The 14th Dalai Lama (religious name: Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub, ( 6 July 1935) is the 14th and current Dalai Lama, as well as the longest lived incumbent. Dalai Lamas are the head monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet.
Secret # 1 : Train Your Mind Happiness is a mental attitude, a state of mind
and not primarily dependent on external conditions. According to the Tibetan
word "Sem" for mind it includes intellect, feelings, the heart and
the mind. Training an developing the mind starts with learning. And its aim is
to set free the inner human potential that everybody has. So one could say it
is the process of personal development.
Education and knowledge is a crucial part here. There is an interesting note by
the Dalai Lama: knowledge is not primarily there to make us cleverer. The most
important use of knowledge is to understand ourselves, to create a mental
clearing and make changes from within or as he puts it: to develop a good heart.
Secret # 2 : Develop Calmness of Mind By training the mind we can develop an
inner discipline. This training towards a calmness of mind is what Buddhists
call "The Way" and it is the fundamental method of achieving
happiness. The inner discipline means confronting our negative states of mind
and transforming them into more positive states. The goal is to develop a calm
or peaceful and stable state of mind, regardless of outer events.
A
calm mind doesn’t mean to be passive; it is very sensitive and aware and it
means to be in control and to respond to situations in the best way possible
without the buildup of heavy negative emotions. A calm mind is a very developed
mind and one that has strength and inner space to choose the right reaction.
Secret # 3 : Build up Positive States The idea is to free ourselves from
negativity. It works by developing and cultivating positive states and emotions
and then living and acting from there. Positive states can act like an antidote
to negativity. By coming from a state of joy, love or enthusiasm it is almost
natural to neutralize anger, hatred or apathy. The goal then is to develop
habits out of those positives states to make them our predominant state.
According to the Dalai Lama all negative emotions are based on ignorance, which
is the misconception of the true nature of reality. Therefore they have no basis
in reality. On the other hand positive states have a solid basis; they are
grounded in reality and are life-supporting.
Secret # 4 : Cultivate Good Habits (and Eliminate Bad Ones)If we really want to
be happy we have to identify the factors that lead to happiness and then
cultivate them into habits. On the other side we have to identify what leads to
the opposite of happiness: suffering. Then we have to get rid of those destructive
states and habits and replace them by the positive ones.
Take action. Goals alone have no meaning; you instance the habit of For need to
take action to make them real. Don’t let fear hold you chaotic" Just do
it." can be back. organization replaced by weekly planning. This is inner
discipline at work. I think it is a source of real happiness and of inner
satisfaction. The motivation to create good habits stays if we just see and
experience the benefits and freedom they are giving us. If we keep bad habits
then we consciously of unconsciously are ok with being unhappy.
Secret # 5 : Welcome Change Learning is only the first step. Necessary
follow-ups are conviction, determination, action and effort. A strong
determination to change then enables action. The final effort is also critical.
To start we need a strong willingness or wish to start. And we need to develop
enthusiasm and a sense of urgency. Tools to get this are goal-setting,
visualization and in general our imagination.
When we resist this change by clinging to something that is changing, we become
attached. We can’t be happy because we resist the change, what is futile. Of
course we can direct change up to a certain degree, but we can’t prevent it. The
key is to get into the river of life and direct the course of positive change.
Then the fear of change also vanishes.
Secret # 6 : Develop a Long-Term Perspective To develop good habits and to
build up positive states we need a certain inner self-discipline. If we are
focused on short-term pleasures this is very difficult. If we evaluate the
effects of short-term and long-term oriented behavior it becomes clear what is
more helpful on the long run.
We
need a wider perspective. This long-term perspective helps to build up
happiness.
Secret # 7 : Know the Meaning of Suffering. Suffering is the opposite of
happiness. We have to identify the causes (not only the symptoms)that lead to
suffering and then eliminate them. If we suffer it’s not very pleasant of
course, but nevertheless it might be a very valuable lesson. We seem to learn
the most from our so-called failures.
If
life shows us that something is wrong – by suffering – we have that feedback
which we need to trace back to its causes and transform those. There is no
reason to give in, it is just valuable feedback that we needed to change.
Secret # 8 : Develop Deep Relationships It's clear that the quality of our
relationships is very connected with our level of happiness. Deep relationships
are based on openness, truth and respect. That allows meaningful communication
between two human beings, not of two humans playing roles. And if the only
basis of a relationship is attraction, the relationship is not based on respect
and cannot hold for long.
Often what is spoken of as love is not true love, it is confused with
attraction, which also includes attachment. True love is non-conditional. So to
build a truly satisfying relationship it’s best to get to know another person's
deeper nature and relate to her/him on that level, instead of on superficial
characteristics.
Secret # 9 : Develop a Sense of Compassion In the western world the word compassion comes with a flavor of weakness. But what about a compassion that comes from a very strong and able mind, wouldn’t that be a wonderful ability to possess? Genuine compassion, as the Dalai Lama speaks about, originates from the realization that every human being is ultimately the same as every other human being.
Genuine compassion is a state of mind which is non-violent, non-harming and
non-aggressive. This attitude is based on the wish for others to be free of
their suffering and is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility
and respect for the other. It creates a positive, friendly and secure
atmosphere. To develop compassion we can take the wish to be free of suffering
for ourselves and then cultivate it to include and embrace others.
Secret # 10 : Release Your Buddha Nature The nature of our mind is very pure.
It has the qualities of clarity and knowing. Buddhists call the Buddha Nature
"the mind of clear light" (Enlightenment) where no negative thoughts
or emotions arise. It shines through if we are quieting all abstract concepts
and thoughts and become aware of the underlying stillness of the mind directly.
"You can eliminate the harmful effects by cutting off the specific
branches or leaves, or you can eliminate the entire plant by uprooting it"
Dalai Lama in The Art of Happiness.
Dalai Lama makes clear the obvious: everybody on earth
is seeking happiness. I want to make one point, that is clear to me today: the
right to happiness and the ability to achieve it is within everybody.
EVERYBODY. And this guide to happiness as described by the Dalai Lama in his
book is the way that many other people walk to develop and free themselves
towards a happy life.
Ultimately all causes of suffering find their root
in ignorance. To overcome negativity towards happiness we can apply the
antidote to ignorance: the wisdom factor. It is the true nature of reality.
Thank You Very Much Sompong Yusoontorn.
I HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY THIS.
Ask harsh or Ask HARSH on Anything. . .
No comments:
Post a Comment