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Quotes by Tibetan Authors

"To practice tantra requires even greater compassion and greater intelligence than are required on the sutra path; thus, though many persons in the degenerate era are interested in tantra, tantra is not for degenerate persons. Tantra is limited to persons whose compassion is so great that they cannot bear to spend unnecessary time in attaining Buddhahood, as they want to be a supreme source of help and happiness for others quickly."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"To practice tantra requires even greater compassion and greater intelligence than are required on the sutra path; thus, though many persons in the degenerate era are interested in tantra, tantra is not for degenerate persons. Tantra is limited to persons whose compassion is so great that they cannot bear to spend unnecessary time in attaining Buddhahood, as they want to be a supreme source of help and happiness for others quickly."
"Great compassion is the root of altruistic action, the object of amazement to the world;there is no greater source of help and happiness."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Great compassion is the root of altruistic action, the object of amazement to the world;there is no greater source of help and happiness."
"Those who have little interest in spirituality shouldn't think that human inner values don't apply to you. The inner peace of an alert and calm mind are the source of real happiness and good health. Our human intelligence tells us which of our emotions are positive and helpful and which are damaging and to be restrained or avoided."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Those who have little interest in spirituality shouldn't think that human inner values don't apply to you. The inner peace of an alert and calm mind are the source of real happiness and good health. Our human intelligence tells us which of our emotions are positive and helpful and which are damaging and to be restrained or avoided."
"If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever."
"Be kind to UNKIND people.They need it the most."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Be kind to UNKIND people.They need it the most."
"Whilst on the subject of the spread of Buddhism in the West, I want to say that I have noticed some tendency towards sectarianism amongst new practitioners. This is absolutely wrong. Religion should never become a source of conflict, a further factor of division within the human community."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Whilst on the subject of the spread of Buddhism in the West, I want to say that I have noticed some tendency towards sectarianism amongst new practitioners. This is absolutely wrong. Religion should never become a source of conflict, a further factor of division within the human community."
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions."
"Violence can only breed more violence and suffering. Our struggle must remain non-violent and free of hatred."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Violence can only breed more violence and suffering. Our struggle must remain non-violent and free of hatred."
"Weapons never stay in their boxes. Once a weapon has been manufactured, sooner or later someone will use it. If it were possible to bring about true and lasting peace by force of arms, then we should turn all our factories into weapons factories. But that is impossible. Even though it is difficult to try to bring about peace through inner transformation, it is the only way of establishing sustainable peace in the world."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Weapons never stay in their boxes. Once a weapon has been manufactured, sooner or later someone will use it. If it were possible to bring about true and lasting peace by force of arms, then we should turn all our factories into weapons factories. But that is impossible. Even though it is difficult to try to bring about peace through inner transformation, it is the only way of establishing sustainable peace in the world."
"One of the parrots was very friendly with...Master of the Robes. He used to feed it nuts. As it nibbled from his fingers, he used to stroke its head, at which the bird appeared to enter a state of ecstasy. I very much wanted this kind of friendliness and several times tried to get a similar response, but to no avail. So I took a stick to punish it. Of course, thereafter it fled at the sight of me. This was a very good lesson in how to make friends: not by force but by compassion."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"One of the parrots was very friendly with...Master of the Robes. He used to feed it nuts. As it nibbled from his fingers, he used to stroke its head, at which the bird appeared to enter a state of ecstasy. I very much wanted this kind of friendliness and several times tried to get a similar response, but to no avail. So I took a stick to punish it. Of course, thereafter it fled at the sight of me. This was a very good lesson in how to make friends: not by force but by compassion."
"People should never sit alone for too long when they're crying."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"People should never sit alone for too long when they're crying."
"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."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"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."
"Spend some time alone every day."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Spend some time alone every day."
"Once we are able to combine a feeling of empathy for others with a profound understanding of the suffering they experience, we become able to generate genuine compassion for them. We must work at this continually."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Once we are able to combine a feeling of empathy for others with a profound understanding of the suffering they experience, we become able to generate genuine compassion for them. We must work at this continually."
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost."
"If there is no solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"If there is no solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it. If there is a solution to the problem then don't waste time worrying about it."
"In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision."
"If your mental health is sound, then when disturbances come, you will have some distress but quickly recover."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"If your mental health is sound, then when disturbances come, you will have some distress but quickly recover."
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace."
"Politics devoid of ethics does not further human welfare, and life without morality reduces humans to the level of beasts."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Politics devoid of ethics does not further human welfare, and life without morality reduces humans to the level of beasts."
"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck."
"Live a life that transcends your own!"
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Live a life that transcends your own!"
"We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. You always have the choice."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. You always have the choice."
"The more honest you are, the more open, the less fear you will have, because there's no anxiety about being exposed or revealed to others."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The more honest you are, the more open, the less fear you will have, because there's no anxiety about being exposed or revealed to others."
"A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering."
"Ultimately humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we're to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism and compassion."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Ultimately humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we're to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism and compassion."
"True change is within, leave the outside as it is."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"True change is within, leave the outside as it is."
"My earnest request is that you practice love and kindness whether you believe in a religion or not."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"My earnest request is that you practice love and kindness whether you believe in a religion or not."
"The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The enemy is the necessary condition for practicing patience."
"Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways."
"Water may be extremely dirty, yet its nature remains clear."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Water may be extremely dirty, yet its nature remains clear."
"The more you are motivated by Love, The more Fearless & Free your action will be."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The more you are motivated by Love, The more Fearless & Free your action will be."
"It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live."
"Everybody wants a happy life and a peaceful mind, but we have to produce peace of mind through our own practice."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"Everybody wants a happy life and a peaceful mind, but we have to produce peace of mind through our own practice."
"I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives. I'm not talking about the short-term gratification of pleasures like sex, drugs or gambling (though I'm not knocking them), but something that will bring true and lasting happiness. The kind that sticks."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"I believe compassion to be one of the few things we can practice that will bring immediate and long-term happiness to our lives. I'm not talking about the short-term gratification of pleasures like sex, drugs or gambling (though I'm not knocking them), but something that will bring true and lasting happiness. The kind that sticks."
"In order to lead a meaningful life, you need to cherish others, pay attention to human values and try to cultivate inner peace."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"In order to lead a meaningful life, you need to cherish others, pay attention to human values and try to cultivate inner peace."
"I always try to share with others the idea that in order to become compassionate it is not necessary to become religious."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"I always try to share with others the idea that in order to become compassionate it is not necessary to become religious."
"To say 'I want to have sex with this person' is to express a desire which is not intellectually directed in the way that 'I want to eradicate poverty in the world' is an intellectually directed desire. Furthernore, the gratification of sexual desire can only ever give temporary satisfaction. Thus as Nagarjuna, the great Indian scholar said: 'When you have an itch, you scratch. But not to itch at all is better than any amount of scratching."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"To say 'I want to have sex with this person' is to express a desire which is not intellectually directed in the way that 'I want to eradicate poverty in the world' is an intellectually directed desire. Furthernore, the gratification of sexual desire can only ever give temporary satisfaction. Thus as Nagarjuna, the great Indian scholar said: 'When you have an itch, you scratch. But not to itch at all is better than any amount of scratching."
"To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up."
"I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend,that together we may succeed in building a better worldthrough human understanding and love,and that in doing so we may reducethe pain and suffering of all sentient beings."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend,that together we may succeed in building a better worldthrough human understanding and love,and that in doing so we may reducethe pain and suffering of all sentient beings."
"From the scientific view, the theory of karma may be a metaphysical assumption -- but it is no more so than the assumption that all of life is material and originated out of pure chance."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"From the scientific view, the theory of karma may be a metaphysical assumption -- but it is no more so than the assumption that all of life is material and originated out of pure chance."
"A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure."
"The ultimate source of comfort and peace is within ourselves."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The ultimate source of comfort and peace is within ourselves."
"The fundamental precept of Buddhism is Interdependence or the Law of Cause and Effect. This simply states that everything an individual experiences is derived from action through motivation. Motivation is thus the root of both action and experience."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The fundamental precept of Buddhism is Interdependence or the Law of Cause and Effect. This simply states that everything an individual experiences is derived from action through motivation. Motivation is thus the root of both action and experience."
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."
"To be kind, honest and have positive thoughts; to forgive those who harm us and treat everyone as a friend; to help those who are suffering and never to consider ourselves superior to anyone else: even if this advice seems rather simplistic, make the effort of seeing whether by following it you can find greater happiness."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"To be kind, honest and have positive thoughts; to forgive those who harm us and treat everyone as a friend; to help those who are suffering and never to consider ourselves superior to anyone else: even if this advice seems rather simplistic, make the effort of seeing whether by following it you can find greater happiness."
"The practice of cultivating altruism has a beneficial effect not only from the religious point of view but also from the mundane point of view, not only for long term spiritual development but even in terms of immediate rewards."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"The practice of cultivating altruism has a beneficial effect not only from the religious point of view but also from the mundane point of view, not only for long term spiritual development but even in terms of immediate rewards."
"A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you."
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Dalai Lama XIV
"A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you."
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