Wednesday, September 27th., 2017
Not 42: Dalai Lama's Revelation on the Meaning of Life
©
REUTERS/ Clodagh Kilcoyne
During
a meeting with cultural luminaries from Russia and the Baltic States,
the Dalai Lama explained what compassion and peace of mind have to do
with the meaning of life.
When
one of the people attending a meeting with the Dalai Lama in Riga,
Latvia asked the Buddhist spiritual leader about the meaning of life,
the latter replied that if one were to discard the various religious
concepts and adopt a purely scientific point of view, the answer becomes
surprisingly clear: "we are here and now, and we want joy and
happiness, and no one wants any trouble," according to RIA Novosti.
"Furthermore, we’re social animals, with love and compassion ingrained into our being by nature," he added.
Dalai Lama explained that according to Buddhist teachings, in order
to avoid problems, maintain his health and to attain happiness a person
requires peace of mind.
"Not a single doctor would tell you to be
anxious and angry; they would say 'Relax and calm down!'. Doctors know
that solace is good for one’s health while fear and anger literally
devour a person’s nervous system," he said.
And the key spiritual technique that helps a person to achieve peace of mind and boost one’s confidence is compassion.
Dalai Lama also pointed out that compassion helps people foster trust
in each other, and that "trust is the basis of friendship."