In this video you'll learn about the world’s most outspoken and influential spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, as he recounts his epic and engaging life story.
Video Summary by Wisdom For Life
Key Takeaways
The point of Buddhism is to transform the mind, so that we free ourselves from suffering and its causes.
First you must know your mind, then how it functions so that you can eliminate the three mental poisons – ignorance, desire, and hatred.
"You must analyze the stream of consciousness."
1. We are all just human beings.
When it comes down to it, we all want the same things in life – love and happiness.
No matter where you’re from or what your background is, we are all alike. We are all seeking happiness and avoiding suffering. We all want to be free and to decide our own path in life.
Realizing this creates empathy because you see that everyone is just like you. We’re all just trying to do our best to get by in this crazy world.
When you look at someone else, see this in them. See that they simply want the same thing that you want as well.
2. We are all connected.
We are all brothers and sisters. Technically speaking we’re all at least 50th cousins, so we really are family. Check this video, Pedigree Collapse, out if you want to know more.
Treating everyone like an old friend or a distant family member has helped me personally. I used to have the worst road rage. I was a real asshole. I would get so wound up anytime someone cut me off on the road.
If you change your mindset to see everyone as an old friend or a distant family member, you become much more kind.
When someone cuts me off in traffic now, I just say to myself, “hey that’s one of my distant cousins. That person is family, I’ll cut him some slack.”
You’ll be surprised at how much more forgiving you are to other drivers if you think this way.
3. Have a compassionate attitude.
Have a compassionate attitude – kind, peaceful, and gentle.
"The highest level of inner calm comes from the development of love and compassion. The more concerned we are with the happiness of others, the more we increase our own well-being, friendliness, and warmth toward others relaxed mental tensions and help us dissipate fears or insecurities so that we can overcome obstacles. This is the ultimate source of success in life."
Even when you’re faced with another person’s negative behavior, practice compassion.
Practice compassion even with your enemies. This creates a warm and relaxed atmosphere where you welcome someone and show them understanding.
In life, people reflect your behavior. If you attack, they will become defensive. If you’re open, they will let their walls down.
An attitude of compassion is one that is calm, patient, and able to reason. Compassion is a sign of strength.
On the other hand anger is a sign of weakness. Is it easier to have an outburst or is it easier to control yourself and use reason and patience?
We’ve all snapped before, so I think this one’s pretty obvious.
Being compassionate takes skill, so practice, give it time and learn from your mistakes. Be sincere and think of solutions.
Compassion leads to other positive emotions like forgiveness, tolerance, inner strength, and confidence.
"No doubt some people will try and take advantage of your attitude. If your calm seems to encourage unfair aggression, be firm, but with compassion. If it turns out to be necessary for you to prove your point by severe countermeasures, do so without resentment or bad intentions."
4. Always look for the good.
Everything is relative, so try and adopt a holistic perspective in order to see the good and bad situations.
Focusing on what’s good about life can change your whole outlook. Asking what you’re grateful for can train your brain to appreciate the abundance we have, rather than the lack.
Remember, what you focus on grows, so pay attention to what you’re focusing on throughout the day. Are you complaining or seeing the opportunities?
5. Learn to develop peace of mind
There are two kinds of suffering: mental and physical.
Suffering is usually the mental variety, so we need to focus on developing peace of mind.
Meditation can help you heal. The Dalai Lama meditates, prays, and studies for five hours a day. He meditates on emptiness, interdependence, and the impermanence of life.
You can meditate on the same topics. Meditating on each will bring different insights.
- For example awareness on interdependence brings about less violence.
- Meditating on death and accepting death as a natural process of life can help you become clear on what you want your life to be about.
Next you want to focus on creating an inner temple.
Don’t be so consumed with the external world of possessions and things. Material progress can only get us so far. It can improve our daily life, but it can only make us so happy.
In order to move past that barrier we have to work on our inner development.
"Material progress and a higher standard of living improved comfort and health but do not lead to a transformation of the mind, the only thing capable of providing lasting peace."
Desire for possession is very powerful. It crystallizes attachment to the self and what is mine. Happiness comes from a spiritual place, rather than the fleeting pleasures of material gains.
Grasping material goods reinforces self-centeredness.
Next you want to watch your mind. Observe how it behaves. Watch your stream of consciousness throughout the day. When some form of negativity enters, treat it like a thief in the night and cast it out.
You also want to abandon negative actions. Let go of ego and abandon all extremes, opinions, and concepts.
6. Realize that there is no self. We are all one.
The ego creates the sense of separation. So see beyond the desires of the ego, and tap into that deeper consciousness the soul, spirit, God or whatever you want to call it.
The part of you that has always been and always will be. Your deepest being beyond your personality and your mind.
When you realize that we are all one, you can’t possibly have hate towards another person because there is no other, there is only I.
If that sounds a little crazy and far fetched, check out the book, “On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are,” by Alan Watts, “The Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle or “The Impersonal Life” by Joseph Benner. All fantastic books.
Egocentricity reinforces isolation and separation.
How do you fix this? You stop saying I, me or mine. Egoism is against nature because it ignores interdependence.
7. Be more nature minded.
Earth is our only home, so we must protect it.
Practice moderation, respect for nature, and don’t act against it.
We come from nature. We are nature. So why act against it? Live in balance with it.
See again that we are all one. See the interdependence of it all, and see that without nature, we wouldn’t be.
8. Choose the way of peace
This requires determination and patience, but is better than the alternative.
The world can’t become peaceful through force, that just creates more injustice.
9. Be tolerant of other religions and ideologies
All spiritual traditions are good and help millions of people. They all have their place and that particular view is helpful to certain people and cultures.
We must accept the truth of other traditions – even if it is against ours – because it has its own reason for being.
Keep your mind open and tolerant. We need brotherly exchanges between religions. This is what will create mutual understanding and respect.
10. Laugh often and smile
It’s contagious.
11. Practice altruism
Living a life of selfishness is very dark and lonely.
"The root of happiness is altruism – the wish to be of service to others."
Final Notes
1. Everyone must assume responsibility. In order to change the world, you must first start with yourself. If we ourselves haven’t transformed, how can we help other transform? It starts with you.
2. We need to have kindness and compassion in everything we do throughout life. If what you’re doing isn’t in alignment with kindness and compassion, you need to rethink it.
3. Don’t just read and understand these insights, apply them. They need to become a part of your everyday life.
Progress a little bit every day. Study, reflect, and meditate daily and implement the wisdom you have acquired.