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Published by Thorsons 1999
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© His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama 1995
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
Buddha motif by Rochelle Green
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780722539552
EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN 9780007388363 Version 2015-02-16
CONTENTS
PART ONE: CONTENTMENT, JOY AND LIVING WELL
PART TWO: FACING DEATH AND DYING
PART THREE: DEALING WITH ANGER AND EMOTION
PART FOUR: GIVING AND RECEIVING
The Book of Wisdom is an extract from the earlier publication of Power of Compassion – teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama given in May 1993 in London.
It is hoped that this extract – The Book of Wisdom – will bring His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message about the importance of love, compassion and forgiveness to a wider audience.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. In 1989 His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. Since 1959 His Holiness has been living in exile in India. Tibet continues to be occupied by Communist China.
The Office of Tibet, London
September 1999
I am a Buddhist and my whole way of training is according to the Buddhist teaching or Buddha Dharma. Although I speak from my own experience, I feel that no one has the right to impose his or her beliefs on another person. I will not propose to you that my way is best. The decision is up to you. If you find some point which may be suitable for you, then you can carry out experiments for yourself. If you find that it is of no use, then you can discard it.
His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
The basic fact is that all sentient beings, particularly human beings, want happiness and do not want pain and suffering. On those grounds, we have every right to be happy and to use different methods or means to overcome suffering and to achieve happier lives. It is worthwhile to think seriously about the positive and negative consequences of these methods. You should be aware that there are differences between short-term interest and long-term interest and consequences – and the long-term interest is more important. Buddhists usually say that there is no absolute and that everything is relative. So we must judge according to the circumstances.
Our experiences and feelings are mainly related to our bodies and our minds. We know from our daily experience that mental happiness is beneficial. For instance, though two people may face the same kind of tragedy, one person may face it more easily than the other due to his or her mental attitude.
I believe that if someone really wants a happy life then it is very important to pursue both internal and external means; in other words, mental development and material development. One could also say ‘spiritual development’, but when I say ‘spiritual’ I do not necessarily mean any kind of religious faith. When I use the word ‘spiritual’ I mean basic human good qualities. These are: human affection, a sense of involvement, honesty, discipline and human intelligence properly guided by good motivation. We have all these qualities from birth; they do not come to us later in our lives.
As humans, we all have the same human potential, unless there is some sort of retarded brain function. The wonderful human brain is the source of our strength and the source of our future, provided we utilize it in the right direction. If we use the brilliant human mind in the wrong way, it is really a disaster.
