My true religion is Kindness.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Kindness, Clarity, and Insight (1984)
Use itEssay on religion/humanism; kindness as the truest religion.
Quotes / Thinkers / Dalai Lama (14th)
Thinker · 24 quotes
Dalai Lama (14th) quotes for UPSC
24 sourced quotes by Dalai Lama (14th) on compassion & empathy, religion, tolerance & secularism, peace, non-violence & conflict, happiness & meaning of life, duty & responsibility, with a use case for each in GS4, Essay and interviews.
✓ Attributions checked against Wikiquote's sourced list
Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in Words Of Wisdom: Selected Quotes by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (2001) edited by Margaret Gee, p. 71
Use itGS4: compassion and tolerance are strengths, not weaknesses.
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in A Small Drop of Ink: A Collection of Inspirational and Moving Quotations of the Ages (2003) by Linda Pendleton
Use itGS4/Essay: love and compassion are necessities for human survival.
It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Ocean of Wisdom: Guidelines for Living (1989)
Use itGS4/Life: adversaries teach tolerance and compassion better than friends.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in Meditations for Living In Balance: Daily Solutions for People Who Do Too Much (2000) by Anne Wilson Schaef, p. 11
Use itLife/GS4: compassion brings happiness to both others and oneself.
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.
— Dalai Lama (14th)"A Talk to Western Buddhists" p. 89
Use itGS4: help others in deeds; at minimum, do no harm.
Ultimately, the reason why love and compassion bring the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else. The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence. It results from the profound interdependence we all share with one another.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Compassion and the Individual
Use itEssay on happiness; love and compassion arise from human interdependence.
Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job. It lies with each one of us individually.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Nobel lecture (1989)
Use itGS4/Essay on active citizenship; responsibility is not only leaders' but every individual's.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was a true Bodhisatva. His humility brought tears to my eyes.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama (1991)
Use itGS4/Interview: cite Dr Rajendra Prasad's humility as an Indian role model.
Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures.
— Dalai Lama (14th)On the killing of al-Queda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden by US military forces, as quoted in "Dalai Lama suggests Osama bin Laden's death
Use itGS4: forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting or forgoing necessary counter-measures.
We need a little more compassion, and if we cannot have it then no politician or even a magician can save the planet.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in Words Of Wisdom: Selected Quotes by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (2001) edited by Margaret Gee, p. 49
Use itEssay on environment; without compassion no policy can save the planet.
The time has come to educate people, to cease all quarrels in the name of religion, culture, countries, different political or economic systems. Fighting is useless. Suicide.
— Dalai Lama (14th)News conference in Vancouver, B.C. as quoted in The Globe and Mail. (8 September 2006)
Use itEssay on communalism and conflict; education to end quarrels over religion and nation.
Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Nobel lecture (1989)
Use itEssay on positive peace; lasting peace needs human rights, food security, freedom and inner peace.
Sectarian feelings and criticism of other teachings or other sects is very bad, poisonous, and should be avoided.
— Dalai Lama (14th)"A Talk to Western Buddhists" p. 87
Use itGS1/Essay on communalism; sectarian criticism is poison to be avoided.
All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness … the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in Especially for Christians: Powerful Thought-provoking Words from the Past (2005) by Mark Alton Rose, p. 19
Use itEssay on sarva dharma sambhava; all religions teach love, compassion and forgiveness.
Fundamentalism is terrifying because it is based purely on emotion, rather than intelligence. It prevents followers from thinking as individuals and about the good of the world.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Daily Telegraph interview (2006)
Use itGS3/Essay on radicalisation; fundamentalism runs on emotion and kills independent thought.
As Buddhists, while we practice our own teaching, we must respect other faiths, Christianity, Judaism and so forth. We must recognize and appreciate their contributions over many past centuries to human society, and at this time we must strive to make common effort to serve humankind.
— Dalai Lama (14th)"A Talk to Western Buddhists" p. 87
Use itEssay on interfaith harmony; respect other faiths and serve humanity together.
If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.
— Dalai Lama (14th)The New York Times (12 November 2005)
Use itEssay on science and religion; faith should update when science disproves it.
Media people should have long noses like an elephant to smell out politicians, mayors, prime ministers and businessmen. We need to know the reality, the good and the bad, not just the appearance.
— Dalai Lama (14th)News conference in Vancouver, B.C. as quoted in The Globe and Mail. (8 September 2006)
Use itGS2/Essay on watchdog journalism; media must sniff out the powerful's reality.
To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetimes is largely irrelevant. What we must do, therefore, is to strive and persevere and never give up.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World, Ch. 7 (2011)
Use itEssay conclusion: indifference is indefensible; strive for noble goals even beyond your lifetime.
Human happiness and human satisfaction must ultimately come from within oneself. It is wrong to expect some final satisfaction to come from money or from a computer.
— Dalai Lama (14th)The Path to Tranquility: Daily Wisdom (1998) edited by Renuka Singh
Use itEssay on consumerism; happiness comes from within, not money or gadgets.
Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend — or a meaningful day.
— Dalai Lama (14th)As quoted in "Tibet's Living Buddha" by Pico Iyer, p. 32
Use itLife: what matters is making each day and each friendship meaningful.
Time is always moving on; nothing can stop it. We can’t change the past, but we can shape the future. The more compassionate you are, the more you will find inner peace.
— Dalai Lama (14th)Official twitter page of the Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Tweet from 8. April 2019 11:30 am. Archived from the original on Ma
Use itLife: can't change the past, can shape the future; compassion brings inner peace.
Reason well from the beginning and then there will never be any need to look back with confusion and doubt.
— Dalai Lama (14th)The Path to Enlightenment (1994)
Use itGS4 on decision making; sound reasoning upfront avoids later doubt.