"THE LITTLE BOOK OF BUDDHISM"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama


"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 practice 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 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"

"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"

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

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

"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."

"When ever 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 us 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 stages 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 awarness, as well as an active misconstruing of reality"

"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 benefiting 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, 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 windelements. The color: 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 judgment 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 devlop 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 you 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. Forth: reliance on the transcendent wisdom of deep experience, not on the 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 great disgrace to 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"

"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: 1 the literal meaning; 2 the general meaning; 3 the hidden
meaning; and 4 the ultimate meaning"

"There is no way to escape death, it is just like trying to escape by four great mountains touching 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"

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

"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 truth of suffering is that we experience many different types of suffering: suffering of suffering-things such as headaches; suffering of change -felling 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, where as 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"

"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"

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

"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 behavior has no effect on your attitude"

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

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