the little book of
BUDDHISM
His holiness the
dalai lama
        Compiled and Edited by Renuka Singh
RIDER
LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND •JOHANNESBURG

introduction 
We are the creators of our own happiness and suffering, for everything originates in the mind. So we need to take responsibility for whatever, good or bad, we experience.
This book contains the essence of Buddhism and offers practical wisdom for our daily lives in the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His inspiring thoughts help to improve our state of mind, and to discover deep peace within.

This chain of Buddhist thoughts consists of pithy reflections on our need to rid ourselves of the preoccupation with mundane concerns to find refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. It teaches us the law of karma, where by living according to the Ten Virtuous Actions and the Four Noble Truths we can achieve the free heart of a Bodhisattva.
Renuka Singh

The common enemy of all
religious disciplines is selfishness of
mind. For it is just this which
causes ignorance, anger and
passion, which are at the root of
all the troubles of the world.

Buddha is the teacher, Dharma is the actual refuge and the Sangha is
the one which assists in
understanding or establishing the
objects of refuge.

When we take the Buddha as an
authority, as a reliable teacher, we
do so on the basis of having
investigated and examined his
principal teaching — the Four
Noble Truths.

Whenever Buddhism has taken
root in a new land, there has been
a certain variation in the style in
which it is observed. The Buddha
himself taught differently
according to the place, the
occasion and the situation of those
who were listening to him.

All of us have a great responsibility
to take the essence of Buddhism
and put it into practice in our
own lives.

Buddhahood is a state free of all
obstructions to knowledge and
disturbing emotions. It is the state
in which the mind is fully evolved.

From the earliest stages of our
growth, we are completely
dependent upon our mother's care
and it is very important for us that
she express her love. If children do
not receive proper affection, in
later life they will often find it
hard to love others.

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 is always present.
This is the meaning of tantra.

Through actual practice in
his daily life, man well fulfils the
aim of all religion, whatever
his denomination.

We can speak of an effect and a
cause on the disturbing side as well
as on the liberating side.

According to Buddhist practice, there are three states or steps. The
initial stage is to reduce
attachment towards life. The
second stage is the elimination of
desire and attachment to this
samsara. Then in the third stage,
self-cherishing is eliminated.

The three stages — birth, death and the intermediate state — are also
established in terms of the subtlety of their levels of consciousness. Upon the basis of the continuity of the stream of consciousness is
established the existence of rebirth and reincarnation.

Encountering sufferings will
definitely contribute to the
elevation of your spiritual practice,
provided you are able to transform
the calamity and misfortune into
the path.

Faith dispels doubt and hesitation,
it liberates you from suffering and
delivers you to the city of peace
and happiness.

If subconscious anger had a
parallel in Buddhist writings, it
would have to do with what is
called mental unhappiness or
dissatisfaction. This is regarded as
the source of anger and hostility.
We can see subconscious anger in
terms of a lack of awareness, as
well as an active misconstruing
of reality.

Guilt is incompatible with our
thinking as you are part of an
action but not fully responsible for
it. You are just part of the contributing factor. However, in
some cases one must repent,
deliberately claim responsibility,
have regret and never commit the
mistake again.

In the beginning of Buddhist practice, our ability to serve others
is limited. The emphasis is on healing ourselves, transforming our
minds and hearts. But as we
continue, we become stronger and
increasingly able to serve others.

Firstly, we should re-examine
our own attitude towards others
and constantly check ourselves to
see whether we are practicing
properly. Before pointing our
finger at others we should point it
towards ourselves. Secondly, we
must be prepared to admit our
faults and stand corrected.

Suffering increases your
inner strength. Also, wishing
for suffering makes the
suffering disappear.

Even when we are helping others and are engaged in charity work,
we should not regard ourselves in
a very haughty way as great protectors benefitting the weak.

An area in Tibetan Buddhism
which may be of interest to
scientists is the relationship
between the physical elements and
the nerves, in particular the
relationship between the elements
in the brain and consciousness.
This involves changes in
consciousness, happy or unhappy
states of mind, the effect they have
on the elements within the brain,
and the consequent effect that this
has on the body.

According to its level of subtlety,
consciousness is classified into
three levels: the waking state or
gross level of consciousness;
the consciousness of the dream
state which is more subtle; and
the consciousness during sleep,
dreamless sleep, which is
subtler still.

The metaphor of light is a
common image in all the major
religious traditions. In the
Buddhist context, light is
particularly associated with wisdom
and knowledge; darkness is
associated with ignorance and a
state of mis-knowledge.

In yoga tantra, the highest
dimension of Buddhist practice,
there is no distinction between
gender. In this final life in which
you attain Buddhahood, there is
no difference whether you are
male or female.

The creatures that inhabit this
earth — be they human beings or
animals — are here to contribute,
each in its own particular way,
to the beauty and prosperity of
the world.

The Buddhist notion of
attachment is not what people in
the West assume. We say that the
love of a mother for her only
child is free of attachment.

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.

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
wind elements. The next four
stages are visions in terms of
colour: appearance of a white
vision, increase of the red element,
black near-attainment, and finally
the clear light of death.

Do your best and do it
according to your own inner
standard — call it conscience - not
just according to society's
knowledge and judgement of
your deeds.

For discovering one's true
inner nature, I think one should
try to take some time, with quiet
and relaxation, to think more
inwardly and to investigate the
inner world.

When one is very involved in
hatred or attachment, if there is
time or possibility during that very
moment, just try to look inward     and ask: 'What is attachment? What is the nature of anger?'

To develop genuine devotion,
you must know the meaning of
teachings. The main emphasis in
Buddhism is to transform the
mind, and this transformation
depends upon meditation. In order
to meditate correctly, you must
have knowledge.

Three qualities enable people to
understand the teachings:
objectivity, which means an
open mind; intelligence, which is
the critical faculty to discern the
real meaning by checking the
teachings of Buddha; and interest
and commitment, which
means enthusiasm.

Anything that contradicts
experience and logic should
be abandoned.

It is through listening that your
mind will turn with faith and
devotion, and you will be able to
cultivate joy within your mind and
make your mind stable.

Mahayana has four reliances. First: reliance on the teaching, not
on the teacher.
Second: reliance on the
meaning, not on the words that
express it. Third: reliance on the
definitive meaning, not on the
provisional meaning. Fourth: reliance on the transcendent wisdom of deep experience, not on mere knowledge.

If we see pride among people
who have no idea about Dharma,
it is understandable. However, if
afflictive emotions and haughtiness
are present among Dharma
practitioners, it is a great disgrace
to the practice.

Individuals who are best suited for
practice of Dharma are those who
are not only intellectually gifted,
but also have single-minded faith
and dedication and are wise.

Although individuals may be
highly intelligent, they are sometimes dogged by skepticism and doubts. They are clever, but
they tend to be hesitant and
skeptical and are never really able
to settle down. These people are
the least receptive.

As a spiritual trainee, you
must be prepared to endure the
hardships involved in a genuine
spiritual pursuit and be determined
to sustain your effort and will. You must anticipate the multiple
obstacles that you are bound
to encounter along the path and
understand the key to successful
practice is never to lose
your determination.

The story of the Buddha's personal
life is the story of someone who attained full enlightenment
through hard work and unwavering dedication.

Laziness will stop your progress in your spiritual practice.

When a day seems to be long,
idle gossip makes our day seem
shorter. But it is one of the worst
ways in which we waste our time.
If a tailor just holds the needle in
his hand and goes on talking to a
customer, the tailoring does not
get finished. Besides, the needle
might prick his finger. In short,
meaningless gossip prevents us
from doing any kind of work.

If you rely on someone who has lower qualities than yourself, that
will lead to your degeneration.
If you rely on someone who has
qualities similar to yourself, you will stay where you are. It is only
if you rely on someone who has better qualities than yourself, that
you will achieve sublime status.

The advantage of relying on a
spiritual teacher is that if you have
accumulated an action that would
project you into a negative state of
existence, the result of that could
be experienced just in this life in
the form of minor sufferings or
minor problems, or even
experiencing the result in a dream
and through that way one could
destroy the destructive results of
negative actions.

If you go more deeply into your
own spiritual practice, emphasizing
"wisdom and compassion, you will
encounter the suffering of other
sentient beings again and again,
and you will have the capacity to
acknowledge it, respond to it and
feel deep compassion rather than
apathy or impotence.

When contemplating
suffering, do not fall into the
feeling of self-importance or
conceit. Cultivating wisdom helps
us to avoid these pitfalls. But it is
hard to generalize because each
person's courage and forbearance
are unique.

The more we care for the
happiness of others, the greater is
our own sense of well-being.

A single word or expression in
tantra can have four different
meanings corresponding to the
four levels of interpretation. These
levels are known as the four modes
of understanding. They are:
(i) the literal meaning;
(ii) the general meaning;
(iii) the hidden meaning; and
(iv) the ultimate meaning.
55

Calm abiding is a heightened state of awareness when your body and
mind become especially flexible,
receptive and serviceable. Special insight is also a heightened state of
awareness, in which your faculty of analysis is immensely advanced. Thus calm abiding is absorptive in
nature, whereas special insight is analytic in nature.

There is a true feminist movement
in Buddhism. Following her
attainment of bodhicitta, the
goddess Tara looked upon those
striving towards full awakening
and she felt that there were too
few women who attained
Buddhahood. So she vowed, 'I
have developed bodhicitta as a
woman. For all of my lifetimes
along the path I vow to be born as
a woman, and in my final lifetime
when I attain Buddhahood, then
too I will be a woman.'

The problems we encounter are never the result of starting a
project or work on an inappropriate day or time. Buddha
always talked about negative
experiences as the result of having
performed negative actions. So, for
a good practitioner there is no
good day or bad day.

There is no way to escape death, it
is just like trying to escape when
you are surrounded by four great
mountains touching the sky. There
is no escape from these four
mountains of birth, old age,
sickness and death.

Ageing destroys youth, sickness
destroys health, degeneration of life destroys all excellent qualities
and death destroys life. Even if you are a great runner, you cannot run away from death. You cannot
stop death with your wealth, through your magic performances
or recitation of mantras or even
medicines. Therefore, it is wise to
prepare for your death.

Discipline is a supreme ornament
and, whether worn by old, young
or middle-aged, it gives birth only
to happiness. It is perfume par
excellence and, unlike ordinary
perfumes which travel only with
the wind, its refreshing aroma
travels spontaneously in all
directions. A peerless ointment,
it brings relief from the hot
pains of delusion.

Due to karmic influences, the
•world appears in different ways to
different people. When a human
being, a god and a preta - three
sentient beings — look at one bowl
of water, the karmic factors make
the human being see it as water,
while the god sees nectar and the
preta sees blood.

A blossoming tree becomes bare
And stripped in autumn.
Beauty changes into ugliness,
youth into old age, and fault into
virtue. Things do not remain the
same and nothing really exists.
Thus, appearances and emptiness
exist simultaneously.

Some people who are sweet and attractive, strong and healthy,
happen to die young. They are
masters in disguise teaching us
about impermanence.

Natural environment sustains the
life of all beings universally. Trees
are referred to in accounts of the
principal events of Buddha's life.
His mother leaned against a tree
for support as she gave birth to
him. He attained enlightenment
seated beneath a tree, and finally
passed away as trees stood
witness overhead.

The Bible says that swords
can be turned into ploughshares.
It is a beautiful image, a weapon
transformed into a tool to serve
basic human needs, representing
an attitude of inner and
outer disarmament.

The true sufferings and true
causes of sufferings are the effect
and cause on the side of things
that we do not want; the true
cessation and the true paths are the
effect and cause on the side of
things that we desire.

The truth of suffering is that we experience many different types of
suffering: suffering of suffering —
things such as headaches; suffering
of changes — feeling of restlessness
after being comfortable; and
all-pervasive suffering that acts as
the basis of the first two categories
and is under the control of karma
and the disturbing mind.

From one point of view we can
say that we have human bodies
and are practicing the Buddha's
teachings and are thus much better
than insects. But we can also say
that insects are innocent and free
from guile, whereas we often lie
and misrepresent ourselves in
devious ways in order to achieve
our ends or better ourselves. From
this perspective, we are much
	worse than insects.

No matter who we are with,
we often think things like, 'I am
stronger than him', 'I am more
beautiful than her', 'I am more
intelligent', and so forth - we
generate much pride. This is not
good. Instead, we should always
remain humble.

To develop patience, you need someone who wilfully hurts you.
Such people give us the real
opportunity to practise tolerance.
They test our inner strength in a
way that even our guru cannot.
Basically, patience protects us from
being discouraged.

It is better not to avoid events or persons who annoy you and give rise to anger, if your anger
is not too strong. But if the encounter is not possible, work
on your anger and develop compassion by yourself.

The three physical non-virtues
are killing, stealing and sexual
misconduct. The four verbal
non-virtues are lying, divisiveness,
harsh speech and senseless speech.
The three mental non-virtues are
covetousness, harmful intent and
wrong view.

We find that between the past
and the future there is an extremely thin line — something
that cannot really withstand
analysis. Past and future exist in
relation to the present. But if the
present cannot be posited, how
can past and future be posited?
This is a demonstration of
dependent origination.

We learn from the principle
of dependent origination that
things and events do not come
into being without causes.
Suffering and unsatisfactory
conditions are caused by our own
delusions and the contaminated
actions induced by them.

For a bodhisattva to be successful
in accomplishing the practice of
the six perfections — generosity,
ethical discipline, tolerance, joyous
effort, concentration and wisdom
— cooperation with fellow beings
and kindness towards them are
extremely important.

Suffering originates from various causes and conditions. But the root cause of our pain and suffering lies
in our own ignorant and
undisciplined state of mind. The
happiness we seek can be attained
only through the purification of
our minds.

The criterion that distinguishes
a school as Buddhist is its
acceptance of four fundamental
tenets, known as the four seals:
(i) All composite phenomena
are impermanent. (ii) All contaminated things and
events are unsatisfactory. (iii) All phenomena are empty.
and selfless. (iv) Nirvana is true peace.

Vegetarianism is very admirable. However, according to Buddhism,
there is no unequivocal
prohibition against eating meat.
What is specifically prohibited is
taking any meat that you have
ordered with the knowledge, or
even the suspicion, that it has been
killed especially for you.

Try to consider as transitory
all adverse circumstances and
disturbances. Like ripples in
a pool, they occur and
soon disappear.

Our lives are conditioned by
karma. They are characterized by
endless cycles of problems. One
problem appears and passes, and
soon another one begins.

The essence of all spiritual life
is your attitude towards others.
Once you have pure and sincere
motives all the rest follows.

You can develop the right attitude toward others if you have
kindness, love and respect for them, and a clear realization of the
oneness of all human beings.

It is faith that removes
mental turbidity and makes your
mind clear.

Guilt is something that can
be overcome. It does not exist in
Buddhist terminology. With the
Buddha nature, all negative things
can be purified.

In one sense, we can say it is
delusion — in the form of the
wisdom derived from delusions —
that actually destroys itself.
Similarly, it is the blissful
experience of emptiness induced
by sexual desire that dissolves the
force of sexual impulses.

Irrespective of whether we are
believers or agnostics, whether we
believe in God or karma, everyone
can pursue moral ethics.

Real compassion comes
from seeing the suffering of others.
You feel a sense of responsibility,
and you want to do something
for them.

Sometimes your dear friend,
though still the same person, feels
more like an enemy. Instead of
love, you feel hostility. But with
genuine love and compassion,
another person's appearance
or behaviour has no effect on
your attitude.

Ordinary compassion and love
give rise to a feeling of closeness,
but this is essentially attachment.
As long as the other person
appears to you as beautiful or
good, love remains, but as soon as
he or she appears to you as less
beautiful or good, your love
changes completely.

The teachings of Lord Buddha comprise three graded categories
for disciplining the mind —
Shila: training in higher conduct
Samadhi: training in higher
meditation and Prajna: training in higher wisdom.

Speech and bodily activities
which accompany mental processes
must not be allowed to run on
in unbridled and random ways.
Just as a trainer disciplines and
calms a wild and wilful steed by
rigorous and prolonged training, so
must the indiscreet and wandering
activities of body and speech be
tamed to make them docile,
righteous and skilful.

The healing power of the spirit
naturally follows the path of the
spirit. It abides not in the stone of
fine buildings, nor in the gold of
images, nor in the silk from which
robes are fashioned, nor even in
the paper of holy writ, but it abides in the ineffable substance of
the mind and the heart of man. ,  We should sublimate our heart's
instinct and purify our thoughts.

I am talking to you and you are listening to me. We are generally under the impression that there is
a speaker and an audience and there is the sound of words being
spoken. But if I search within myself, I will not find the words, and if you search yourselves you will not find them either — they are all void like empty space. Yet
they are not completely nonexistent. This paradox relates to the dual nature of truth.

Many creatures have toiled singly
or jointly to make our lives comfortable. The food we eat and the clothes we wear have not just
dropped from the sky. Many
creatures have laboured to produce
them. That is why we should be
grateful to all our fellow creatures.

Compassion and loving kindness are the hallmarks of achievement   and happiness.

If one feels very profound
compassion, this implies an
intimate connection with another
person exists already.

It is said in our scriptures that
we are to cultivate love just like
that of a mother towards her
only child.

There are many female
concerns in the highest yoga
tantra. For example, one of the
root evils for a man is to abuse or
to look down upon a woman. If a
man does that, his downfall is
inevitable. There is no mention
of a comparable downfall for a
woman who looks down on a
man. So we men are jealous.

Look at one person who annoys you, and use the opportunity to
counter your own anger and
cultivate compassion. But if the
annoyance is too powerful — if you
find the person so repulsive that
you cannot bear to be in his or her
presence — it may be better to
look for the exit!

Faith reduces your pride and is the
root of veneration. With faith, you
can. easily traverse from one stage
of the spiritual path to another.

Spiritual intimacy is necessary for a practitioner of Buddhism, especially when one is trying to overcome his mental problems.

When you open yourself up mentally, you do so only with
someone you trust from the
bottom of your heart, someone
you feel very close to. To open
yourself up in this way is an
important step in overcoming
mental problems.

The wood-born insects consume
the very wood from which they
are born. Such utilization of the
path to enlightenment is a unique
feature of tantra.

In the special dream state,
the special dream body is created
from the mind and from vital
energy within the body. This
special dream body is able to
dissociate entirely from the gross
physical body and travel elsewhere.
One way of developing this
special dream body is first of all to
recognize the dream as a dream
when it is over. Then, you find
    that the dream is malleable, and
you can make efforts to gain
control over it.

In addition to practising Buddhism in the waking state,
if you can also use your
consciousness during sleep for
wholesome purposes, then the
power of your spiritual practice
will be all the greater. Otherwise
the few hours of sleep each night
will be just a waste.

The Sutrayana method is to
cultivate a wholesome mental state
when you are going to sleep.

When the clear light nature of
the mind is veiled or inhibited
from expressing its true essence by
the conditioning of afflictive emotions and thoughts, one is said to be caught in samsara, the cycle
of existence. But when by
applying appropriate meditative
techniques and practices, one is
able to fully experience this state
of mind, he or she is on the
way to true liberation and
full enlightenment.

When a wrong deed has been
done, then after learning that it
was wrong, one can disclose the
deed - in the presence of actual or
imagined holy beings — and resolve
not to do that action again in
the future. This diminishes the
force of the ill deed.

Determination, courage and self-confidence are the key factors
for success. If we have firm
determination, we can work out
obstacles and difficulties. Whatever
the circumstances, we should
remain humble, modest and
without pride.

When you create the spiritual space and atmosphere that you are
seeking through rituals and
formalities, then the process will
have a powerful effect on your
experience. When you lack the
inner dimension for that spiritual
experience you are aspiring to,
then rituals become mere external
formalities and just a good excuse
for passing time.

Blessings by themselves
are not enough. They must come
from within. Without your own
effort, it is impossible for
them to come.

There are two aspects of the path:
the method aspect, which includes
such practices as compassion and
tolerance; and the wisdom or
knowledge aspect, which involves
the insight to penetrate the nature
of reality. It is the latter aspect of
the path that is the true antidote to
dispelling ignorance.

   Certain physical illnesses improve or worsen according to the state of mind.

It would be much
more constructive if people
tried to understand their
supposed enemies.

Learning to forgive is
infinitely more useful than merely
picking up a stone and throwing
it at the object of one's anger,
especially when the provocation
is extreme.

The grosser consciousness
depends heavily on particles of
matter. The subtler consciousness
is more independent - it does not
depend so much on the brain. In
the Buddha state, the grosser mind
completely disappears. Luminance,
radiance, imminence — the three
states of subtle mind — disappear in
the clear light of the innermost
consciousness.

What is reborn are our habits. Enlightenment is the ending
of rebirth, which means
complete non-attachment or
 non-identification with all
thought, feeling, perception,
physical sensations
and ideas.

The observation that
good people suffer and evil people
enjoy success and recognition is
short-signed. Also this conclusion
might have been drawn in haste.
If one analyses carefully, one finds
that troublemakers are definitely
not happy. It is better to behave
well, take responsibility for one's
actions, and lead a positive life.

The greatest degree of inner tranquility conies from    the development of love, and compassion.

Cultivating closeness and warmth
for others automatically puts the
mind at ease. It is the ultimate
source of success in life.

True compassion is not just
an emotional response but a firm
commitment founded on reason.
Therefore, a truly compassionate
attitude towards others does
not change even if they
behave negatively.

Through universal altruism,
you develop a feeling of
responsibility for others and
the wish to help them actively
overcome their problems.

One should practise
spirituality with a motivation
similar to that of a child fully
absorbed in play. Such a child is so
delighted and engrossed in what he
is doing that he never feels
satisfied or tired. Such should be
your mental attitude when
practising Dharma.

If a person has a really deep interest in spiritual growth, he or
she cannot do away with the
practice of meditation. That is the
key to spiritual growth.

Mere prayer or a wish will not affect inner spiritual
change. The only way for
development is by constant effort
through meditation.

In the beginning practice
is not easy. You may encounter
difficulties or experience a loss of
enthusiasm. Or perhaps there will
be too much enthusiasm — then
after a few weeks or months, your enthusiasm may wane. You
need to develop a constant
persistent approach based on a
long-term commitment.

In the quest for mental quiescence,
there is a state where striving must
be abandoned, for an effortless
concentration is necessary. Your
mind then becomes very tranquil
and achieves a state of wholeness.
At that moment, to make an effort
would disturb that pure tranquility.
So in order to maintain that
tranquility, effortless effort must be
used.

Such practices as bodhicitta
automatically bring calm at the
time of death. The mind is then at
a very critical period. If you are
able to create a strong positive
impact at that time, then this
becomes a very powerful force in
continuing that positive influence
in the next life.

We practise various meditations in dream states. The virtue of such
practices is that during such states,
it is possible to separate the gross levels of consciousness from the
gross physical state, and arrive at a subtler level of mind and body.

The teacher is responsible
for his or her improper behaviour.
It is the student's responsibility
not to be drawn into it. The
blame is on both: the student,
because he is too obedient and
devoted to the teacher; and the
teacher, because he lacks the
integrity necessary to be immune
to that kind of vulnerability.

If there is love, there is hope
that one may have real families,
real brotherhood, real equanimity,
real peace. If the love within your
mind is lost and you see other
 beings as enemies, then no
matter how much knowledge
or education or material comfort
you have, only suffering and
confusion will ensue.

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

'To do our best means that at all
times in our everyday life we should probe our minds so that we
don't feel guilty about our
mistakes, even though others don't
know about them. If we do that,
we are truly doing our best.

One can be deceived by three
types of laziness: the laziness of
indolence, which is the wish to
procrastinate; the laziness of
inferiority, which is doubting
your capabilities; and the laziness
that is attachment to negative
actions, or putting great effort
into non-virtue.

Listening cultivates wisdom and
removes ignorance. It is like a
torch that dispels ignorance. If you
enrich your mental continuum by
listening, no one can steal that wealth. It is the supreme wealth.

Every noble work is bound to
encounter problems and obstacles.
It is important to check your goal
and motivation thoroughly. One
should be very truthful, honest and
reasonable. One's action should be
good for others, and for
oneself as well.

Emptiness should be
understood in the context of
dependent arising and it should
evoke a sense of fullness, of things
created by causes and conditions.
We should not think that the self
is something that was originally
there and can be eliminated
through meditation. In fact, the
self is something that never existed
in the first place.

To help others in
vast and extensive ways we
need to have attained one of
the levels of Bodhisattva, that is,
to have experienced the direct
non-conceptual reality of voidness
and to have achieved the power
of extra-sensory perception.

Our state of mind plays a
major role in our day-to-day
experiences as well as in our
physical and mental well-being.
If a person has a calm and stable
mind, this influences his or her
attitude and behaviour in relation
to others. In other words, if
someone exists in a peaceful and
tranquil state of mind, external
surroundings can cause them only
a limited disturbance.

It is under the greatest adversity
that there exists the greatest
potential for doing good, both for
oneself and others.

about the author
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the fourteenth
Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal leader
of the Tibetan people. He has
written several books on Buddhism
and philosophy, and has received
many international awards, including the 1989 Nobel Prize as recognition for his advocacy
of world peace and inter-religious understanding.

about the editor
Renuka Singh is well-known in the
field-of Buddhist studies. She has
edited The Dalai Lama's Book of
Daily Meditations and The
Transformed Mind.