Dalai Lama - life path, quotes and sayings

The most important components of the Buddhist spiritual path are wisdom and compassion. "As a bird slides unhindered through the sky with the help of two wings, so the practitioner goes through the spiritual path, relying on wisdom and compassion," His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso quotes Buddhist thinkers of the past.

General information

The Dalai Lama is called the highest spiritual mentor of Tibet, Mongolia, and also of any Buddhist territories in many countries of the world. In Buddhism and Lamaism, the basic tenet of faith is the principle of reincarnation - the reincarnation of souls. According to such beliefs, the Dalai Lama after death (his immortal soul) moves into the new body of the newly born male infant. Monks from all the children who were born at a certain date choose the true one, after which he passes special education, which includes not only spiritual, but also secular, political aspects.

The Dalai Lama is the earthly incarnation of a Bodhisattva (a creature that has decided to become a Buddha for the benefit of all living on Earth). Today he is in his 14th incarnation and bears the name Tenzin Gyatso.

History of the Dalai Lama XIV

He was born July 6, 1935 in the village of Taktser in the northeast of Tibet. His family was engaged in the cultivation of wheat, oats and potatoes. He was the fifth of 9 children.

In 1937, after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, a group of lamas arrived in the village of Taktsar, in search of his new incarnation. After special tests, the 2-year-old Lhamo Dhondrab (the name that his parents gave him) was recognized as his predecessor, reincarnated. In October 1939 he left the house and went to Lhasa. In 1940, he was elevated to the throne of the Dalai Lama XIV and was named Tenzin Gyatso.

In 1949, relations between China and Tibet deteriorated. The Chinese government claimed that Tibet is part of their state. The Tibetan people wished independence and invited the Dalai Lama to become their head. November 17, 1950 Tenzin Gyatso was proclaimed spiritual and secular ruler of Tibet.

For more than one year, the Dalai Lama has been trying to reach a consensus with Chinese leaders and settle the Tibet-Chinese conflict. Agree to prevent the brutal actions of Beijing in eastern Tibet, which led to insurrections, quickly spread throughout the state. The Chinese army brutally suppressed the mutiny. The Dalai Lama was forced to seek refuge in India. After him, about 80,000 Tibetans went into exile. Since then, since 1960, Tenzin Gyatso lives in the town of Daramsala, which is still called "small Lhasa".

The Dalai Lama in 2002 abandoned the post of political leader of Tibet, and Prime Minister Samdong Rinpoche became the head of government in exile. And in 2011, His Holiness withdrew from secular power, which the chairman of the government (Kalon-Tripa) possesses.

Between the representatives of Tenzin Gyatso and the Chinese authorities talks resumed on granting greater autonomy to Tibet, but so far no notable results have been noted.

The life of the Dalai Lama today

His Holiness considers himself an ordinary Buddhist monk and lives a simple life: at 4 am he wakes up, meditates, prays and follows a strict schedule of official audiences, meetings, religious ceremonies and teachings. Ending his day with prayer.

Also Tenzin Gyatso travels a lot, engaged in religious activities, is the author of many books, philosophical treatises and sayings.

Commitments of the Dalai Lama

His commitments in this incarnation His Holiness expressed thus:

1. Human values: to bring patience, compassion, self-discipline, the ability to be content with small things and forgive in this world.
2. Interreligious harmony: the attainment of mutual understanding between different religions and beliefs, because they all have the same goal - the education of good and kind people.
3. Tibet: works to preserve the Buddhist culture of their homeland, peace and nonviolence.

Statements of the Dalai Lama

About happiness. There are 2 ways to happiness. One of the ways is external. It consists in acquiring a new home, better clothes, good friends. At the same time, we get satisfaction and happiness to some extent. The second way is spiritual development. He helps in achieving inner happiness. These ways are unequal. Without inner happiness, the external can not last long. If the heart lacks something, if life is seen in black, then it is impossible to experience bliss, what luxury you are surrounding yourself. But when you achieve inner peace, you can feel happy even in difficult circumstances.

About equanimity. You can never lose hope. Despair is the cause of failure. You must remember that you can overcome any obstacle. Even if you find yourself in a difficult situation, stay calm. If your mind remains unperturbed, external circumstances will affect you little. If you allow yourself to experience anger, you will lose peace, even if the surrounding situation remains undisturbed.

About the person. Asked about what causes the greatest astonishment, the Dalai Lama replied that he was a man. Because he sacrifices health to make money. And then he uses this money to restore his health. At the same time, he is troubled by such concern about the future that he is not able to enjoy the present. As a result, he can not live in the present, nor in the future. A person lives as if he never dies, and when he dies, he regrets that he did not live.

About the value of life. When waking up, every morning you need to start with the thought: "I'm lucky today - I woke up, I'm alive, I have this great value - human life, and I will not waste it on trifles. I will direct my forces to inner development, to open my heart to others and to achieve enlightenment for the good of all things. I will have only good thoughts about others. I will not be angry or think badly about them. I will do everything to benefit others. "

About condemnation. Before anyone condemns, take his shoes and walk his way, try his tears and feel his pain. Stumble on the stone everyone, about which he stumbled. And only then you can tell him that you know how to live right.

Quotes

A lot of interesting thoughts were expressed by the Dalai Lama. Quotations that have become most famous:

• Know that silence is sometimes the best answer to a question;
• Understand that not everything that you want is really necessary for you;
• The best relationships are those in which love is stronger, not the need for each other;
• If the problem can be solved, it is not worth worrying, if you can not - worry is useless;
• Enemies give us a wonderful opportunity to learn perseverance, patience and compassion;
• When it seems that everything is going wrong, then perhaps something wonderful is trying to enter your life;
• You need to learn the rules to understand how to properly break them.

The Dalai Lama is not only a spiritual leader, he is also a philosopher who teaches us to live properly, in accordance with the highest principles that can bring to our world even a little heat and good, to make it a little better.