The Power of Compassion: A Collection of Lectures

The Power of Compassion: A Collection of Lectures
Литагент HarperCollins

Based on the Dalai Lama’s talks in London this ebook addresses the current difficulties facing humanity including: racial hatred, gender and environmental protection.Modern life is so full of confusion and suffering that people need the courage to face their anger and hatred, in order to transfrom their lives and relationships.This ebook describes in a clear and simple style how to live and die well and how to bring wisdom and compassion into our everyday lives.‘Genuine compassion is based on a clear acceptance or recognition that others, like oneself, want happiness and have the right to overcome suffering. On that basis one develops concern about the welfare of others, irrespective of one’s attitude to oneself. That is compassion.’The Dalai Lama

THE POWER

OF COMPASSION

A Collection of Lectures byHis Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

Translated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa

Table of Contents

Cover Page (#u990639d8-7f58-5bfd-81ff-17862ae8cf64)

Title Page (#uef0c7fb1-bc54-51c3-baf6-ae6fc6c9a29a)

Preface (#uef14773e-2409-5828-b689-ac820e9a3b76)

Chapter One: Contentment, Joy and Living Well (#u7f212c5f-446b-58c5-9c8d-cf2887e78836)

Chapter Two: Facing Death and Dying Well (#u19c10994-95cd-57af-9a2a-3cbf3ced6cc8)

Chapter Three: Dealing with Anger and Emotion (#ud7a9281f-12f0-512d-9cab-c4484a200366)

Chapter Four: Giving and Receiving: A Practical Way of Directing Love and Compassion (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five: Interdependence, Inter-connectedness and the Nature of Reality (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six: The Challenge for Humanity: An Interfaith Address (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven: Questions and Answers (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PREFACE (#ulink_798421f7-69b5-5778-9037-b5fee50504ab)

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is also regarded as the world’s foremost Buddhist leader and the manifestation of Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

A scholar and a man of peace, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has travelled the world, not only to raise international awareness of the enormous suffering of the Tibetan people, but also to talk about Buddhism and the power of compassion.

Since 1959 His Holiness has been living in exile in Dharamsala, India, after China’s troops crushed a Tibetan National Uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. China invaded Tibet in 1949/50.

In 1989 His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. Since coming into exile he has met many of the world’s political and spiritual leaders, including President Clinton, Prime Minister John Major, President Vaclav Havel, His Holiness Pope John Paul, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He has shared with these leaders his views on human interdependence and his concerns about the arms trade, threats to the environment and intolerance.

His Holiness describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. In lectures and tours, he disarms audiences with his simplicity, humour and great warmth. Everywhere his message is the same – the importance of love, compassion and forgiveness.

The text for this book is taken from a series of public lectures given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Wembley Auditorium in London, England, in May 1993. Although hundreds of people were able to hear these lectures, many people have since asked the Office of Tibet, the official agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in London, for transcripts. The Office of Tibet is therefore delighted to be able to offer these words of His Holiness to a worldwide audience.

In the original lectures, His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke mainly in English, but also to his official translator in Tibetan. The May 1993 visit was sponsored by The Tibet Foundation, London.

The Office of Tibet would like to thank Jane Rasch and Cait Collins for their many hours spent on transcribing the tapes. We would also like to thank His Holiness’s translator, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, and Heather Wardle for their work in editing the text into book form.

Kesang Y Takla (Mrs)

Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama London

ONE CONTENTMENT, JOY AND LIVING WELL (#ulink_ea06e7d0-319c-52f1-9d68-cd0498d0a015)

Concerned people have asked me to talk about certain subjects and about the best way to deal with the different situations of life. I will try to explain these things in such a way that ordinary people can see how to utilize their own potential in order to face unpleasant situations, such as death, and also mental frustrations, such as anger and hatred.

I am a Buddhist and my whole way of training is according to the Buddhist teaching or Buddha Dharma. Although I speak from my own experience, I feel that no one has the right to impose his or her beliefs on another person. I will not propose to you that my way is best. The decision is up to you. If you find some point which may be suitable for you, then you can carry out experiments for yourself. If you find that it is of no use, then you can discard it.

The basic fact is that all sentient beings, particularly human beings, want happiness and do not want pain and suffering. On those grounds, we have every right to be happy and to use different methods or means to overcome suffering and to achieve happier lives. These methods, however, should not infringe on the rights of others, nor should they create more suffering for others. It is worthwhile to think seriously about the positive and negative consequences of these methods. You should be aware that there are differences between short-term and long-term interests and consequences. If there is a conflict between the short-term interest and the long-term interest, the long-term interest is more important. Buddhists usually say that there is no absolute and that everything is relative. So we must judge according to the circumstances.

Our experiences and feelings are mainly related to our bodies and our minds. We know from our daily experience that mental happiness is beneficial. For instance, though two people may face the same kind of tragedy, one person may face it more easily than the other due to his or her mental attitude.

I believe that the idea that all human problems can be solved by machines or by matter is wrong. Of course, material facilities are extremely useful. At the same time, it is quite natural that all our problems cannot be solved by material facilities alone. In a material society there is just as much mental unrest and frustration, if not more. This shows us that we are human beings after all. We are not the product of machines and our bodies are different from purely mechanical things. Therefore, we must think seriously about our own inner abilities and deeper values.

I believe that if someone really wants a happy life then it is very important to pursue both internal and external means; in other words, material development and mental development. One could also say ‘spiritual development’, but when I say ‘spiritual’ I do not necessarily mean any kind of religious faith. When I use the word ‘spiritual’ I mean basic human good qualities. These are: human affection, a sense of involvement, honesty, discipline and human intelligence properly guided by good motivation. We have all these things from birth; they do not come to us later in our lives. Religious faith, however, comes later. In this regard, I believe that there are two levels to the various religious teachings. On one level, religious teachings talk about God or the Almighty, or, in Buddhism, about Nirvana and the next life. Yet on a different level, all religious teachings and traditions teach us to be good human beings, to be warm-hearted people. These religious teachings simply strengthen the basic human good qualities which we have from birth.

As humans, we all have the same human potential, unless there is some sort of retarded brain function. The wonderful human brain is the source of our strength and the source of our future, provided we utilize it in the right direction. If we use the brilliant human mind in the wrong way, it is really a disaster. I think human beings are the superior sentient beings on this planet. Humans have the potential not only to create happy lives for themselves, but also to help other beings. We have a natural creative quality and it is very important to realize this.

It is my belief that the human brain and basic human compassion are by nature in some kind of balance. Sometimes, when we grow up, we may neglect human affection and simply concentrate on the human brain, thus losing the balance. It is then that disasters and unwelcome things happen. If we look at different species of mammals, we will see that nature is very important and that it is a forceful factor that creates some sort of balanced way.

With the realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world. According to my own experience, self-confidence is very important. That sort of confidence is not a blind one; it is an awareness of one’s own potential. On that basis, human beings can transform themselves by increasing the good qualities and reducing the negative qualities. Transformation does not mean 100 per cent change. Without a basis of something to aim for, how do we develop good things? Buddhists call this potential ‘Buddha Nature’, which is also the fundamental Clear Light nature of the mind.

The fundamental teaching of the Buddha is his teaching on the Four Noble Truths: 1) That there is suffering; 2) that suffering has cause; 3) that there is cessation of suffering; and, finally, that there is a path to such freedom. The underlying principle of this teaching is the universal principle of causality. What becomes important in the understanding of this basic teaching is a genuine awareness of one’s own potentials and the need to utilize them to their fullest. Seen in this light, every human action becomes significant.

For example, the smile is a very important feature of the human face. But because of human intelligence, even that good part of human nature can be used in the wrong way, such as sarcastic smiles or diplomatic smiles, which only serve to create suspicion. I feel that a genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives. How one creates that smile largely depends on one’s own attitude. It is illogical to expect smiles from others if one does not smile oneself. Therefore, one can see that many things depend on one’s own behaviour.

Now we should talk about our motivation and mental attitude. As I mentioned earlier, the facility which can provide positive things also has the potential for negative things. The important thing is to use human intelligence and judgement, and to be mindful of the benefits for long-term and short-term happiness. Up to a certain point, the body itself is a good indicator. For instance, if some sort of food causes you discomfort one day, then later you will not want to consume that type of food. It seems that at a certain stage the body itself can tell us what is suitable for our well-being and happiness and what is not. For example, on certain days we tend to have a greater wish to eat green salads and certain vegetables, while on other days we may wish to have something else. In a way, these are bodily indications pointing out what is conducive to our constitution and what is not.

While it is very clear, for instance, that when our bodies need more liquid we develop thirst, sometimes our bodies’ indications may be confusing. In those instances it is the responsibility of human intelligence to judge what is best. Sometimes your intelligence may oppose your immediate desire because it knows the long-term consequences. Thus, the role of intelligence is to determine the positive and negative potential of an event or factor which could have both positive and negative results. It is the role of intelligence, with the full awareness that is provided by education, to judge and accordingly utilize the potential for one’s own benefit or wellbeing.

If we examine our mental world, we find that there are various mental factors which have both positive and negative aspects. For instance, we can look at two types of mental factors which are quite similar: one is self-confidence and the other is conceit or pride. Both of them are similar in that they are uplifting states of mind which give you a certain degree of confidence and boldness. But conceit and pride tend to lead to more negative consequences, whereas self-confidence tends to lead to more positive consequences. I usually make a distinction between different types of ego. One type of ego is self-cherishing in order to get some benefit for itself, disregarding the rights of others and even taking advantage of others with acts such as killing, stealing and so on. This is the negative ego. Another ego says, ‘I must be a good human being. I must serve. I must take full responsibility.’ That kind of strong feeling of ‘I’ or self opposes some of our negative emotions. Unless you have a strong feeling of self-confidence based on a strong self, it is very difficult to do battle with these negative emotions. So there are two types of ego, and wisdom or intelligence makes a distinction. Similarly, we must be able to distinguish between genuine humility and a lack of confidence. One may mistake the two because both of these are sort of slightly humbling mental functions, but one is positive and the other is negative.

Another example of this may be seen if we examine loving kindness and compassion on the one hand, and strong attachment on the other. While both are concerned with an object of endearment, strong attachment tends to lead to negative consequences, whereas love and compassion lead to more positive consequences. Thus two states of mind which show the same basic characteristics can have differing negative and positive results.

Desire is the same. There is both positive and negative desire. I think generally that desire which has proper reasons is positive, whereas desire which has no proper reasons is negative and can lead to problems. Desire is the prime mover in achieving happiness now and for the future. From the Buddhist viewpoint, the attainment of Buddhahood can be achieved only through a certain type of desire. For instance, the Mahayana Buddhist literature mentions two desires or two aspirations. One is the aspiration to be of benefit to all sentient beings and the other is the aspiration to attain fully the Enlightened state for that purpose. Without these two types of aspiration, the attainment of full Enlightenment is not possible. But there are also negative things which result from desire. The antidote to this negative desire is contentment. There are always extremes, but the middle way is the proper way. So if desire pushes you towards the extreme, then your intelligence has the responsibility to check that course and return you to the centre.

The sense of contentment is a key factor for attaining happiness. Bodily health, material wealth and companions and friends are three factors for happiness. Contentment is the key that will determine the outcome of your relations with all three of these factors.

First, with regard to the body, one can see that too much attachment to one’s own body sometimes leads to problems. For that reason, Buddhist training looks at the body from a different angle and tries to analyse the nature of the body. To me, thinking along these lines is very useful. I think about the source of my body and the very nature of blood, bones and flesh. The body is not something pure. Even the act of birth is bloody. Also, no matter how beautiful or polished your body appears on the outside, inside there are still a lot of dirty things. With the covering of skin, the human body sometimes looks very beautiful. But if you look more closely, then this body is really quite horrible! Even though we consume good food, with a nice colour, taste and smell, the food is transformed into dirty things. Yet if we try to remove these dirty aspects of the body we cannot survive. And this is the case not only for other people’s bodies, but one’s own body too. Most importantly, it is because of our bodies that we have illness, old age, pain and death. Yet despite these faults, the body is very precious because of intelligence, which we can use for many great works. Thus, when one’s desire or attachment to one’s body becomes extreme, it is very effective to meditate on the impure aspects of the body, particularly to reflect on its source, its constitution and its functions, so that one will have a more realistic and moderate outlook on the body.

Similarly, when our attitude towards our material possessions and wealth is not proper, it can lead to an extreme attachment towards such things as our property, houses and belongings. This can lead to an inability to feel contented. If that happens, then one will always remain in a state of dissatisfaction, always wanting more. In a way, one is then really poor, because the suffering of poverty is the suffering of wanting something and feeling the lack of it. So even though one may have a lot of material possessions, if one is mentally poor, then one will always feel lacking and will always want more.