Dalai Lama Quotes & Sayings

In order to satisfy one human stomach, so many lives are taken away. We must promote vegetarianism. It is extremely important. — Dalai Lama

There must be a way of promoting human values without involving religion, based on common sense, experience and recent scientific findings. — Dalai Lama

Without changing one's self, without peace in one's self, world peace is not possible. — Dalai Lama

It is our custom to say that someone is 'lucky' or 'unlucky' if they meet with fortunate or unfortunate circumstances, respectively. It is, however, too simplistic to think in terms of random 'luck.' Even from a scientific point of view, this is not a sufficient explanation. — Dalai Lama

Today, due to the massive Chinese population transfer, the nation of Tibet truly faces the threat of extinction, along with its unique cultural heritage of Buddhist spirituality. — Dalai Lama

Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned. — Dalai Lama

What I believe, according to my own experience, is that a calm, peaceful mind is a very important element for sustaining the body in a balanced way. — Dalai Lama

The death penalty fulfills a preventive function, but it is also very clearly a form of revenge. It is an especially severe form of punishment because it is so final. The human life is ended and the executed person is deprived of the opportunity to change, to restore the harm done or compensate for it. — Dalai Lama

We have a responsibility to look after our planet. It is our only home. — Dalai Lama

In order to become prosperous, a person must initially work very hard, so he or she has to sacrifice a lot of leisure time. — Dalai Lama

Unless we possess high spiritual qualifications, there is no doubt that the events life throws upon us will give rise to frustration, emotional turmoil, and other distorted states of consciousness. These imperfect states of mind in turn give rise to imperfect activities, and the seeds of suffering are ever planted in a steady flow. — Dalai Lama

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

Material objects give rise to physical happiness, while spiritual development gives rise to mental happiness. Since we experience both physical and mental happiness, we need both material and spiritual development. This is why, for our own good and that of society we need to balance material progress with inner development. — Dalai Lama

We can make this a more peaceful century if we cherish non-violence and concern for others' well-being. It is possible. If the individual is happier, his or her family is happier; if families are happy, neighborhoods and nations will be happy. By transforming ourselves we can change our human way of life and make this a century of compassion. — Dalai Lama

Human beings will continue to deceive and overpower one another. Basically, everyone exists in the very nature of suffering, so to abuse or mistreat each other is futile. The foundation of all spiritual practice is love. That you practice this well is my only request. — Dalai Lama

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

Values are related to our emotions, just as we practice physical hygiene to preserve our physical health, we need to observe emotional hygiene to preserve a healthy mind and attitudes. — Dalai Lama

Conversion is not my intention. Changing religion is not easy. You may develop some kind of confusion or difficulties. — Dalai Lama

Don't be a person of success, be a person of value. — Dalai Lama

Although it is difficult to pinpoint the physical base or location of awareness, it is perhaps the most precious thing concealed within our brains. And it is something that the individual alone can feel and experience. Each of us cherishes it highly, yet it is private. — Dalai Lama

If we adopt a self-centered approach to life, by which we attempt to use others for our own self interest, we might be able to gain temporary benefits, but in the long run we will not succeed in achieving even our personal happiness, and hope for the next life is out of the question. — Dalai Lama

Genuine happiness comes from focusing on the happiness of others. — Dalai Lama

If our tears do not lead us to act then we have lost the reason of our humanity, which is compassion. — Dalai Lama

I think the self-burning itself on practice of non-violence. These people, you see, they easily use bomb explosive, more casualty people. But they didn't do that. Only sacrifice their own life. So this also is part of practice of non-violence. — Dalai Lama

We can only transform humanity and create a happier more compassionate world through education. — Dalai Lama

If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another. Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for guidance, for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance at this hour. Most of all, they are looking to you for love. — Dalai Lama

You can't help someone just by making a wish to do so, you have to take action. — Dalai Lama

If we have no inner peace, we deceive ourselves into thinking that comfort and prosperity will bring happiness. — Dalai Lama

Without your own effort it is impossible for blessings to come. — Dalai Lama

I do not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. After all, man can live without meat. It is only some carnivorous animals that have to subsist on flesh. Killing animals for sport, for pleasure, for adventures, and for hides and furs is a phenomenon which is at once disgusting and distressing. There is no justification in indulging in such acts of brutality ... Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures. — Dalai Lama

Chairman Mao once said that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. He was only partly right: power that comes from the barrel of a gun can be effective only for a short time. In the end, peoples love for truth, justice, freedom, and democracy will triumph. No matter what governments do, the human spirit will always prevail. — Dalai Lama

In order to develop the willpower it takes to sacrifice, you must first realize that spending all your time and energy pursuing material comforts means you will eventually suffer. It's all about positive and negative consequences. It's very important to be aware that there are long-term consequences [for every action]. — Dalai Lama

Love and compassion are the pillars of world peace. — Dalai Lama

I believe the ultimate source of blessings is within us. A good motivation and honesty bring self-confidence , which attracts the trust and respect of others. Therefore the real source of blessings is in our own mind. — Dalai Lama

China has to go along with world trends. That's democracy, liberty, individual freedom. China sooner or later has to go that way. It cannot go backward. — Dalai Lama

Genuine human friendship is on the basis of human affection, irrespective of your position. Therefore, the more you show concern about the welfare and rights of others, the more you are a genuine friend. The more you remain open and sincere, then ultimately more benefits will come to you. If you forget or do not bother about others, then eventually you will lose your own benefit. — Dalai Lama

In olden times when there was a war, it was a human-to-human confrontation. The victor in battle would directly see the blood and suffering of the defeated enemy. Nowadays, it is much more terrifying because a person in an office can push a button and kill millions of people and never see the human tragedy that he or she has created. The mechanization of war, the mechanization of human conflict, poses an increasing threat to peace. — Dalai Lama

We are born and reborn countless number of times, and it is possible that each being has been our parent at one time or another. Therefore, it is likely that all beings in this universe have familial connections. — Dalai Lama

Some people automatically associate morality and altruism with a religious vision of the world. But I believe it is a mistake to think that morality is an attribute only of religion. We can imagine two types of spirituality: one tied to religion, while the other arises spontaneously in the human heart as an expression of love for our neighbors and a desire to do them good. — Dalai Lama

Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. — Dalai Lama

Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. — Dalai Lama

I feel many problems that we are facing, are man-made problems, we have too much emphasis on this secondary thing, forgetting our foundation. At foundation, we are the same human being and we are sharing the same planet. Six billion human beings' future is my future and my future is never separate from the future of six billion human beings. — Dalai Lama

The essence of any religion is good heart. Sometimes I call love and compassion a universal religion. This is my religion. — Dalai Lama

Some mischievous people always there. Last several thousand years, always there. In future, also. — Dalai Lama

Whatever the intellectual quality of the education given our children, it is vital that it include elements of love and compassion, for nothing guarantees that knowledge alone will be truly useful to human beings. — Dalai Lama

Genuine peace is based on inner peace, because you cannot build peace on the basis of anger — Dalai Lama

If you help others with sincere motivation and sincere concern, that will bring you more fortune, more friends, more smiles, and more success. If you forget about others' rights and neglect others' welfare, ultimately you will be very lonely. — Dalai Lama

Wherever I go meeting the public ... spreading a message of human values, spreading a message of harmony, is the most important thing. — Dalai Lama

Altruism is the best source of happiness. There is no doubt about that. — Dalai Lama

If one assumes a humble attitude, one's own good qualities will increase. Whereas if one is proud, one will become jealous of others, one will look down on others, and due to that there will be unhappiness in society. — Dalai Lama

We are beset by problems and if we look for their source, we find they arise because of our selfishness, because we tend to pursue our own interests at the expense of others. Our various religious traditions exist to help us reduce these problems. They all teach ways to overcome suffering through cultivating love and compassion, tolerance, patience and contentment. — Dalai Lama

Basically, the Buddhist attitude is that you should not accept certain things through sheer faith. And for that you need a skeptical attitude. Buddha himself made this clear to his followers. He said you should not accept those things I taught out of respect for me, but rather through investigation by yourself. — Dalai Lama

In the past, destruction of your neighbour might have been considered a victory, but today we are all interdependent. We live in a global economy; we face problems like climate change that affect us all. The 7 billion human beings alive today belong to one human family. In the context that others' interests are in our interest and our interest is in their interest, the use of force is self-destructive. — Dalai Lama

Wealth is not necessarily a bad thing when it has been earned in an honest manner and neither other individuals nor the environment suffered for it. — Dalai Lama

I have observed that religious practice is not a precondition either of ethical conduct or of happiness itself. I have also suggested that, whether a person practices religion or not, the spiritual qualities of love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, humility and so on are indispensable. — Dalai Lama

If we human beings rely only on material development, we can't be sure of a positive outcome. Employing technology motivated by anger and hatred is likely to be destructive. It will only be beneficial if we seek the welfare of all beings. Human beings are the only species with the potential to destroy the world. Because of the risks of unrestrained desire and greed we need to cultivate contentment and simplicity. — Dalai Lama

All human beings have an innate desire to overcome suffering, to find happiness. Training the mind to think differently, through meditation, is one important way to avoid suffering and be happy. — Dalai Lama

Refraining from harm, not out of fear, but out of concern for others, their well-being and out of respect is non-violence. — Dalai Lama

Mental happiness is more important than physical comfort. Physical comfort comes from the material. But material facilities cannot provide you with peace of mind. — Dalai Lama

Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there's no room for cheating, bullying or exploitation. — Dalai Lama

Tolerance is an important virtue of bodhisattvas . — Dalai Lama

See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort. — Dalai Lama

Some people get the impression that Buddhism talks too much about suffering. In order to become prosperous, a person must initially work very hard, so he or she has to sacrifice a lot of leisure time. Similarly, the Buddhist is willing to sacrifice immediate comfort so that he or she can achieve lasting happiness. — Dalai Lama

If you are mindful of death, it will not come as a surprise-you will not be anxious. You will feel that death is merely like changing clothes. Consequently, at that point you will be able to maintain your calmness of mind. — Dalai Lama

We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection. — Dalai Lama

Without the human community one single human being cannot survive. — Dalai Lama

I want to say, without hesitation, the purpose of our life is happiness. — Dalai Lama

To develop patience, you need someone who willfully hurts you. Such people give us real opportunities to practice tolerance. They test our inner strength in a way that even our guru cannot. Basically, patience protects us from being discouraged. — Dalai Lama

There is often a big disparity between the way in which we perceive things and the way things really are. — Dalai Lama

Nowadays the world is becoming increasingly materialistic, and mankind is reaching toward the very zenith of external progress, driven by an insatiable desire for power and vast possessions. Yet by this vain striving for perfection in a world where everything is relative,they wander even further away from inward peace and happiness of the mind. — Dalai Lama

The more you nurture a feeling of loving kindness, the happier and calmer you will be. — Dalai Lama

I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of compassion. — Dalai Lama

Unlike an external enemy, the inner enemy cannot regroup and launch a comeback once it has been destroyed from within. — Dalai Lama

Whether it is under the guise of survival and self-defence or directly expressed through dominion and greed, the failure to recognize the common humanity shared by us all lies at the heart of our difficulties. To overcome it, we should begin to develop, from the level of the individual through that of society to the world at large, what I call a sense of universal responsibility; a deep respect for every living being who lives on this one small planet and calls it home. — Dalai Lama

I don't think human affection and compassion are just religious concerns; they're indispensable factors in our day-to-day lives. — Dalai Lama

Do not think only of your own joy, but vow to save all beings from suffering. This is sharing in its highest form and purity beyond all poisons of this world. — Dalai Lama

To my mind, there are two things that, in life, you can do about death. Either you can choose to ignore it, in which case you may have some success in making the idea of it go away for a limited period of time, or you can confront the prospect of your own death and try to analyze it and, in so doing, try to minimize some of the inevitable suffering that it causes. Neither way can you actually overcome it. — Dalai Lama

We have to adopt a wider perspective, and always find common things between the people of north, east, south, and west. Conflict comes from the basis of differencs. — Dalai Lama

The process of dying begins with the dissolution of the elements within the body. It has eight stages, beginning with the dissolution of the earth element, then the water, fire and windelements. The color: appearance of a white vision, increase of the red element, black near-attainment, and finally the clear light of death. — Dalai Lama

Through awareness, you get a certain attitude. That's the way, you see, to achieve more peaceful, more compassion, more friendship through that way. — Dalai Lama

In the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind. — Dalai Lama

A wider of more altruistic attitude is very relevant in today's world. If we look at the situation from various angles, such as the complexity and inter-connectedness of the nature of modern existence, then we will gradually notice a change in our outlook, so that when we say 'others' and when we think of others, we will no longer dismiss them as something that is irrelevant to us. We will no longer feel indifferent. — Dalai Lama

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. — Dalai Lama

I request you to try to be warm-hearted. I ask this of you because these mental attitudes actually bring us happiness. — Dalai Lama

My main interest is in the promotion of human values. From birth we have a sense of affection and some sense of concern for others. We need to nurture it. Scientists have found that to ensure even physical health peace of mind is essential. People often think that love and compassion are only matters of religious concern, but in fact such values are necessary in all human relations — Dalai Lama

It is not enough to belong to a religion. You also have to put it into practice. Religion is like medicine. You have to ingest it to combat the illness. — Dalai Lama

I only escaped from Tibet because I feared my people would resort to desperate violence if the Chinese took me as their prisoner. — Dalai Lama

It's best not to get too excited or too depressed by the ups and downs of life. — Dalai Lama

If we want to save the world, we must have a plan. But no plan will work unless we meditate. — Dalai Lama

Unfortunate events though potentially a source of anger and despair have equal potential to be a source of spiritual growth. Whether or not this is the outcome depends on your response. — Dalai Lama

Be a good human being, a
warmhearted, affectionate person.
That is my fundamental belief. — Dalai Lama

A great rock is not disturbed by the wind; the mind of a wise man is not disturbed by either honor or abuse. — Dalai Lama

If we choose an external marker as the measure of our inner worth, whether it is the amount of money we make, or others' opinion of us, or the success of some project we're involved in, sooner or later we're bound to be battered by life's inevitable changes. After all, money comes and goes, and thus is an unstable source of self-esteem, an unreliable foundation upon which to build our identity. — Dalai Lama

If you have peace of mind, when you meet with problems and difficulties they won't disturb your inner peace. You'll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biased, unable to see reality. So whatever you do will be unrealistic and naturally fail. — Dalai Lama

The female biologically [has] more potential to show affection and compassion. — Dalai Lama

The simple recognition that everyone else wants to be happy and not to suffer, just as I do, serves as a constant reminder against selfishness and partiality. It reminds us there is little to be gained from being kind and generous while hoping to win something in return. Actions motivated by a desire to earn a good name for ourselves are still selfish, even if they appear to be acts of kindness. — Dalai Lama

The question is not to know what is the meaning of life, but what meaning I can give to my life. — Dalai Lama

Nothing comes into being without a cause and when all the conditions are created, there is nothing that can prevent the consequence. — Dalai Lama

From a certain point of view our real enemy, the true troublemaker, is inside. — Dalai Lama

Developing inner values is much like physical exercise. The more we train our abilities, the stronger they become. The difference is that, unlike the body, when it comes to training the mind, there is no limit to how far we can go. — Dalai Lama