A Gift of Dharma for 10.23.09
by Danny Fisher
Today’s quote comes to us from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama–the one and only.
Believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the latest human incarnation of Avalokiteśvara, His Holiness is both the spiritual and the secular leader of the Tibetan people. More specifically, he is the leader of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959, he was smuggled in disguise out of his homeland to Dharamsala, India, where he and many other Tibetans now live in exile.
In 1989, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his “[consistent opposition to] the use of violence” in response to the Chinese occupation of his country, as well as “his philosophy of peace [which is based on] a great reverence for all things living and upon the concept of universal responsibility embracing all mankind as well as nature.”
One of the most easily recongnizable, respected and beloved religious figures in the world today, his many books include Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet; Kindness, Clarity and Insight; Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective; The World of Tibetan Buddhism: An Overview of Its Philosophy and Practice; The Four Noble Truths; A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life; Beyond Dogma: Dialogues & Discourses; Ethics for the New Millenium; The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality; and The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living (with Howard C. Cutler).
Here’s the quote:
Every day, think as you wake up,
Today I am fortunate to have woken up,
I am alive; I have a precious human life.
I am not going to waste it,
I am going to use all my energies to develop myself.
To expand my heart out to others,
To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings,
I am going to have kind thoughts towards others,
I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others,
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
[Photo by Yancho Sabev.]
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