Dalai Lama XIV's Blog

Can you buy peace of mind? Can you remove fear surgically or mechanically? What destroys our peace of mind is anger and fear. If we cultivate compassion and love, we can counter anger and fear. So, we need to educate people about the way the mind works and our system of emotions.

If we can develop inner peace, we can build on it to create world peace. Many experts agree that our current education systems are inadequate. What we require is a more universal approach to human values that can appeal to everyone. There are grounds for hope.

My conversation with Greta Thunberg brought together scientists and spiritual thinkers to take a fresh look at the environmental crisis that we are all facing. From this came 'A Future We Can Love'—a book offering hope to all. Join us in creating a brighter future. shmb.la/fwcl

Today, we need to cultivate a sense of the oneness of humanity and work together to meet the challenges that affect us all. Scientists have warned about the climate crisis for some time. We cannot simply exploit this planet and its natural environment, we must take care of them.

Our aim is to be happy—to find peace of mind. I'm not talking about the next life, or anything to do with God, but about being peaceful, happy individuals here and now.

I wholeheartedly welcome the recent statement from the G7 Leaders’ summit in Hiroshima, Japan, calling for a “world without nuclear weapons”. bit.ly/3BQN9IS

Education should include training in how to be calm and unafraid. Since scientists now recognise the significance of warm-heartedness and peace of mind in personal and social well-being, it’s time training to cultivate such qualities was included in the general education system.

If you try to subdue your selfish motives—anger, and so forth-and develop more kindness and compassion for others, ultimately you yourself will benefit more than you would otherwise. So sometimes I say that the wise selfish person should practise this way.

My simple religion is that there is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart are our temple; and our philosophy is kindness.

Reason and analysis can help us understand the benefits of compassion. We learn that it yields peace of mind, which leads to inner strength—so fear and suspicion are reduced. If you think about it, you may see that destructive emotions are closely related to self-centredness.