The life of an amazing person. Interesting facts about the Dalai Lama What they say about the Dalai Lama

Hello, dear readers - seekers of knowledge and truth!

The key figure and personification of Tibetan Buddhism can rightfully be considered the Dalai Lama. For hundreds of years, Avalokiteshvara, one of the most revered deities of Buddhists, has been embodied in the person of a Lama, each time being reborn as a spiritual teacher.

This article is a biography of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama - our contemporary, another envoy to serve for the good of the world. Today, this good-natured old man in big glasses, with a sparkling sense of humor, smiles, speaking with his speeches in different parts and corners of the world, and his truthful statements are parsed into quotes all over the world.

However, there were many ups and downs on his life path, and we will briefly tell the whole story of the great man, help you find out where he comes from, how the lamas realized that he was the chosen one, what hardships and hardships the newly-made Teacher had to face, and what helped to sow the seeds of reconciliation on our planet.

Family and childhood

In 1909, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama visited the village of Taktser in northeastern Tibet and, amazed by the beauty of the local landscapes, said that he would like to visit here again. In 1933 he died. But the wish of the deceased was destined to come true.

In these hilly places, in the village rising above the valley, life was not rich. Twenty families living here were engaged in agriculture - they grew potatoes, oats, wheat.

Two years later, on July 6, 1935, a son was born to some poor peasant husband and wife. It was their ninth child of sixteen, but only seven were destined to survive. So, later the boy had four brothers and two sisters.

He was named Lhamo Thondul, which in Tibetan means the goddess who fulfills dreams. Child with female name, having matured, treated this circumstance with humor.

In these parts, the gender of the child does not affect the choice of name.

The birth of Lhamo did not foreshadow the appearance of a great man in the family. His two older brothers were tulkus - reincarnated lamas, and to imagine that there will be three in a simple family of "incarnates" is simply incredible. But still there was a good omen when the baby was born - his father was healed of a serious illness.

He now remembers his parents with warmth. Although the father was rather hot-tempered, the 14th Dalai Lama remembers them as the kindest souls of people. In one of his autobiographical books, he pays tribute to his simple origin, because thanks to this he was able to understand the life of poor people from Tibet, which means to sympathize with them and try with all his might to save them from suffering.

Meanwhile, a special detachment led by the regent went in search of the reincarnated Dalai Lama. The visions of the elder lama and many signs helped in this. Soon the search party went to the Kumbum monastery, and then saw a house on the roof of which a juniper tree grew - here was the future Dalai Lama.

To make sure that the baby is really a rebirth, he is given a special check. In particular, from the items offered, he must unmistakably choose the items of his predecessor.

"My! My!" murmured the three-year-old boy, grabbing his predecessor's personal belongings and glasses among a number of other things. He chose all the necessary items, and search party there was no doubt at all. So the baby became the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso.

His native village was controlled by China, and the Tibetan government had long negotiations with local authorities to allow him to leave the borders. small homeland. Finally, in July 1939, Tenzin said goodbye to his parents, and a long caravan took him to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Republic.

The three-month journey was finally over, but it was not easy for the boy - he, four years old, was torn away from his family, he was very bored, as he himself writes in his memoirs.

On February 22, 1940, Tenzin was officially enthroned in a solemn ceremony. But then I had to study for almost twenty years to get the status of a doctor of Buddhist philosophy - Geshe Lharamba. At the age of six, the Dalai Lama began teaching the sciences according to the traditional system.

He wandered from the Portal to Nor-bu Ling - between his residences, winter and summer. In the meantime, studies did not stop for a day under the strict guidance of two mentors. Each other was replaced by lessons on the art and culture of Tibet, logic, medicine, metaphysics, philosophical sciences and other disciplines.

By the age of twenty-four, Lama had reached the heights of learning, which he proved in the preliminary examinations at the three main Tibetan universities. In 1959, the main monastery of the capital took the final exams from the Dalai Lama.

In the morning, afternoon and evening, he showed knowledge in the field of various sciences to thousands of scholar-monks, answered questions, took part in disputes, which eventually brought him the degree of Geshe-lharamba.

The Difficulties of the Young Lama

In 1950, the young student was given all the political powers to govern the country. Meanwhile, Tibet is going through hard times. better times- Communist China is advancing on its territory and intends to subjugate the local people. A fifteen-year-old boy became the full ruler of six million people who were threatened by a terrible war.

Gathering all his will into a fist, the Dalai Lama sent his delegations to the West, to America and Great Britain, hoping to count on their help, because the Chinese army far outnumbered their own.

But the call for help went unheeded. A year later, Tibet became part of the People's Republic of China.

Being an opponent of violence in any of its manifestations, throughout the fifties the Dalai Lama tried to peacefully coexist with the conquerors. In 1954, negotiations were held with the ruling elite of China, headed by Mao Zedong, but this did not lead to visible results.

The soldiers of the Chinese side continued to persecute the Tibetan part of the population, and as a result, this resulted in a mass uprising of the latter, which was supported by the Tibetans in many territories. The rebellion was brutally suppressed by opponents.

On March 17, 1959, under the cover of night, the Dalai Lama, along with his associates, was forced to flee to India in hiding. The Indian government gave him and thousands of Tibetans political asylum in the northern town of Dharamsala, where Master lives to this day.

Gradually, Tibetan culture was revived on Indian soil: the educational system was recreated by the Lama and his associates, and the main institutions were opened. The entire Tibetan government-in-exile is located here.

While in the homeland of Tibetan Buddhism there were only grains of former temples, monuments, masterpieces of literature, the Indian city became a "little Lhasa".

spiritual activity

After the sad events and the expulsion of the Tibetans from their native expanses, the Dalai Lama did not give up trying to protect his people. He again turned to the West, and this time he waited for a helping hand - before 1965, three UN resolutions were signed that promised protection to the Tibetans.

During this same period, the "Charter of Tibetans in Exile" was drawn up, a draft constitution that advocated democracy and freedom.

As then, in the sixties of the last century, so now the Dalai Lama speaks not for the complete independence of Tibet from China, but for autonomy within this country. He sincerely wishes to sow peace throughout the world and even suggested creating a special zone for this - a zone of ahimsa, non-violence, peace, joy and kindness.

He would like to make such a zone first in Tibet, disarming it, returning it to its roots - the harmony of man and nature - and then expanding the borders, spreading the area of peaceful existence throughout the planet.

For such good intentions and real actions for the reign of peace in Tibet, the Dalai Lama XIV in 1989 was awarded Nobel Prize.

Subsequently, he did not abandon his spiritual mission, he spread his ideas around the world, including the West, for which he deservedly received many awards, the list of which is even difficult to enumerate.

For many years this great person traveled the world, visited dozens of countries on six continents, met with many political figures, representatives of the scientific world, participated in inter-religious dialogues, wrote more than seventy books, autobiographical and philosophical treatises, delivered important lectures.

Many of the largest universities on the planet gave him a Ph.D., and Canada granted him citizenship.

Tenzin Gyatso was the first Dalai Lama to become a prominent figure on an international scale.

He was also many timesin Russia: three times - back in time Soviet Union, twice - during the transitional period (1991 and 1992), and then - three times in modern times. He visited the capital and the "originally Buddhist" republics of our homeland.

Despite the fact that the 82-year-old spiritual leader resigned his political powers in 2011, he continues to sow virtue and fight for peace. His sincere smile, supported by a clear kind look, gives millions faith in light, a peaceful sky and a prosperous future.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! We will be grateful if you share this article with your friends on social networks.

God works in mysterious ways. Anyone who seeks advice will always find an answer. So I, in my search for truth, came across the teachings of Tibetan monks, which contain an invaluable storehouse of worldly wisdom. Simple words are always closer to the heart and soul. Therefore, the words of the Dalai Lama reach every person and change his attitude towards himself, towards others and, most importantly, towards the world.

Dalai Lama this is a unique title and honorary status. AT modern world Dalai Lama is the title of the ruler of Tibet. In the past, the Dalai Lama was considered the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva. Bodhisa?tva. “being with awakened consciousness”, the term consists of two words - “bodhi” and “sattva”) - in Buddhism, a being (or person) with bodhichitta, who has decided to become a Buddha for the benefit of all beings.

Translated from Mongolian, "Dalai" means "ocean", "Lama" (bla ma) in Tibetan is equivalent to the Sanskrit "guru" and means "teacher".

The title of the Dalai Lama is movable. After the death of the Dalai Lama, the monks organize a search for his next incarnation. Usually this Small child, which must have certain characteristics and pass tests. The search usually takes several years. Then the child goes to Lhasa, where he is trained under the guidance of experienced lamas.

Currently, the holder of this honorary title is Dalai Lama XIV Tenzin Gyatso. He was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Taktser in the Dokham region in northeastern Tibet. He left his parents' house and went to Lhasa. The enthronement ceremony of the 14th Dalai Lama took place on February 22, 1940.

Unlike his predecessors, His Holiness traveled extensively in the countries of the East and West. He visited 41 countries, met with politicians, clergy, cultural figures, and businessmen. He is the author, some of the most worthy you can find in ours.

TENJIN GYATSO: "I FEEL, I KNOW THAT THE WORLD IS BECOMING BETTER AND KINDER"

The wisdom of the Dalai Lama XIV Tenzin Gyatso only increases every year. His statements turn into aphorisms and parting words for those who want to be happy and live a happy life! His speeches will be voiced in different languages of the world. They gather hordes of people who listen with bated breath to every word.
All performances can be listened to or read on his website - http://dalailama.ru/

Famous sayings of the Dalai Lama

These lines have spread all over the world, and have become very popular on the Internet.
The Dalai Lama said:

1. Please note that big love and great success comes with great risk.
2. When you lose, you don't lose experience.
3. Follow the eternal three rules:
a) Respect yourself
b) Respect others
c) Be responsible for your actions.
4. Remember that what you want is not always what you really need.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them correctly!!!
6. Don't let a little pride ruin a great friendship.
7. If you made a mistake, apologize.
8. Sometimes you need to listen to yourself in private.
9. Feel free, but don't overstep boundaries.
10. Remember that sometimes silence is the best answer.
11. Live a decent life so that later, in old age, you have something to remember.
12. A loving atmosphere is the backbone of your life.
13. In disputes, speak only about the present, do not recall the past.
14. Share your knowledge. This is the way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the Earth. love her
16. Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationships are those in which each half, no matter who she is with, remembers you.
18. Sometimes you have to give up what you want in order to get it.

The true meaning of life

We are guests on this planet. We've been here for at most 90 or 100 years. During this time, we should try to do something good, something useful. If you help others become happy, You will discover the true purpose of life, its true meaning.

Precious human life

Every morning, when you wake up, start by thinking: “Today I was lucky - I woke up. I am alive, I have this precious human life, and I will not waste it. I will direct all my energy towards inner development, To open my heart to others and achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I will only have good thoughts for others. I will not get angry or think ill of them. I will do my best to help others."

Correct landmarks

If you choose as a guide a person who is inferior to you in his merits, then this will lead you to decline. If it becomes someone whose merits are comparable to yours, then you will remain at the same level. But if you decide to rely on a person who is superior to you in his merits, then this will help you reach a higher state.

Dmitry Volkov is an Internet entrepreneur and investor who founded Social Discovery Ventures (SDVentures) in the late 1990s with partners. It develops and receives royalties for the use of its technologies and intellectual property. For philanthropic activities, Volkov created the SDV Arts & Science Foundation, which supports projects in the field of modern technological art and philosophy. Volkov is seriously engaged in philosophy, in June he defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic "Free Will". He recently co-organized the first meeting of leading Russian scholars with Buddhist monks. During this meeting, Volkov met with the Dalai Lama. He told The Secret about this meeting and how philosophy helps modern science.

Meeting the Dalai Lama

The lobby on the third floor of the Taj Hotel in Delhi is filled with people: elderly monks in saffron-colored kashai, secretaries and assistants in business suits, a bearded Indian guard in a blue turban. I look forward to an audience with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, Nobel Prize winner and former head of the Tibetan government. The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 am - the time when his many hours of daily meditation ends. The Dalai Lama is never late, and sometimes shows up early for meetings, against protocol. Therefore, I came early to think over the conversation again: what is important to ask about? What can I say? “His Holiness is waiting,” comes the voice of my guide, Telo Tulku Rinpoche, confidant of the Dalai Lama and chief coordinator of this meeting. We met him six months ago at Drepung Monastery at a symposium on consciousness. It was then that I first met the Dalai Lama himself and agreed to meet again.

For the last 15 years, I have not only run a business, but also a philosophy, and these studies have become a second profession. Philosophy teaches critical thinking, makes you doubt generally accepted standards and "truths" - this is very useful for innovative and technological businesses. To create something new, you need to doubt that the old is the best possible.

I am most interested in analytic philosophy and its central problem - the relationship between consciousness and the brain. This is an attempt to clarify how the thought and feeling of "I" comes from the neural processes that take place in our head. Even Descartes thought about the problem of consciousness (remember the famous: “I think, therefore I exist”), but, unfortunately, he did not know how the brain works. Now scientists and philosophers, armed with MRI, EEG, PET and other scanning tools, know much more, and there is hope that the problem of consciousness can be solved.

On the problem of consciousness, I wrote a diploma when I received the second higher education, then - Ph.D., and recently - doctoral. I have always looked for answers to my questions in Western science and never in Eastern philosophical thought. Therefore, participation in a conference in a Buddhist monastery was a somewhat extraordinary event for me.

The symposium I attended half a year ago is an annual event. It lasts about a week and gathers several thousand guests: monks, scientists, teachers, school teachers and other people. It is organized by Buddhist monks who study ancient texts and spiritual practices, and scientists from the American Emory University (Emory College of Arts and Science). In 1998, this university and Tibetan monks created the Emory-Tibet Partnership curriculum, which allows students to live in a monastery and better understand Tibetan culture, and monks who want to receive modern knowledge to study and receive degrees at the university. The program was founded by former Tibetan monk Lobsang Tenzin Negi. He became a geshe (Buddhist monastic academic degree) in his monastery, and then continued his studies at Emory University and received a Ph.D. in 1998. At the university, he is engaged, for example, in studying the effects of meditation together with neurophysiologists and other scientists.

The Dalai Lama is always present at the symposium. Last year, in particular, he listened to a speech by the neuroscientist Christoph Koch, one of the most famous scientists studying the problem of consciousness. His Holiness and Koch met in 2013, and, as Koch himself wrote in his books, this meeting turned his ideas about meditation upside down and made him study this practice carefully.

This year, American scientists talked about how the psyche works and how its work changes under conditions of meditation from the point of view of science, about how the brain processes information, and Buddhists about how the same phenomena are considered in the Buddhist tradition. After the reports, there was a short debate, the Dalai Lama gave his comments and accepted questions from the audience.

I was impressed by the interest of the listeners, and even more so by the Dalai Lama's competent comments on scientific reports. He spoke about the structure of the brain, and about quantum physics, and about the Big Bang, and about important trends in modern science with great understanding: “The Buddhist philosophical tradition is based on logic, if we rely on logic, we should not have contradictions with modern natural sciences." It was unexpected and very pleasant to hear from a religious leader - and resonated with my own ideas about philosophy.

“Your Holiness, these are Russian philosophers. They came to Drepung for the conference as observers” - after one of the sessions, they introduced me and Doctor of Philosophical Sciences Victoria Lysenko. The Dalai Lama immediately responded: “Russian? It's great that they came to visit. I would like them to join our dinner." This caused some commotion in the environment, as the places for dinner were booked. But we were still seated. It was then, at this dinner, that we planned the next meeting, a dialogue between Russian philosophers and scientists in Delhi and a personal audience. “It would be interesting to hear the opinion of Russian scientists on the issues discussed here. And compare our points of view,” the Dalai Lama said at the dinner.

Second meeting

So, six months have passed since meeting the Dalai Lama at the summit, and we actually organized a meeting of Buddhist monks with Russian scientists in Delhi. Tatyana Chernigovskaya, a philologist and neurolinguist, psychologist Yuri Aleksandrov, a neurobiologist Konstantin Anokhin and other scientists came with me. I walked down the corridor to the Dalai Lama's room and thought back to our previous meeting. Will he recognize me? What would you like to talk about? The assistant opened the door. He led me to a table at the head of which sat the Dalai Lama.

“Dmitry is one of the organizers of the dialogue, which begins in the near future. Prominent Russian neurophysiologists, neuroscientists, cognitive psychologists, geneticists, Buddhist scientists and philosophers will take part in it,” the assistant announced. The Dalai Lama laughed benevolently, “That is very good! I was in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and tried to communicate with Soviet scientists. Soviet science was very progressive, but when I spoke to scientists about consciousness, they said it was a religion. Don't you think so now?" Consciousness was indeed an unpopular topic in Soviet science. However, not only in the Soviet.

For a long time, Western scientists studied a person from the position of an outside observer - they measured external manifestations and effects. Consciousness cannot be studied in this way, the specificity of consciousness is that its content is available to us primarily from the first person. However, now a revolution has come and scientists have ceased to be afraid inner peace. This is due to the flourishing of neurophysiology and the progress of the cognitive sciences. They opened up the possibility of studying the work of the brain, and with it various mental processes. It became possible to explain much of what used to be miraculous properties of the brain. Russian scientists have made significant progress in this, and I told the Dalai Lama about this.

He nodded approvingly: “I am very interested in science. When I was a child, I took apart and put back toys to understand their construction. Then came the interest in science. Science is consistent with the teachings of the Buddha, because the Buddha stated that one should not trust a teacher simply because he is a teacher. The teaching must be analyzed and independently verified for its truth. - "And what sciences do you consider the most important now?" The Dalai Lama began to list: “Physics, especially quantum physics, cosmology, neurophysiology. These sciences expand our understanding of the world, of its most important components.” The choice sounded quite consistent, because it is in these disciplines that an important role is assigned to consciousness and there are theories that can potentially be consistent with the Buddhist picture of the world.

Soon we found another point of intersection, now between Buddhist thought and analytical philosophy - the idea of personal identity.

The philosophical problem of personal identity is the search for what unites a person throughout life: in infancy, childhood, youth, maturity and old age. Usually people do not notice this problem. They simply assume by default that the "I" continues to exist from birth until death. What if it's not? If your "I" dies every time you fall asleep? And when your body wakes up, someone else is born in it with your memories? You believe that you existed in childhood and will exist in old age. But why? On what basis do you think that the person who will receive your pension will be yourself? Your body changes completely, all your values, priorities, moral qualities can change, you can lose your memory. What, besides the name and date of birth, will unite you now and after, say, 30 years? I asked the Dalai Lama about this: “At the Moscow Center for the Study of Consciousness, we are now working hard on the problem of the identity of the “I”. All cells of the human body change many times throughout life, the psyche completely changes. What allows you to talk about the preservation of personality?

The Dalai Lama smiled and folded his hands over his stomach. Obviously, this topic was also close to him: “Indian thinkers have been thinking about this for more than 3,000 years, especially in connection with reincarnation. In India, there is a belief that people are reborn in another body, so the body as the basis for personal identity must be denied. According to supporters of the non-Buddhist tradition, the atman, the spiritual principle, is reborn. This spiritual principle is eternal, one and unchanging. But in Buddhism the existence of atman is denied. Attachment to the eternal unchanging self, according to the Buddha, is the source of suffering. Therefore, this idea should be abandoned.

In Buddhist teachings, the "I" is compared to a chariot. The chariot is made up of different parts, each of which is not a chariot. But according to their combination and functionality, the entire object can be a chariot. The same is the case with personality. It has different parts: mental and physical processes. Their totality constitutes one person. But even for neuroscience, the search for such an unchanging essence of "I" would be a mistake. The very assumption that personality can be found somewhere inside the brain is erroneous and can lead to long, meaningless searches.

I nodded. On this issue, our points of view almost coincided, and the Buddhist metaphor perfectly illustrated the ideas developed by analytical philosophy that a person is a complex composite entity that consists of parts extended both in space and in time. The spatial parts are the organs of the body. And temporary - childhood, mature and old age.

We talked about this for some time, comparing and comparing Western and Buddhist philosophical positions, and when the time for the audience began to come to an end and we both had to go to the hall where the conference began, I asked: “What do you expect from the future meetings with Russian philosophers and scientists?” - “Russia is a huge country with rich scientific traditions. I am very sorry that active cooperation with Russian scientists has not yet been conducted. In the West, there is already a lot of research on how Buddhist meditation practices affect the psyche. I would like similar studies to be carried out by Russian scientists. Research into empathy, its nature and mechanisms would be very useful. This is especially important now, at a time when many conflicts are escalating.”

I couldn't help but agree. Empathy and compassion are the basis of Buddhist philosophy and, in my opinion, one of the most relevant topics for science. By learning and learning how to use the mechanisms of compassion and empathy, we can make the world a better and safer place. Science will be able to clarify for Buddhists the objective foundations of some of their beliefs, and Buddhists will be able to enrich science with ethical and moral ideas.

With these thoughts, I left the Dalai Lama's room and went to the conference room. A few minutes later, the first dialogue between Russian scientists and Buddhist monks began.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke, psychiatrist Howard Cutler wrote down, and Factrum publishes the most important.

1. Empathy, sympathy

Sympathy, as St. John of Damascus wrote - "displeasure at the misfortunes of others." We experience true sympathy, regardless of who is in front of us - a friend, an enemy, or a person completely unknown to us.

The mental and psychic benefits of empathy are scientifically proven. Among them - deep satisfaction from the fact that we help people, and even higher life expectancy!

To develop this quality in ourselves, we must show empathy towards other people and actively try to look at things from the point of view of another person, try to understand his motives.

Example: a taxi driver is trying to “rip off” you more than it should. Instead of getting angry, you should try to find common ground between you and this person. Perhaps you are both tired, hungry and want to get home to your family as soon as possible. And the taxi driver, most likely, also does not earn enough to spend his free time with loved ones. Ask yourself, "How is this person?" Such questions allow you to develop a sense of empathy and muffle your irritation. Empathy is the key to more happy life.

2. Not just romance: love is more than what we think it is.

Warm personal relationships with other people increase our level of physical and mental comfort. But people mistakenly believe that deep feelings are only possible in a romantic relationship. And as a result, those who do not have such relationships often feel lonely and unhappy.

In the East, intimate (deep, very personal) relationships are understood much more broadly. The Dalai Lama says that he has a close attachment to many people. For example, he repeatedly discussed matters of national importance with ... a cleaning lady who washed his floor. Making contact with another person means making your life happier, he says.

When interacting with other people, we often encounter problems. In such cases, it is important to understand what our relationship with them is based on. Romantic relationships based on sex or the Western ideal of love at first sight may not last long if they do not have a long-term component.

But long-term relationships are based on respect and respect for the other person. This kind of relationship suggests that we must learn the nature of our partner, and this takes time. Mark Twain once said, "No man or woman knows what perfect love is until they've been married for a quarter of a century."

3. Religion and spirituality

Another important component of a happy life is spirituality. Researchers around the world note: “true believers” are more likely to create a happy family and maintain health throughout their lives. Any of the world's leading religions gives a person the opportunity to live a full life.

Spirituality also develops outside of religion - there is its "everyday" version. Everyday spirituality consists of fundamental human values: kindness, empathy, care. If we practice these qualities, then we get closer to all of humanity, we get inner peace and we can live happier, "with peace in the soul."

4. Suffering is a natural part of life

Pain is a universal and absolutely natural component of life. In the West, they often do not understand the importance of suffering in life, and if something goes wrong, they feel like victims of an evil force.

But suffering is inevitable. For example, we are all mortal and someday we will grow old and die. Ignoring this fact is only a temporary solution to the problem. Every person will sooner or later face suffering - and in this case, our mental attitude is extremely important. If we treat suffering as something unnatural and unfair, then we will feel like victims and start looking for the guilty instead of looking for the roots of our discontent in our own heads.

The fault of the people of the West, says the Dalai Lama, is the resistance with which they accept change. We are tightly attached to the things that are important to us - attached, perhaps too much. But change is a constant and universal force. Trying to resist them, we will suffer because of the loss of things dear to us.

Another source of unnecessary suffering is attachment to negative past experiences. We constantly remember what we want to forget and do not let our wounds heal. So, divorced people for years retain a sense of dislike for their former partner.

But if we accept the fact that pain is a natural thing, we can bear it more easily. and take a step towards a happier life.

5. End with negativity

The Dalai Lama is convinced that negative states - rage, fear - prevent one from achieving a natural, happy state of mind. They can be compared to poison.

But feelings with a plus sign - love, compassion, patience, generosity - act on them like medicines, compensating for the harm caused by negative emotions, moods and behaviors.

To implement good habits, you first need to understand why the change is necessary. Understanding should be turned into conviction, it into firm determination. In this way - and with the help of discipline - we will be able to make the necessary changes.

The Dalai Lama himself claims that it took him 40 years to adopt Buddhist principles and practices. The four hours he spends on prayers and mantras each day are meant to remind him of how and where he has decided to lead his life.

6. Look from the other side

If people encounter a problem on their way, most often they perceive it unambiguously “with hostility”. But in most cases, we can see in it both bad and good. Each situation can be looked at differently. Sitting next to an airplane nervous person, we can be indignant - or we can “pump” our skill of patience and tolerance.

Changing the angle of view can help find in pain and suffering ... pluses! A problem can become a challenge for us - and, as you know, "what does not kill us makes us stronger." Learning to look at things in this way requires a tempered spirit—in other words, a certain amount of mental flexibility. How to "forge" your spirit in this way? Recall the suffering you experienced and look at it in a new way.

7. Analyze it

The biggest enemies of a person on the path to happiness are anger and hatred. If they cover our mind, they quickly destroy inner peace. They suppress our ability to judge things soberly - so we act in a way that only worsens the situation and inflames even more. Studies show that the tendency to anger and hatred has a negative impact on our health - up to cardiovascular diseases.

Rage and hatred cannot be simply suppressed in oneself. The opposite path will not help either - by giving vent to negative emotions, you will only provoke yourself. The right decision is to overcome anger with patience and tolerance. The Dalai Lama advises: if you are overwhelmed by anger, take an internal pause and analyze the situation. Where does our anger come from? What caused this? Is it destructive or constructive? Analyzing our anger logically, we oppose it with our patience and reason - and thereby defeat it.

Long-term happiness is possible, but it takes inner discipline to achieve it. Happiness is not the result of any external factors like wealth or good fortune. Work on your empathic abilities, develop spirituality in your daily life, become a more flexible person, and begin to relate to pain and suffering in a new way.

The Foundation for the Promotion of the Preservation of the Cultural and Philosophical Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism “SAVE TIBET” under the spiritual guidance of Telo Tulku Rinpoche brings to your attention a new programmatic book by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “More than Religion. Ethics for the whole world. In it, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism continues the theme of a purely secular approach to ethics and the dissemination of basic human values, which implies respect for all religions and beliefs, including atheistic ones. These ideas were first expounded by the Dalai Lama in the best-selling book Ethics for the New Millennium, and since then he has tirelessly developed them, convinced that no single religion can satisfy the needs of all people - they have too different inclinations for this. The reason for many of the difficulties that humanity continues to face in the 21st century, the Dalai Lama sees is that we pay too much attention to material values forgetting about such important qualities as compassion and patience. In "More Than Religion. Ethics for the whole world ”The Dalai Lama gives practical instructions on how to learn to control your mind, manage emotional states and make moral values an integral part of your life, not only for your own good, but also for society as a whole.

Dalai Lama
More than religion. Ethics for the whole world.
Published in consultation with Aitken Alexander Associates Ltd.
and The Van Lear Agency LLC

Translation from English by N. Inozemtseva. General version by Y. Zhironkina
Proofreader I. Moskalenko
Cover design by I. Serdyukov
Layout S. Hos

ISBN 978-5-905792-18-2
Moscow: Save Tibet Foundation, 2016.
224 p., hardcover

You can buy the book at a reduced price in the Buddhist online store dharma.ru

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Welcome to the first chapter of Rethinking Secularism, in which the Dalai Lama explains why, as a Buddhist monk himself, he addresses the topic of secular ethics.

Intrinsic Values in the Age of Science

I have devoted my life to religion, but religion alone cannot solve all our problems.

Not too long ago, I attended the official opening ceremony of a new Buddhist temple in Bihar, one of the most populous and impoverished states in northern India. The Chief Minister of Bihar, an old friend of mine, delivered a beautiful speech in which he expressed his confidence that the state would now prosper with the blessings of the Buddha on it. When it was my turn to speak, I remarked, half in jest, that if Bihar's prosperity had depended on the Buddha's blessing alone, it would have come a long time ago! After all, it is here that the holiest place for Buddhists is located - Bodhgaya, where the historical Buddha achieved full awakening. If we want to bring about real change, then just the blessing of the Buddha, no matter how powerful, or prayer alone is not enough for us. We must act. And here we cannot do without the abilities and efforts of the Chief Minister and other people like him!

I don't mean to say that blessings and prayers are useless. On the contrary, I believe that prayer provides invaluable psychological help. However, it is also true that seeing its tangible fruits is often not so easy. When it comes to getting concrete, immediate results, modern science, for example, is much more powerful than prayer. A few years ago I became ill, and the thought that people were praying for me certainly brought me comfort. But I must admit that I was much more encouraged that the hospital where I was treated was equipped with the latest equipment for the treatment of my illness!

Over the past two hundred years, humanity has achieved impressive success in mastering various aspects of the material world. In light of this progress, it is not surprising that many today are wondering if religion is really necessary. Things that previously could only be dreamed of - the eradication of diseases, space travel, computers - thanks to science have become a reality. So it is quite understandable why today more and more people place all their hopes in science and even believe that the material means that it provides can bring them happiness.

But while I understand that science can shake faith in some aspects of traditional religion, I see no reason why scientific advances should also undermine our understanding of intrinsic or spiritual values. On the contrary, in the era of science, the need for internal values becomes more urgent than ever.

Ideally, if we want to make a persuasive case for intrinsic values and a moral way of life, then, living in the age of science, we should state our position using exclusively scientific terms. And while this cannot yet be done on the basis of rigorous research data alone, I am sure that over time we will receive more and more reliable confirmation of the importance of internal, moral values.

I am certainly not a scientist, and exposure to modern scientific disciplines was not part of the education I received as a child. However, since I have been living in exile, I have done a lot to catch up. For more than thirty years, I have regularly met with researchers and specialists in a wide variety of fields, including physics, cosmology, biology, psychology, and, more recently, neuroscience.

In the contemplative traditions of all religions, the study of the world of human consciousness and inner experiences plays an important role, so one of my goals at such meetings is to get acquainted with how science explains such phenomena as thoughts, emotions and subjective experiences.

Today, science in general, and especially neuroscience, is increasingly interested in the issues of the work of consciousness and emotions, which were almost never dealt with before. This gives me optimism. I am also very pleased with recent changes in the scientific methodology applied in these areas, whereby the traditional scientific principle of objective third-party verifiability of results is now used in the study of subjective experiences. An example of this approach is the work of my late friend Francisco Varela in the field of neurophenomenology.

In addition, me long time ago occupies the question of the possibility of scientific substantiation of the impact of contemplative practice and the conscious development of such qualities as compassion, loving-kindness, attention and peace of mind. It always seemed to me that if science could confirm not only the reliability, but also the beneficialness of the results of such practices, then they could be introduced even through the general education system.

Fortunately, there is now ample evidence in evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and other fields to show that, even from the most rigorous scientific point of view, selflessness and caring for others is not only in our own interest, but even, in a certain sense, is inherent in the biological the nature of man. I believe that such testimonies, combined with reflection on our personal experiences and simple common sense, can make a strong case for educating fundamental human values without any basis in religious principles or faith. And I only welcome it.

Appeal to secularism

The foregoing forms the basis of what I call secular or secular ethics. I know that some people, especially among my brothers and sisters who profess Christianity and Islam, do not really like the term "secular" that sounds in my mouth. For some, this word itself means a complete denial of religion, or even a completely hostile attitude towards it. It may seem to them that by using it, I am advocating the exclusion of religion from ethical systems, or, moreover, from any sphere of public life. I mean something completely different. In my understanding of the word "secular" I start from the sense that is usually given to it in India.

Modern India has a secular constitution and prides itself on being a secular state. In India, the word "secular" not only does not carry the connotation of rejection of religion or believers, but, on the contrary, implies a deep respect and tolerance for all faiths. It also signifies acceptance and impartiality, which extends to unbelievers.

This understanding of the word "secular" - implying mutual tolerance and respect for all faiths, as well as non-believers - is rooted in the particular historical and cultural past of India. In the same way, the Western understanding of this term, it seems to me, originates in European history. I am not a historian, and certainly not an expert in this matter, however, it seems to me that as the rapid development of science in Europe grew, the desire for greater rationalism also grew. And rationalism, among other things, demanded the rejection of what then seemed to be obsolete superstitions. Since then, for many radical thinkers, the appeal to rationalism has entailed and entails the rejection of religious faith. A clear example of this is the French Revolution, which became the embodiment of many new ideas of European enlightenment and at the same time had a strong anti-religious orientation. Undoubtedly, the denial of religion had an important social background. Religion was treated as something conservative, tied to tradition; in the perception of people, it was directly associated with the old regimes and their flaws. This historical past is the reason why, for more than two hundred years now, many prominent thinkers and reformers in the West have regarded religion not as a means of liberating man, but as an obstacle to progress. Marxism, one of the most influential secular ideologies of the twentieth century, even denounced religion as "the opiate of the people," with tragic consequences when communist regimes in many parts of the world began to brutally repress religions.

I think it is precisely for these historical reasons that the idea of secularism in the West is so often perceived as hostile to religion. Secularism and religion are often seen as two opposite and mutually exclusive positions, and there is a fair amount of suspicion and hostility between their adherents on both sides.

Although I cannot agree that religion hinders the development of mankind, I still believe that anti-religious sentiments are quite understandable in a historical context. As unpleasant as it is to admit, history teaches us that at one stage or another, almost all religious institutions and adherents of various faiths were engaged in exploitation. Religion has also often been used as a pretext to start conflicts and oppress people. Even Buddhism, with its doctrine of non-violence, cannot be completely freed from such accusations.

Therefore, if behind the negative attitude towards religion, in the West or elsewhere, there is a desire for justice, then such a view should be respected. Moreover, it can be said that those who point out the hypocrisy of believers who violate their own proclaimed moral principles, and those who rebel against the injustices perpetrated by clergy or religious institutions, actually strengthen spiritual traditions and benefit them. However, in evaluating such remarks, it is necessary to distinguish between criticism directed against religion as such and against religious institutions, which are far from the same thing. In my opinion, the notions of social justice are in no way contrary to the principles that religions adhere to, since all the great spiritual traditions consider it their duty to preach the most positive of human qualities and cultivate such values as kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience and integrity of the individual. .

Secularism in India

Personally, the word "secularism" does not cause fear in me. On the contrary, it reminds me of the authors of India's secular constitution, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Rajendra Prasad, whom I had the honor of knowing personally. They supported secularism in every possible way, not in an effort to get rid of religion, but rather to formalize religious diversity in India. Mahatma Gandhi, the mastermind behind the Indian constitution, was himself a deeply religious man. During the prayer meetings he held daily, texts from scriptures and chants of all the main spiritual traditions of the country. This remarkable example is still followed in public ceremonies in India to this day.

The religious tolerance of which Gandhi embodied was nothing new in India. She has ancient history going back more than two millennia. Evidence of this is, for example, stone columns dating back to the reign of Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. The inscription on one of them instructs "to show respect for the religion of another person, for in this way you will strengthen the foundations of both your own and someone else's faith." In addition, Sanskrit literature conveyed to us the classical culture, which was distinguished by intellectual tolerance and a rich tradition of disputes. In India, many philosophies have been hotly debated since ancient times. Even views that strongly resemble modern materialism and atheism occupy an honorable and respected place in the history of Indian spiritual traditions. In classical philosophical writings, one can find many references to the Charvaka school, whose followers denied the existence of any God, soul, or afterlife. Representatives of other directions often fiercely criticized the views of the Charvaka for nihilism, which did not prevent them, however, from taking seriously its radical materialistic position as a philosophical doctrine, and calling the founder of this school a rishi (sage). Adherents of the Charvaka ideas also enjoyed a certain recognition and respect from some Indian rulers, many of whom showed amazing tolerance towards other faiths. One example of this approach is the Muslim emperor Akbar, who had conversations with followers of Hinduism, Christianity and other religions.

Some time ago, I had a very enlightening conversation on this subject with the former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Lal Krishna Advani. He suggested that it was to its centuries-old culture of tolerance, diversity, and debate that India owed its remarkable success in maintaining a secular democracy. I'm sure he's right. Today most of Indians profess Hinduism, but many other religions are very widely represented in India. This country has the second largest Muslim population in the world - a fact that is not appreciated by many in the West; however, there are millions of Sikhs and Christians, as well as large communities of Jains, Buddhists, Zoroastrians and Jews. In fact, there are so many ethnic and religious minorities here that it would be difficult to list them. On top of that, in modern India, people speak hundreds of different languages. In the thick of this amazing human diversity on the streets of Indian cities, one can often see a Hindu temple and a Muslim minaret standing next to each other. And in most villages among the inhabitants there are representatives of several religions.

Not too long ago, I met a scholar from Romania who had traveled to many Indian villages while conducting research. He told me about a Muslim settlement in Rajasthan where only three Hindu families lived. Contrary to the scientist's expectations, the members of these families did not experience any fear or apprehension. I believe his surprise is the result of exposure to the Western media, which paints an inaccurate picture of intercommunal relations in India. There have indeed been cases of violent clashes between representatives of different groups of people, but it would be a mistake, based only on these unfortunate events, to judge the situation in the entire subcontinent. Despite such individual episodes, India, with all its diversity, by and large maintains peace and harmony in society. It is clear that the ancient Indian teachings of ahimsa, or non-violence, are flourishing and serving as the cornerstone of the peaceful coexistence of all faiths in the country. This is an outstanding achievement and others could learn from it.

Tolerance in the era of globalization

Sometimes I call myself a modern messenger of ancient Indian thought. Two important messages that I try to spread wherever I go - the principles of non-violence and inter-religious harmony - originate in the ancient Indian heritage. My homeland is, of course, Tibet. However, I believe that I have reason to call myself a son of India. Since childhood, my mind has been nourished by classical examples of Indian philosophy. Since the age of six, when I began to study the monastic disciplines, most of the texts that I became acquainted with were written by Buddhist teachers from India, and among them many came from the ancient Indian monastery of Nalanda. My body, in turn, with early years my mature life is nourished by Indian food - rice and dal (lentils).

So I am happy to share the ideas of Indian secularism and promote them in every possible way, because I am convinced that they can bring great benefit to all mankind. In today's interconnected and global world, we are accustomed to people of different worldviews, faiths and races living side by side. This often strikes me when I travel, especially to Western countries. For a large proportion of people, it can be assumed that their neighbor, colleague, or employer speaks a different language, eats different food, and professes a different religion than themselves. And, most likely, it will be so.

This means that we urgently need to find ways to cooperate with each other in a spirit of mutual acceptance and respect. For while many people enjoy living in a cosmopolitan atmosphere where they can come into contact with a wide range of different cultures, there are no doubt many who find it difficult to be around people who belong to a different culture and speak a different language. This can cause misunderstanding, fear and hostility, and in the worst case, turn into open hostility and give rise to new ideologies of discrimination on racial, national or religious grounds. Unfortunately, we see that social tension is a fairly common phenomenon throughout the world. Moreover, the current economic migration is likely to further exacerbate this problem.

I believe that in such conditions it is vitally important for us to find a truly balanced and universal approach to ethics, inner values and the education of a whole person, which would go beyond the boundaries of religious, cultural and racial contradictions, referring to fundamental human qualities. I call this search for a balanced, universal approach the secular ethics project.

I must admit that in the process of developing this approach, I meet people who, although they agree with my explanation of secularism in the Indian sense of the word, nevertheless doubt the wisdom of separating ethics from religion. Some followers of theistic traditions cherish such strong distrust to an attempt to separate these two concepts, that I was even asked several times not to use the word "secular" in public speeches on the topic of ethics. Quite obviously, there are people who believe in all sincerity that the separation of ethics from religion is in itself a huge mistake, which gives rise to many social and moral problems in modern society: family breakdown, a growing number of abortions, sexual promiscuity, alcoholism, drug addiction and others. For them, these problems are a direct consequence of society's loss of religion, the only basis on which internal values are based. For people in whom faith and living in accordance with ethical standards are so tightly linked, it is difficult even to think that religion and ethics can be separated. Those for whom there is no truth outside of God believe that only God can force people not to violate ethical principles. They argue that in the absence of God as a guarantor, relative truth is at best possible—where what is true for one will not be so for another. Under these conditions, there is no way to distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, no reason to restrain yourself and your inner destructive impulses or cultivate inner values.

While respecting this point of view, I do not share it. I do not agree that ethics must necessarily be based on religious principles or on faith. On the contrary, I firmly believe that ethical behavior can emerge as a natural and logical consequence of the very fact that we are all human and live on the same planet.

Religion and ethics

Although this book is not about religion per se, I believe that in the interests of understanding and respect between those who have faith and those who do not, some attention should be paid to the relationship of religion and ethics.

For thousands of years, religion has been the cornerstone of human civilization. It is quite natural that caring for others and all the inner qualities that flow from it - kindness, honesty, patience and the ability to forgive - have long been described mainly in religious terms. In all major religious traditions of the world, both theistic and non-theistic, these qualities, along with self-discipline, the ability to be content with little and generosity, are glorified as a sure way to fill life with meaning and content. This is not surprising. Since religion deals primarily with the realm of the human spirit, it is logical that the cultivation of these qualities - so beneficial both to our own spiritual well-being and to the well-being of others - should be an integral part of any religious practice.

In general, the belief systems on which world religions rely, justifying the importance of certain internal qualities, can be divided into two categories.

The theistic traditions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam belong to the first group. In their conceptions of ethics, these religions ultimately proceed from their inherent understanding of God as the creator and absolute basis of all that exists. From a theistic point of view, the entire universe is part of divine creation and design, and therefore the very fabric from which the universe is woven is sacred. And since God is infinite love, or infinite compassion, love for one's neighbor is a continuation of love for and service to God. In many theistic traditions, we find the belief that divine judgment awaits us after death, and this is another strong incentive for self-restraint and caution in earthly life. For a sincerely believing person, submission to God can play a significant role in weakening egoism and thereby laying a solid foundation for a moral and even altruistic worldview.

The second category includes non-theistic religions, including Buddhism, Jainism and one of the branches of the ancient Indian philosophical school Samkhya. They do not believe in divine creation, instead the law of cause and effect is the central principle, and the universe is considered to be without beginning. In the absence of a creator as the basis for moral life and education of inner values, non-theistic religions build ethics on the concept of karma. The Sanskrit word "karma" simply means "action". Thus, when we talk about karma, we mean all intentional actions performed with the help of body, speech, and mind, and when we talk about the fruits of karma, we mean the consequences of such actions. The doctrine of karma is based on the observation of the law of causal dependence, which is perceived as one of the laws of nature. Any deliberate action, word or thought entails a potentially endless stream of consequences. Combined with the idea of rebirth and subsequent lives, this understanding becomes a solid foundation for morality and the cultivation of inner values. For example, one of the key Buddhist teachings on developing compassion to establish an emotional connection with all beings suggests thinking that they were all once - in one of countless past lives - were our mothers.

Thus, justifying the need for moral consciousness and the education of inner values, all religions to a certain extent proceed from a metaphysical (that is, one that cannot be confirmed by experience) understanding of the world and the idea of an afterlife existence.

And if in many theistic religions the doctrine of divine judgment underlies the teachings of morality, then in non-theistic religions the doctrine of karma and future lives plays the same role.

In the context of religion - theistic or non-theistic - metaphysical understanding is of great importance, since it is based not only on the determination to lead a moral life, but also on concepts such as salvation or liberation. In fact, for a person practicing religion, a moral way of life and the highest spiritual aspirations are inseparable.

I am not one of those who believe that humanity will soon be able to do without religion at all. On the contrary, in my opinion, faith can make us better and can be extremely beneficial. Offering the idea of a human life that transcends the temporal physical existence, religion brings hope and strength to those in distress. The value of the world's major religions is discussed in some detail in my previous book, My Journey into the World of Spiritual Traditions. On the fundamental kinship of religions. But no matter how good a role religion plays in uniting people, giving them spiritual guidance and comfort, setting an example of right living, which one can strive to imitate, I do not think that spiritual life is impossible without it.

How, then, to substantiate the need for ethics and education of good inner qualities? What to rely on in search of spiritual values in the era of science, when religion seems to many to be meaningless? How can one move oneself towards a moral life without resorting to traditional creeds?

In my opinion, although people can live without religion, they cannot do without spiritual values. Therefore, my argument for the independence of ethics from religion is quite simple. In my understanding, spirituality has two aspects. The first is basic human spirituality, which is responsible for our spiritual well-being, by which I mean inner (mental and emotional) strength and resilience. This aspect does not depend on religion, it arises from our inherent natural predisposition to show compassion, kindness and concern for others. The second aspect can be called spirituality, arising from religion - we acquire it by virtue of upbringing and culture, and it is associated with certain beliefs and practices. These two aspects are related to each other like water and tea. Ethics and inner values without religious content are like water: we need them every day because they keep us healthy and help us survive. Ethics and inner values based on religion are more like tea. Tea is mostly water, but it also has other ingredients – tea leaves, spices, perhaps sugar, and Tibetan tea has salt – that make it more nutritious, fortifying, so we want to drink it every day. But no matter what recipe we take, the main ingredient in tea is always water. And if we can live without tea, then we cannot live without water. Similarly, we come into the world without religion, but from the very first day we need compassion.

We see that basic human spirituality is primary in relation to religion. Whether or not we have religious beliefs, we all have an inherent propensity for love, kindness, and warm feelings. Feeding this most important source of humanity - cultivating those best inner qualities that we value so much in others - we begin to live a spiritual life. Thus, we are faced with the difficult task of substantiating ethical principles and promoting the education of inner values, keeping pace with the scientific era, but at the same time not forgetting the deeper needs of the human spirit, the satisfaction of which many find in religion.

Human nature as the basis of ethics

In different cultures and philosophies, and in general among people there is no unity regarding the main direction of human nature. Instead, we meet a lot of very different opinions. To put it simply, at one end of the spectrum are those who believe that humans are naturally violent, aggressive, and competitive; on the other, those who claim that we are predominantly meek and kind. The majority, in assessing our qualities and inclinations, is located between these two extremes, leaning in one direction or another. In general, if we believe that destructive tendencies predominate in human nature, then most likely we will base ethics on factors external to ourselves. In our understanding, ethics will be a way to restrain destructive tendencies in the name of some higher good. If, for us, human nature is rather oriented towards goodness and the desire for a peaceful life is inherent in a person, then we can consider ethics as a completely natural and rational means for revealing our innate potential. In this case, ethics is not a set of rules to be obeyed, but principles of internal self-government that enable us to develop those parts of our nature that we believe are conducive to our own good and the good of others. My ideas are in tune with just the second approach.

Two Basic Principles of Secular Ethics

I am convinced that if we decide to take the inclusive approach to secular ethics that is most likely to be acceptable to all, we will need to recognize only two basic principles. Both of these principles are easy to grasp, based on our common human experience and common sense, and both of them are confirmed by the data of modern scientific research, especially in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and clinical medicine. The first is that we all belong to the human race, we all strive for happiness and do not want to suffer. The second is interdependence, a key characteristic of the reality in which humanity exists; a reality that implies, among other things, that from a biological point of view we are social animals. Based on these two principles, we can learn to appreciate the inextricable link between our own well-being and the well-being of others, develop a sincere concern for other people's well-being. I am sure that together they can become the basis on which to build moral consciousness and cultivate intrinsic values. It is these values that allow us to feel our connection with others, only by going beyond the narrow framework of self-interest, we find meaning and purpose in life, we experience satisfaction from it.

Before embarking on a systematic presentation of how I see this secular approach, it would be appropriate to briefly explain why I became interested in this issue, what motivated me and what influenced the formation of my ideas.

FROM early childhood I became a Buddhist monk and was raised in the Tibetan Mahayana tradition. In this context, my concepts of ethics and other matters, such as human nature and the pursuit of happiness, were formed. As far as my personal daily practice is concerned, the writings of the ancient Indian Nalanda tradition, which combines philosophical analysis, a moral lifestyle and meditation, have had the deepest influence on my attitude towards ethics. However, in presenting this book to the attention of readers, I do not at all seek to increase the number of Buddhists! On the contrary, when I am asked to give teachings on Buddhism in Western countries, I often say that I believe it is better for people in general not to adopt a religion that is not closely related to the culture in which they grew up and the education they received. Such a transition is fraught with difficulties and can plunge a person into confusion. I am driven only by the desire to contribute to the fact that humanity has become better. If the means offered by my own tradition are of any use to non-Buddhists, I think they are worth adopting. However, while working on this book, I did not think at all about promoting my religion. Instead, I encourage readers to do their own research. And if the insights gleaned from the classical philosophical heritage of India turn out to be of good help to you - great! If not, no big deal.

So, in the following chapters, I express my thoughts not as a Buddhist, and not even as a believer, but simply as a representative of the seven billion people of the planet who are not indifferent to the fate of mankind. May my work help to ensure that humanity has a future, and may it be bright.