The Dalai Lama - 18 Rules for Living

From time to time I come across a video clip or some quotes from the Dalai Lama, and I find that I consistently like the wisdom, so I'm sharing these eighteen rules for living, issued at the start of the new millennium...

1.  Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2.  When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3.  Follow the three Rs:
     - Respect for self
     - Respect for others
     - Responsibility for all your actions.
4.  Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5.  Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6.  Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7.  When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8.  Spend some time alone every day.
9.  Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

From Owen Kelly.

Quotes from the Dalai Lama

Video clip - The Dalai Lama on Compassion

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2011. Building Personal Strength .

The Dalai Lama - Quotes on Personal Strength

2007 photo Luca Galuzzi

The person we refer to as the Dalai Lama is actually Tenzin Gyatso, who was born in 1935. He is the most recent of what Tibetan Buddhists believe is a long line of reincarnated spiritual leaders and has served in that capacity for more than 60 years. A heated controversy persists over whether the Tibetan people should decide his successor or if the People's Republic of China has the authority to decide.

The Dalai Lama claims he continues to be on an intense learning journey. Recently, he has consulted with neuroscientists to learn more about the nature of human beings. He frequently speaks before the media. His central theme is COMPASSION:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

"My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness."

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive."

"My brain and my heart are my temples. My true religion is kindness."

The Dalai Lama on other themes related to personal strength...

SUCCESS - "Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it."

COURAGE - "Great love and great achievements involve great risk."

FAIRNESS - "I believe in justice and truth, without which there would be no basis for human hope."

FRIENDSHIP - "Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship."

GRATITUDE - "The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness."

INTEGRITY - "Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time."

LOVE - "A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life."

OPTIMISM - "Not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."

SELF-DEVELOPMENT - "When you lose, don't lose the lesson."

SERVICE - "Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

TOLERANCE - "In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher."

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength . (Permission to use photo from Wikimedia Commons)

The Personal Strength of Compassion - The Dalai Lama Speaks on Happiness, God and Money

Have you heard the Dalai Lama speak? In this one-minute clip from the film, "Dalai Lama Renaissance," he expresses his core philosophy, putting religion, happiness, and wealth in perspective. Truth has a way of resonating. As we pursue our dreams, we can use what he says about compassion as a compass to keep us on course.



Don't be compassionate just because God wants you to. Do it for yourself.

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., , Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .