Advice from The Dalai Lama
Advice from His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Compiled for the UCWP inaugural conference, October 2005
Ethics & religion
"Love and compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop these, we do not need to believe in any religion."
"Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit - such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony - which bring happiness to both self and others.
....There is no reason why the individual should not develop these, even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system. This is why I sometimes say that religion is something we can perhaps do without. What we cannot do without are these basic spiritual qualities."
"What is missing is ethics, free from any religious connotation. With the help of science - particularly the medical sciences - I think we can develop a code of simple ethics, founded on the basic, positive qualities required by human beings in ordinary secular life." (from Imagine all the People, Wisdom Publications, 1999)
Q: "Can we survive without religion?"
A: "Of course we can. Figure it out: there are more than five billion of us on the planet. Three billion have no sort of religion. Of the two billion who call themselves religious, I would say that only a billion of the followers of this or that religion are sincere believers. One billion in five, that means a minority. Evidently we have to work today for the other four billion." (interview in Shambala Sun, Nov 1995)
"Personally, I usually do not think about how to promote or propagate the Buddhadharma, but rather about how I can make a contribution through my own experience based on the Buddhist teachings." (interview in Mandala, 1995)
UE/EE
"The basic idea, what do you call, Universal Education, is just excellent. Very important. Many people agree that the present system is something not sufficient, so if we contribute a new idea, a new enlightened idea, then it may be very helpful." (Meeting with FPMT Board of Directors, 1985)
"When I brought up this issue, His Holiness made it so simple...his advice is that the learning of philosophy (in UE/EE) is like learning in the university...'this one's like this; this one's like that'...that was His Holiness's advice...it gives the student a very wide insight...so you can analyse, you can compare" (from Lama Zopa, 2003)
Education
"One of my strongest convictions is that a deeper understanding of the nature of our mind, the mental states and emotions, must lead to the development of some kind of educational philosophy." (from Destructive Emotions, Mind and Life Institute, 2003)
"In general, modern education systems neglect discussion of ethical matters. This is probably not intention as much as it is a by-product of historical reality.
Most modern secular education systems were developed at a time when religious institutions were still highly influential throughout society. Because ethical and human values were and still are generally held to fall within the purview of religion, it was assumed that this aspect of a child's education would be looked after through his or her religious upbringing.
This worked well enough until the influence of religion began to decline. Although the need is still there, it is not being met. Therefore, we must find another way of showing children that basic human values are important. And we must also help children to develop them." (from Ethics for the New Millennium, 1999)
"Education is much more than a matter of imparting the knowledge and skills by which narrow goals are achieved. It is also about opening the child's eyes to the needs and rights of others. We must show them that their actions have a universal dimension. And we must somehow find a way to build on their natural feelings of empathy in such as way that they come to have a sense of responsibility for others...If we had to choose between learning and virtue, the latter is definitely more valuable." (from Ethics for the New Millennium, 1999)
"An education system that cultivates smart brains alone can sometimes create more problems than it solves...It is my hope that in future, not only the Tibetan educational system, but those in other places too, will pay specific attention to the development of human warmth and love"
(from the website of the Tibetan Children's Education and Welfare Fund)
"You need to teach the idea that as a human being you need some kind of sense of responsibility for others...It's very important to introduce these right ideas, not as a religious matter, but simple as a matter of one's own future happiness, one's own future success." (from A Compilation of Interviews, Narthang Publications, 1987-88)
Education & world peace
"Education constitutes one of our most powerful weapons in our quest to bring about a better, more peaceful world." (from Ethics for the New Millennium, 1999)
"Fundamental change really needs to start from the individual. Once transformation begins within an individual, however limited the effects may be, at least within the limited domain of his/her activity, the influence will be felt." (from Compassion or Competition? 2002)
"We need to make clear and emphasise to the younger generation the basic human values and the importance of a warm heart. And then gradually, through evolution, I think there is a possibility to transform, to change. I'm not expecting that certain of my fundamental beliefs will materialise within my lifetime. But that doesn't matter. What's important is to get clear what is wrong and to make a start". (from Compassion or Competition? 2002)