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    How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
    How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
    How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
    Ebook118 pages2 hours

    How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World

    By His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins

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    About this ebook

    Each one of us is responsible for all of humankind, and for the environment in which we live. . . . We must seek to lessen the suffering of others. Rather than working solely to acquire wealth, we need to do something meaningful, something seriously directed toward the welfare of humanity as a whole. To do this, you need to recognize that the whole world is part of you. —from How to Be Compassionate

    The surest path to true happiness lies in being intimately concerned with the welfare of others. Or, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama would say, in compassion.

    In How to Be Compassionate, His Holiness reveals basic mistakes of attitude that lead us to inner turmoil, and how we can correct them to achieve a better tomorrow. He demonstrates precisely how opening our hearts and minds to other people is the best way to overcome the misguided ideas that are at the root of all our problems. He shows us how compassion can be a continuous wellspring of happiness in our own lives and how our newfound happiness can extend outward from us in ever wider and wider circles.

    As we become more compassionate human beings, our friends, family, neighbors, loved ones—and even our enemies—will find themselves less frequently in the thrall of destructive emotions like anger, jealousy, and fear, prompting them to become more warmhearted, kind, and harmonious forces within their own circles. With simple language and startling clarity, His Holiness makes evident as never before that the path to global harmony begins in the hearts of individual women and men. Enlivened by personal anecdotes and intimate accounts of the Dalai Lama’s experiences as a student, thinker, political leader, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, How to Be Compassionate gives seekers of all faiths the keys to overcoming anger, hatred, and selfishness— the primary obstacles to happiness—and to becoming agents of positive transformation in our communities and the world at large.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtria Books
    Release dateMar 1, 2011
    ISBN9781451623925
    How to Be Compassionate: A Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
    Author

    His Holiness the Dalai Lama

    Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He frequently describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. Born in northeastern Tibet in 1935, he was as a toddler recognized as the incarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama and brought to Tibet's capital, Lhasa. In 1950, Mao Zedong's Communist forces made their first incursions into eastern Tibet, shortly after which the young Dalai Lama assumed the political leadership of his country. He passed his scholastic examinations with honors at the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa in 1959, the same year Chinese forces occupied the city, forcing His Holiness to escape to India. There he set up the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, working to secure the welfare of the more than 100,000 Tibetan exiles and prevent the destruction of Tibetan culture. In his capacity as a spiritual and political leader, he has traveled to more than sixty-two countries on six continents and met with presidents, popes, and leading scientists to foster dialogue and create a better world. In recognition of his tireless work for the nonviolent liberation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In 2012, he relinquished political authority in his exile government and turned it over to democratically elected representatives. His Holiness frequently states that his life is guided by three major commitments: the promotion of basic human values or secular ethics in the interest of human happiness, the fostering of interreligious harmony, and securing the welfare of the Tibetan people, focusing on the survival of their identity, culture, and religion. As a superior scholar trained in the classical texts of the Nalanda tradition of Indian Buddhism, he is able to distill the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy in clear and inspiring language, his gift for pedagogy imbued with his infectious joy. Connecting scientists with Buddhist scholars, he helps unite contemplative and modern modes of investigation, bringing ancient tools and insights to bear on the acute problems facing the contemporary world. His efforts to foster dialogue among leaders of the world's faiths envision a future where people of different beliefs can share the planet in harmony. Wisdom Publications is proud to be the premier publisher of the Dalai Lama's more serious and in-depth works.

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    Reviews for How to Be Compassionate

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    • 5/5
      Anger is a selfish emotion, and the anecdote to it is compassion. This simple, easy to read book is filled with wisdom that is quickly forgotten if not practiced. Instead of letting anger out; it must be mollified with selfless thoughts and motives.
    • 4/5
      This books reads like a combination of Proverbs, Ethics of the Fathers and The Letter of Nachmanides, with particular emphasis on the opening anger portion of the latter. Increasingly I'm looking for inner tranquility and equilibrium so that I can successfully deal with all the idiots that surround me and so that I could be a better father and husband. More and more, I prefer my life advice to come from sources untainted and untinged by religious mores. Because, if you delve into the matter, The Bible is filled with examples of bad - not good - parenting. Have a closer look.
    • 5/5
      This book was really easy to read, follow and understand. It has practical advice which I have shared with others who have no interest in the Dalai Lama or Buddhism and they expressed their gratitude for the ideas shared. Highly recommended.

    Book preview

    How to Be Compassionate - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

    HOW TO BE COMPASSIONATE

    A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

    1230 Avenue of the Americas

    New York, NY 10020

    www.SimonandSchuster.com

    Copyright © 2011 by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

    Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D., is the translator into English and editor of the original oral Tibetan materials.

    All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

    First Atria Books hardcover edition March 2011

    ATRIA BOOKS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

    The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

    Manufactured in the United States of America

    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    ISBN 978–1–4516–2390–1

    ISBN 978–1–4516–2392–5 (ebook)

    Contents

    Foreword

    Introduction: Recognizing the Source of Happiness

    1. Does Anger Protect You?

    2. Learning That Tough Circumstances Can Be Valuable

    3. Cherishing Others as a Way to Happiness

    4. We Are Our Own Troublemakers

    5. Losing Perspective in Intense Situations

    6. Being Ready for Change

    7. Is Anger Useful?

    8. The Conflict Between Appearance and Reality

    9. The Malleable Nature of the Mind

    10. Compassion, the Root of Relationships

    11. Compassion, the Road to Relief

    12. Compassion, Based in Equality

    Conclusion: Compassion, the Basis of Human Rights

    Review of the Exercises

    Selected Readings

    Foreword

    When the Chinese Communist government in Beijing hears that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been invited to visit a country, it immediately files an objection with that nation’s leaders, who all too often then find his visit to be inconvenient, or downscale the visit, or make it personal. What do Chinese officials fear? The Dalai Lama has no army, no economic power, and no political cards to play. He advocates nonviolence and compassion. What do they fear?

    The Chinese Communist government in Beijing offered to negotiate with His Holiness anywhere at any time, so long as the Dalai Lama did not bring up the topic of Tibetan independence. He has not raised that topic since 1978, but still, the response from Beijing has been to make all sorts of conditions. What do they fear?

    His Holiness the Dalai Lama has inspired the rebuilding of Tibetan cultural institutions outside of Tibet. He has asked the religious and political leaders of the world to look beyond their narrow interests to the greater good. He has advocated paying attention to the basic needs of all people, regardless of religion or politics—placing an emphasis on compassion and kindness. Is this what is feared?

    Unlike Mao, who said power comes from the barrel of a gun, the Dalai Lama says the greatest power comes from compassion in your heart—the power to gradually create harmony and peace throughout the world. In Tibetan, and increasingly in English, he speaks with breadth, depth, intelligence, humor, and sincerity that inspire insight and motivate people to dedicate themselves to the welfare of others. I believe that he has inspired more people to work together with him on more books than any leader in world history.

    In this brief book, I have gathered essential teachings of this world-renowned leader, whose message—that compassion is essential for individuals and for the world—is as renowned as the bearer himself. When we think of the Dalai Lama, we immediately think of the compassion he embodies, to which he has devoted his entire life.

    In these pages, he calls us to pay attention to our own hearts—to our orientation to everyone and everything around us. His Holiness points out mistakes of attitude, how we make them, and how we can correct them for a better future. He begins by explaining how caring for others can be a profound source of happiness on an individual level, which can then be extended outward in wider and wider circles. Then, in nine subsequent chapters, he describes basic mistakes that lead to personal turmoil and interpersonal disruption, along with solutions for these problems. He focuses on the nature of hatred, because of its central role in undermining our potential for unbounded compassion, and then asks us to examine the nature of consciousness so that we understand how transformation of attitude is possible. This leads to three chapters on how to implement compassion in daily life, and a final chapter of heartfelt advice on how to live with greater and greater care and concern for all beings.

    The Dalai Lama’s full name, translated from Tibetan into English syllable by syllable, is Leader, Holiness, Gentleness, Renown, Speech, Dominion, Mind, Goodness, Primordial, Wisdom, Teaching, Hold, Vastness, Ocean, Being, Triad, Controlling, Unparalleled, Glory, Integrity. (Tibetan: rJe btsun ’jam dpal ngag dbang blo bzang ye shes bstan ’dzin rgya mtsho srid gsum dbang bsgyur mtshungs pa med pa’i sde dpal bzang po.) Here is a poem I wrote in the mid nineteen-seventies, inspired by the Dalai Lama’s name.

    Leader of the world recognized for true holiness, Gentleness personified in persuasive renown, Speech of compassion pervading the planet in its dominion, Mind of altruistic endeavor reaching all in its goodness, Primordial in the depth and range of profound wisdom, Teaching encompassing all phenomena in its hold, Vastness of love’s deeds rippling throughout life’s ocean, Being so merciful displayed in suffering’s triad, Controlling the unruly through kindness unparalleled, Glory in forms of endeavor sealed in total integrity, May the teacher of the world, bearing compassion And wisdom indissoluble, see all obstacles dissolve.

    Throughout the thirty-nine years that I have known the Dalai Lama and during the ten that I served as his chief translator on lecture tours in the United States, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Great Britain, and Switzerland, I have witnessed how he embodies compassion to the very core of his being. It is important for us to recognize that this insightful, compassionate, humorous, and marvelous person rose from Tibetan culture. We need to value that culture as one of the world’s great wonders.

    Tibetan culture extends far beyond Tibet, stretching from Kalmyk Mongolian areas near the Volga River (in Europe where the Volga joins the Caspian Sea), Outer and Inner Mongolia, the Buryat Republic of Siberia, Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, and parts of Nepal. In all of these areas, Buddhist ritual and scholastic studies are conducted in Tibetan. Youths came from throughout these vast regions to study in Tibet, especially in and around its capital, Lhasa, but also throughout its three provinces, usually returning to their own lands after completing their studies (until Communist takeovers in many of these countries).

    This highly accessible book, made so by the Dalai Lama’s long fascination with science and his three decades of interacting with international scientists, draws from a long tradition of Tibetan techniques for transformation of mind and heart, reminding us of the importance of maintaining a homeland for its preservation. The light shining through His Holiness Dalai Lama’s teachings has its source in that marvel of spiritual culture, offering insights and practices that we and the world so sorely need.

    Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D.

    Emeritus Professor of Tibetan Studies

    University of Virginia

    Introduction: Recognizing the Source of Happiness

    Our lives are in constant flux, which generates many predicaments. However, when these are faced with a calm and clear mind supported by spiritual practice, they can all be successfully resolved. By contrast, when our minds are clouded by hatred, selfishness, jealousy, and anger, we not only lose control, we lose our sense of judgment. At those wild moments, anything can happen. Our own destructive emotions pollute our outlook, making healthy living impossible. We need to cleanse our own internal perspective through the practice of wise compassion.

    When you are caught up in a destructive emotion, you have

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