It is natural that we face obstacles in pursuit of our goals. But if we remain passive, making no effort to solve the problems we meet, conflicts will arise and hindrances will grow. Transforming these obstacles into opportunities is a challenge to our human ingenuity.

Dalai Lama

#99. The world will be changed by western women.

Dalai Lama

#100. What is more, I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being. I

Dalai Lama XIV