Vision of The Dalai Lama Sampler

TH E V ISION OF
The DALAI LAMA

Wisdom for a
Compassionate
World
THE HEART OF
COMPASSION
Meditations to awaken
love—for yourself
and others
THE SCIENCE OF
COMPASSION
What really makes
us happy?
THE POWER OF
COMPASSION
The Dalai Lama’s
call to action
Selections from
the Lion’s Roar
Special Edition Richard Gere | Krista Tippett
Jon Kabat-Zinn | Sylvia Boorstein
Thubten Chodron | Michael Imperioli
Thupten Jinpa & more
W ELCO M E TO
T H E V ISI O N O F T H E DA L A I L A M A
The Message Our World Needs
I
T’S TIME we took the Dalai Lama seriously. a different level, simpler but more intractable—in
I know that sounds like a strange thing to say, our anger, self-interest, fear, greed—and only at
when the Dalai Lama is one of the best-known that deeper level can real transformation occur.
and most beloved figures in the world. But it’s We can think up clever policies and make grand
time we moved beyond the Dalai Lama as the pronouncements, but if in our hearts we’re really
jovial uncle, the kindly pastor to the world, the not moved by the suffering of others, then nothing
feel-good moment in the media. We have to listen will really change.
to what he is really saying to us. His message to the
world, and the “revolution of compassion” he leads, Simply put, real change happens in the heart, and
are important to our future. there the future of our world will be decided. So the
Dalai Lama recommends a “revolution of compas-
I’d venture to say that Pico Iyer is as close to the sion.” He recommends the kind of personal prac-
Dalai Lama as anyone outside his immediate circle, tices developed in Buddhism and other religions to
and in his beautiful personal essay in these pag- move our hearts toward others. And he tells us that
es, he reveals his innermost thoughts about His we must extend our caring from those we know to
Holiness after forty-five years as a friend, observer, those we don’t know, to all the suffering people in
and student. He lets us watch with him as the Dalai the world, and finally to all sentient beings.
Lama extends compassion and consideration to
all those around him, without regard for their age, The Dalai Lama is a very practical man. He
nationality, or station. He reveals the secret to the believes his approach of compassion and non-
Dalai Lama’s magic: kindness, the most valued of violence is not only morally correct but also the
all human qualities. most effective strategy. And wouldn’t it be one of
the best things we could do for humanity’s future
Yet even Iyer acknowledges that he can be mes- to prove him right? We place Gandhi and Martin
merized by His Holiness’ extraordinary personal Luther King Jr. in history’s pantheon not just be-
qualities, and fail to listen closely to what he is cause of their personal and spiritual qualities. We
telling us. There are many kind people in the world; place them there because they triumphed. They
all of us have kindness in us. It is not his kindness won the freedom of their people through the best
per se that makes the Dalai Lama important. It is possible means.
his message that kindness and compassion are the
basis—the only possible basis—for personal and That’s why when the Dalai Lama talks, we should
global transformation. And when the Dalai Lama listen. We should listen when he tells people to
says it, we believe him, because he so obviously stick to compassion and nonviolence, even in the
practices and embodies these qualities. face of terrible provocation. The world needs the
Dalai Lama’s message of kindness, compassion, and
This is the message humanity longs for and needs nonviolence, and the best message of all would be
to hear. Our problems, both personal and global, that it works.
seem so complicated, and at an intellectual level,
they are. But the real root of our problems lies at —Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief, Lion’s Roar
THE VI SI ON OF THE DA LA I L A MA | 1
EM B O DY I N G
C O M PA S S I O N
The Best of
Who We Are
How did an obscure Buddhist monk become perhaps the most
admired moral leader in the world? Reflecting on his forty-five
years of friendship with the Dalai Lama, PI CO I Y E R concludes
that it’s because the man and his message show us the best of
who we are as people.
N OBODY HOL DS ON E as
the Dalai Lama does. He can
hold you inwardly, as when a
six-year-old boy comes up to
His Holiness in a crowded hotel lobby, white scarf
extended, and the leader of the Tibetans brings all
his attention and presence—not just full-bodied, but
a Dalai Lama was. I see him roaring with laughter
and pulling the arm of his heart’s companion, Arch-
bishop Desmond Tutu, as they talk together about
how to transform society by never assuming any
outcome is final.
I see him finding the potential in a group of long-
haired, heavy-metal musicians in a conference room
whole-hearted—to the child. high above a busy city. And when a woman strides
He can hold you verbally, because even in English, forward and shouts abuse at him, outside an intimate
in a 50,000-seat auditorium, the Dalai Lama rises to a Tibetan temple near Hiroshima, I see him not turn
passion and intensity—when he’s speaking about his away from her, as most of us would, but walk right up
concern for the environment, the gap between rich to her and look deep into her eyes, before cradling her
and poor, the need for harmony between religions— face in his hands and holding her.
that refuses to let you go. Heads of state are trained to be aloof and watch-
He can hold you in memory too. Even the most ful, and to this day His Holiness’ bodyguards can be
P H O T O B Y E DW I N R E M S B E RG / A L A M Y S T O C K P H O T O
jaded journalists I know recall how shaking his hand, put out by the squadrons of burly Mongolians who
or seeing him at their high school, somehow reori- all but overwhelm their Tibetan hero in their eager-
ented their lives. ness to lay hands on him. In the age of celebrity, and
And literally. Whenever His Holiness puts his arms of globalism, everyone wants a piece of a being as
around me, I feel held, protected—blessed—as by ecumenical and open as the Dalai Lama. But when
nobody else I’ve met. I travel across Japan with His Holiness, as I’ve done
almost every November since 2005, I watch him
W H E N I T H I N K B A C K O N T H E F O R T Y- F I V E fondly rubbing the elbow of the elevator operator
years I’ve known His Holiness, I see him waving in a Yokohama shopping mall where he’s gone to
un-self-consciously to a friend in a tiny room in buy a new pair of glasses. When we stop for tea at a
Manhattan where he’s holding a press conference roadside 7-Eleven, the Dalai Lama stands at the door
in 1984, at a time when few Westerners knew what and extends a hand to every surprised truck driver
who enters. He’s almost never on a mountaintop or seques- cratically (the Dalai Lama having dethroned himself in the
tered behind walls, but always in our midst, leaning forward temporal realm).
toward us with a blessing or a smile. What all this speaks for are classical, essential principles
from which His Holiness never budges: forms are not impor-
W E H E A R S O M UC H T H E S E DAYS about being a “world tant, the values they speak for are. No need for traditional
citizen,” but we tend to gloss over the fact that global citizen- Tibetan clothing in the heat of southern India, he often says,
ship is a much harder honor to win than a Chinese or Cana- so long as the unique and still invaluable aspects of Tibetan
dian passport. It requires vision and exceptional powers of culture and language and philosophy are rigorously main-
tolerance and understanding. The Dalai Lama, as I watch him tained. Look deeper than that terrorist attack of yesterday
travel from Newark to Zurich, makes everyone feel at home night, he tells us; a disease cannot be cured until you tend to
on this globe, in part because he is so entirely at home wher- its root causes. And even the most expert physicians can never
ever he is. His home is deeply portable, and inward, which save us from mortality. All they can do—and these are the
should be a warning to anyone who wishes to erase Tibet healing powers His Holiness does have—is ease the suffering
from the map. in our hearts and minds right now.
Even as he has seen Beijing’s campaign to eradicate his peo-
ple’s identity and culture gain momentum, the Dalai Lama has T H U S I S I D L E T O WA R D T H E C O N U N D R U M of how a
not just made Tibet a part of every community from Berkeley monk born in a cowshed in a rural area three hours from the
to Sydney. He has found the universal part of his Buddhist nearest road, who grew up in one of the most isolated cor-
teaching that can sustain Hindus and Christians and the many ners of the planet, with almost no access to the outside world,
close friends who, as scientists, delightedly remind him that became the great global friend and teacher of us all.
they have no faith at all. Naturally, millions are inspired by how he stresses, at
It’s almost shocking, I think, to encounter a universally every turn, our connectedness (true to the Buddhist notion
respected religious leader who insists that religion is not para- of “dependent arising”). We are moved by his emphasis on
mount; that the thing we all need to focus on is the “secular what unites us, not what divides, and his insistence on the
ethics” of everyday kindness and responsibility. Not every- universal. When he keeps invoking empiricism and the laws of
one knows what to do when the most visible Buddhist in the science, what he’s trying to do is take us beyond parochialisms
world tells people across the globe not to become Buddhists, to truths—about peace of mind and compassion—that are as
even though they can surely learn from lamas and Buddhist global as the law of gravity.
neighbors, as well as from compassionate atheists and home- But beyond that, I think it’s the practicality of His Holiness’
less people. When we read of a philosopher in maroon robes message that offers every listener something concrete to incor-
growing tearful as he discusses the Gospels with a group of porate into their daily life. I remember how he told me point-
Christians in England, we realize there’s a way out of the poi- edly, the day after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, that
sonous divisions that are cutting up our world and leaving the world could be saved if only each one of us remembered to
every one of us with scars. turn out the light whenever we left a room. That same morn-
The Dalai Lama I know is not a mystic. When people ing, he pointed out that all even he could do was take one day
speak to him of “healing powers,” he offers a robust laugh at a time, work with whomever was in front of him, and try to
and says that, were he in possession of those, his stomach temper his expectations accordingly.
wouldn’t be hurting so much right now. He’s not an ideal- Often, when I see him give large public talks, someone will
ist. His commitment, as a Buddhist, is to reality and the stand up afterward and ask, with great sincerity, what to do
possibilities that lie within it. Nor is he attached to the if you really hope for world peace or environmental reform,
status quo. The institution of the Dalai Lama is of limited and it doesn’t seem to work out. “Wrong dream!” His Holiness
use in our new millennium, he says, so we can freely get rid responds with warmth, going on to point out that we have to
of it—so long as Tibetans have strong spiritual leadership be rigorously realistic in our aspirations. If we aim to change
to go with the political leadership they now enjoy demo- our habits, and maybe those of people close to us, we might
meet with some success. If we hope to transform the world
overnight, we’ll surely be disappointed.
P I C O I Y E R is the author of Autumn Light, an It’s striking—and typical—that the Dalai Lama published a
exploration of impermanence and the beauty that hides major book under the title Beyond Religion. In truth, he admit-
within it, and A Beginner’s Guide to Japan. ted to me, it was an editor who chose that possibly misleading
10 | L IO N SR OA R .CO M
Meaningful
Moments
with the
Dalai Lama
name for the book. But he did indeed wish to stress the princi-
ples and qualities that lie beyond the claims of any one tradition.
We all know how easy it is to lecture about the golden rule,
I MADE THE but how can we live it? His Holiness tells a large audience to
DALAI LAMA SMILE try saying hello to their neighbors and to smile at strangers in
the street. A few weeks later, I meet a young drifter who tells
MY HEART FILLS WITH JOY, WELLS UP WITH
me that he now does that all the time, because it’s such a direct
warmth, and tears spring to my eyes when I think
and everyday lesson.
of His Holiness. When I am down, I meditate on his
The Dalai Lama admits he doesn’t know the answer to
teachings and remind myself how he has endured
many a question—especially about marriage and raising
many difficulties in his life. When I fall, I remember
children—and sometimes, unable to offer a solution, simply
what he told me, “You are an artist who creates
invites a questioner up to the stage so he can hold her. As we
beautiful art,” and I rise again.
hear how the leader of the Tibetans begins his prayers each
I don’t adore him blindly just because he is
morning thinking about his “Chinese brothers and sisters,”
“The Dalai Lama.” I admire him because he walks
every one of us, in Kashmir and Jerusalem and Nicaragua, can
his talk. He says that we humans are all the same
think about how we might deal with the people we too reflex-
and he sees each person as his brother or sister.
ively think of as enemies.
I have witnessed many times how he treats every-
His Holiness, I often recall, has been espousing the doc-
one equally—rich or poor, famous or unknown,
trine of globalism since before the rest of us had heard the
adults or children, healthy or sick, Tibetan or non-
term. Buddhism has given him a vision of Indra’s Net, an
Tibetan.
infinite web of interconnection, which has helped him see
He doesn’t dwell on any emotion. One morning
how a small act here can have large consequences there, long
I had a private audience in New York, and I was his
before the internet (and the global marketplace) offered con-
first visitor that day. His secretaries finished a meet-
firmation of the principle. Put another way, His Holiness is so
ing and came out from the audience room, and His
deeply rooted in his own tradition that he can be fully open
Holiness greeted me with a big smile and said, “Oh,
to every other—and has cherished the opportunity to be stu-
it is you!” He held my hand warmly, but he seemed
dent as well as teacher, the first Dalai Lama to circle the planet
downhearted. There was a tense energy lingering in
and learn about technology and globalism and international
the room. I became nervous as I did not know what
affairs first-hand.
was going on.
Over the years I’ve watched as the Dalai Lama, always radi-
After exchanging the traditional white scarves,
cally pragmatic, has adjusted his message to his audience. He
I offered him a portrait of his late dog that I had
will discuss the most rarefied epistemology when he’s speaking
painted. His face lit up with joy, and he became
to philosophers and, visiting a junior high that same after-
very cheerful. We had a wonderful conversation.
noon, speak for the child he once was, who tried to win the
Later that day, I heard that right before my visit His
affections of a parrot in the Potable Palace through bribes,
Holiness was informed that President Obama had
even as the parrot remained loyal to the humble servant who
cancelled their meeting. He must have felt so disap-
truly loved him.
pointed, since his meeting with Obama was the main
I see the Tibetan’s eyes mist up as he remembers the saddest
agenda for his U.S. visit.
moment in his life—when the bodyguards who had protected
I am happy to have had that opportunity to
him on his journey into exile in 1959 turned back and rode
make him smile. He inspires millions of people
toward their deaths. I hear him talk, with no embarrassment,
every day, and I pray for his long and healthy life,
about how, when his senior tutor died, he felt bereft—until he
and for an easier and happier next life.
realized that the best way to honor that beloved man was by
carrying his teachings into a new generation.
R I M A F U J I T A is an artist and the illustrator
of the board book The Day the Buddha Woke Up. I met
T H E B R I G H T- E Y E D , E A R N E S T P H I L O S O P H E R
when he was in his thirties is eighty-four this summer. He is, as
he always stresses, prey to the same afflictions—and sorrows—
as the rest of us. He doesn’t travel as much as he once did, even
though he still carries an
entire culture on his shoul-
ders and, in so many ways, “The bright-eyed, earnest
the whole world, too. philosopher I met when he was in his
Impermanence has
brought him suffering, even thirties is eighty-four this summer.
as it brings him confidence He still carries an entire culture on
that the political situation
of today will not last forever. his shoulders and, in so many ways,
When I enter his hotel room the whole world too.”
after breakfast, I see a copy
of the morning’s newspa-
per wide open on a table,
and a telescope directed out the window to see
how the constellations look from this particular
destination. For eighty years now, ever since he
mounted the Lion Throne in Lhasa, His Holi-
ness has made the most of his front seat view on
history; he assesses every latest development in
Myanmar or the Ukraine to see how it can help
him better understand right action and global
responsibility.
The last time I talked with him in private,
last November, His Holiness said that he felt
the world is going through “some kind of
emotional crisis” right now. The only cure for
this, he went on, is training the mind—finding
that part of us that knows how to see beyond
destructive emotions and difficult circum-
stances and find the openings within them.
What all humanity is crying out for, he said,
in this time of panic and rage and prejudice, is
“emotional disarmament.”
That’s available to everyone, I thought.
Regardless of your station in life or your reli-
gious background. It’s as universal as the science
he so cherishes, and open to the “investigation
and research and analysis” he always urges. You
can test the results and find out what works—
M I C H A E L O C H S A RC H I V E S / S T R I N G E R
what truly brings happiness to you and those

around you. It’s a skill that every human being
carries within, whenever any of us chooses to
access it.
As the Dalai Lama wrapped me in an
embrace so warm and enfolding that I can feel it
still, I was reminded: by sharing with the whole
world his confidence, his attention, his strength,
and his kind heart, the Dalai Lama’s gift is to
show us who any one of us can be, if only we
accept the invitation.
Happiness Is Helping Others
You aren’t separate from the rest of the world, teaches the DA L A I L A M A .
In being kind to others, you’re also being kind to yourself.
of
T H E R E A R E M A N Y D I F F E R E N T WA Y S Moreover, if one were totally unrelated to and
undertaking the practice of dharma; these vary independent of others, then one’s indifference
from individual to individual. Some people can toward their welfare would be understandable,
totally renounce the worldly way of life and choose but this is not the case. All living beings survive in
the way of a hermit, devoting their entire time and dependence upon others; even one’s experiences of
energy to meditation. Others undertake their prac- happiness and suffering come about in relation to
tice while maintaining a conventional life in the one’s interaction with others. One’s dependence on
world. One should not have the wrong notion that others is not confined to day-to-day survival alone;
the practice of dharma is to be put off for the future all one’s spiritual development depends upon oth-
when one can set aside a specific time for it; rather, ers as well. It is only in relation to others that one
it should be integrated into one’s life right now. The can cultivate such human qualities as universal
essence is to live one’s life within the noble princi- compassion, love, tolerance, generosity, etc. Even
ples of the dharma and give a direction and purpose the Buddha’s noble activities come about because
to one’s life. If one can adopt such an outlook, the there are other sentient beings to work for. If one
dharma will not only be beneficial to oneself as an thinks in such terms, one will find that working
individual but will also contribute to the betterment for one’s own benefit, totally neglecting the welfare
of the community in which one lives. of others, is very selfish and hence unfair. When
Generally speaking, altruism is the genuine one compares the welfare of oneself with that of
source of benefit and happiness in this world. Thus the numberless others, one finds that the welfare of
if we were born in a realm of existence where the others is far more important; and therefore giving
development of altruism was not possible, we would up the benefits accruing to a single person for the
be in a rather hopeless situation, which is fortu- sake of numberless others is a just and a righteous
nately not the case. As human beings we have all act. On the contrary, sacrificing the well-being
the faculties appropriate for spiritual development, of many for the benefit of one is not only a most
among them the most precious of all—the human unfair act but also a foolish one.
brain. It is very important that we do not waste the At this juncture, when we possess the intelli-
great opportunity afforded by our being human, gence to judge between right and wrong and also
because time is a phenomenon that is momentary can draw inspiration from the examples of great
and does not wait. It is the nature of things that bodhisattvas of the past, we should make every
they go through a process of change and disintegra- attempt to reverse our normal self-centered out-
tion. Therefore, it is a matter of utmost importance look. Our attitudes toward our own welfare should
that we make our human lives meaningful. be such that we open ourselves completely to the
Just as one has a natural right to work for one’s service of others—so much so, that on our part
own happiness, so, in equal measure, do all sentient there is not even a slight sense of possessiveness
beings. What, then, is the difference between self toward our belongings or our being. We have this
and others? The only difference is that when one great opportunity now.
talks of one’s own affairs, no matter how important
one might be, one is only concerned with a single
person, whereas the affairs of others concern the From The Complete Foundation by The Dalai Lama
welfare of numberless living beings. The difference ©1991 by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Reprinted in
between the two concerns lies in the quantity. arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.
We Are All
Brothers and Sisters:
Platform for a Human Future
It’s easy to focus on the Dalai Lama’s engaging personality,
but we have to listen to what he’s actually telling us. Buddhist
scholar JA N W I L L I S teases out the key points of His Holiness’
message to the world. Our future depends on it.
EM B O DY I N G
C O M PA S S I O N
PHOTO JER EM Y SU T TON-HIBBERT / A L A M Y STOCK PHOTO
THE VI SI ON OF THE DA LA I LA MA | 15
I in 1970, in
F I R S T M E T T H E DA L A I L A M A
Dharamsala, India. Along with two friends, I
was privileged to have an audience with him that
lasted well over two hours. In those days, it was
quite easy to arrange such a thing: we simply stopped His
Holiness’ assistant, Tenzin, on the street and asked if we could
make an appointment. Tenzin took a notebook from his shirt
THE GIFT OF HIS PRESENCE
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF MEETING HIS
HOLINESS at the cancer center where I work
with a palliative care team. He was in town for a
speaking engagement at our university.
I’m not sure how to describe the moment
pocket and asked, “Can you come tomorrow at three o’clock?” when His Holiness walked into the room to
“Yes! Yes, we can. We’ll be there!” was our gleeful response. meet our small group. All I remember is physi-
The three of us were college students from the States, happy cally feeling his presence and how time stopped
for the freedom to meet the Tibetans and study with them. for a bit in order to encompass his essence. I
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on the other hand, lived under remember the sound of his melodious voice
a serious burden: he and almost one hundred thousand other and his joyful laughter. And I remember his
Tibetans had been forced to flee their homeland and become smile that radiated such warmth.
refugees in India after the final Chinese invasion of Tibet in What I still feel in my bones was his ability
1959. The leader-in-exile of the Tibetan nation and people, he to focus his attention on the members of our
was concerned with the survival of their religious and cultural group and our patients. Even though he had
heritage. He was only thirty-five years old then—but he evi- a small amount of time for each of us, I still
denced to us no indications of his burden. think about the way he was present for who-
His Holiness was much taller than I had thought him to ever was in his attention field. He had the abil-
be, his voice and laughter deep and rippling. When we began ity to connect with others—he was really there
to do prostrations, he quickly put an end to that formality: with us—and engage in conversation while
“All right, stop that. None of that is necessary. Please, come listening intently.
and sit down.” What inspired me most, and continues to
He wanted to speak with us, he said, about the situation of impact the work I do every day, is the example
young people in the U.S., with their protests and peace move- he personifies of what it means to find joy in
ments. We talked at length about the events at Kent State, the midst of suffering. In my job, where death
where four students protesting the Vietnam War were shot is a daily reality, it is this quality I try to bring to
dead by the National Guard, and the necessity of patience my work with cancer patients. Embodied pres-
and clarity in determining the most appropriate response to ence, open-hearted listening, joyful curiosity,
such events. optimism, humility, and compassion. These are
“You should not believe that the Mahayana asks you all traits personified by His Holiness in the short
to think of beings’ welfare only in some future time,” he time I had the gift of being in his presence.
reminded us. “You should try as much as possible to help in
the here and now.” His Holiness was so open and frank that
he seemed like an old friend and wise counselor all rolled into J U L I E H O W E L L is a certified mindfulness
one—a true flesh-and-bones Buddha. facilitator at the Huntsman Cancer Facility at the
I have seen His Holiness in many different venues since University of Utah.
then. He remains open, energetic, curious, thoughtful, prag-
matic, and, above all, joyous as ever. On stages large and small
over the decades of his exile, he has offered us a consistent and
transformative message:
J A N W I L L I S is professor emerita of religion at Wesleyan

University and is currently a visiting professor at Agnes
Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is the author of the
memoir Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist.
• t o do our best to be kind (and if not kind, then at least
ALIAS GROUCHO MARX
not harmful);
MY FRIEND SID ONCE STRATEGICALLY PLACED • to recognize, through reasoning, that we are all basically
Groucho glasses—complete with nose, bushy eye- the same, because we each seek to have happiness and
brows—in a hotel room where the Dalai Lama would avoid suffering;
be staying during a visit to Cornell University. In a • and to take responsibility for each other, regardless of
way, it was a gesture of friendliness, because His outward differences, and for this planet we all share.
Holiness had once told Sid that always having to be The Dalai Lama’s message of openness and nonharm is, of
the Dalai Lama didn’t give him much freedom. course, compelling—but built into it are several equally com-
Sid, being a compassionate man, wanted to help. pelling components.
A disguise—humorous and absurd—he thought,
would be just the thing.
PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE
As one of the organizers for His Holiness’s visit to
the campus, Sid was in charge of making sure that the In verse 183, the Dhammapada says:
spiritual leader’s suite was suitably equipped. Thought-
fully he placed an antique Buddhist statue next to the Do no harm.
bed and Groucho on the bathroom counter. Practice what is good.
Imagine this: a cascade of university bureaucrats Discipline the mind.
arrayed in the Dalai Lama’s suite, waiting to meet This is the teaching of all the Buddhas.
the great man. They’re keyed up by the barricade
of media flacks and state department security men In every conceivable way, the Dalai Lama exemplifies these
surrounding the hotel. And they, like all humans, teachings. Some thirty years into his life in exile, in 1989, he
harbor the deep longing to be knocked back, up, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It honored his efforts in
and out by an influx of spirit and greatness. “the struggle of the liberation of Tibet and the efforts for a
Minutes pass and then a door flings open. Unac- peaceful resolution instead of using violence.” He had never
countably, Groucho Marx—wearing maroon robes referred to the Chinese as enemies; instead, he calls them his
and serious lace-up shoes—emerges, chuckling “brothers and sisters.”
loudly. Laughing so hard that tears come to his Adopting a term favored by Gandhi, one of his early pro-
bespectacled eyes. posals called for Tibet to become a “Zone of Ahimsa,” a sanc-
Would most politicians or religious leaders meet tuary of peace, nonviolence, and respect for life. Throughout
foreign dignitaries wearing something that suggests the years, his main teaching has been that only peace can lead
that really, when it comes down to it, we’re all a bit to peace.
of a joke? Not likely.
But Buddhism’s bottom line is to be free of
TRUE HAPPINESS
the domination of the ego—the need to affirm it,
plump it up with collagen. It’s to be unconcerned One of His Holiness’ favorite Buddhist texts is undoubtedly
about whether or not you’re seen as a hot-shot Shantideva’s eighth-century verse treatise, The Way of the Bod-
Dalai Lama or a hot-shot worker or even a half-way hisattva (Bodhicaryavatara), which he quotes frequently. As
decent anything. Shantideva writes:
Back then, in the suite, the Dalai Lama didn’t
care about positioning his Dalai Lama image. He All the joy the world contains
saw a chance for fun, for deflating others’ expecta- Has come through wishing happiness for others.
tions, and he took it. And he just somehow knew While all the misery the world contains
whom to thank. Wagging his finger at Sid, he took Has come through wanting happiness for oneself alone.
off the mask, still laughing.
A profoundly deep and boundless joy comes from cultivat-
ing compassion and from the conviction that one is doing
C H R I S T I C O X is an author and former editor at Snow one’s best to help alleviate the suffering of others. Our choice
Lion Publications. is simple, His Holiness comments: “If one wishes others to
P H O T O : T H E A S A H I S H I M B U N / C O N T R I B U T O R / G E T T Y I M AG E S
be happy, serve and have compassion for others. And if one In his dialogue with Archbishop Tutu, His Holiness talked
wishes oneself to be happy, then serve and have compassion for about the perspective that is the key to his worldview. “When
others.” He sometimes adds, with a chuckle, “I call this selfish I look at the world, there are a lot of problems, even within
wisdom; selfish compassion.” the People’s Republic of China. When we see these things,
In a wonderful conversation chronicled in The Book of Joy, we realize that not only do we suffer, but so do many of our
Archbishop Desmond Tutu asks His Holiness, “Why are you human brothers and sisters. So when we look at the same
not morose?” event from a wider perspective, we will reduce the worrying
“One of my practices comes from an ancient Indian and our own suffering.”
teacher,” the Dalai Lama responds. “He taught that when you Recognizing that others suffer also lets us know, simultane-
experience some tragic situation, think about it. If there’s no ously, that we are not alone and that we are all connected. This
way to overcome the tragedy, then there is no use worrying too knowledge is the birth of empathy, which is the doorway of
much. So I practice that.” compassion.
As Shantideva wrote, “If something can be done about the In the Black community from which I come, this abil-
situation, what need is there for dejection? And if nothing can ity to touch joy even while in the midst of suffering is shown
be done about it, what use is there for being dejected?” through the musical art form known as the “blues.” Though
in different cultures in different parts of the world, both His
Holiness and Archbishop Tutu have known personally the
WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS
heart-wrenching sufferings of an entire people. And having
The Dalai Lama sees no reason to single himself out from the been there, having touched that depth of suffering, their joy
billions of other human beings who inhabit our small planet. emanates from the very depths of their spiritual being.
He has said that whenever he meets another person, from the
very beginning, he does not think of himself as anyone spe-
UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY
cial—not the Dalai Lama, not a Buddhist monk, but simply as
another human being. This gives him, he says, an immediate From the time he first set foot on Indian soil after his
sense of comradeship and closeness with that person. escape from Tibet, His Holiness has espoused the notion of
This is further proof of the Dalai Lama’s belief that we “universal responsibility.” There are now more than seven
are all fundamentally the same. By extension, he contends, billion human beings on earth. They all wish, and deserve,
being in the same boat compels us to love and to care for to live a life of peace and nonscarcity, and the freedom
each other. From His Holiness’ 1989 Nobel Peace Prize to determine their own destiny. To the extent that we are
acceptance speech: able, it is our responsibility, as human beings, to help them
achieve these things.
We all seek happiness and want to avoid suffering. We
all have essentially the same needs and similar concerns. As
A NEW ETHICS OF KINDNESS
human beings, we all want to be free, to have the right to decide
our own destiny as individuals as well as the destiny of our To make this sense of universal responsibility a reality, His
people. This is human nature. Holiness has long advocated a new ethical model that tran-
The problems that confront us today are created by man, scends religious creeds and gets to the heart of who we truly
whether they are violent conflicts, destruction of the environ- are as human beings.
ment, poverty, or hunger. These problems can be resolved He calls this an “ethics for the new millennium.” This
thanks to human efforts, by understanding that we are broth- would transcend our outer, temporary differences and reflect
ers and sisters. our innermost nature, which is love and compassion. “At the
simple human level,” he explains, “we all have the capacity to
empathize with one another … and to arrive at the inability to
COMPASSION
bear the sight of another’s suffering.”
“It is my fundamental conviction,” His Holiness wrote, “that “In this respect,” he says, “there is not an iota of difference
compassion—the natural capacity of the human heart to feel between a believer and a nonbeliever, nor between people of
concern for and connection with another being—constitutes a one race or another. All ethical teachings, whether religious or
basic aspect of our nature shared by all human beings, as well nonreligious, aim to nurture this innate and precious quality,
as being the foundation of our happiness.” to develop it and to perfect it.
A TRUE KINSHIP OF FAITHS
WOMEN ARE THE LEADERS
OF THE FUTURE Never seeking to convert others to Buddhism, His Holiness
has remained open and willing both to share his insights about
WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO TURN THIRTY, I
Buddhism with others and to listen to them as they shared
was given an opportunity to have a private
their insights regarding their own faith traditions.
audience with His Holiness. “Hey kid,” my
In the autumn of 1994, the Dalai Lama traveled to London
boss said, “I’ve got us a meeting with the
to lead the tenth annual John Main Seminar, which brought
Dalai Lama at his place in India.” I was
together Christian and Buddhist meditators for a dialogue
already packed.
on the Christian Gospel. His Holiness opened the seminar by
In Dharamsala, five of us waited like
reading from the Beatitudes.
groupies before a big show. His Holiness
As one participant noted, “Tibet’s agony, which he carries
burst in, robust and radiant. “So sorry to
constantly with him, has elevated him to a global spiritual role
keep you waiting!” he said.
in which the universal religious values of peace, justice, toler-
We spoke of universal consciousness,
ance, and nonviolence find a joyful and yet profoundly seri-
military actions, and politics. We laughed.
ous embodiment. This was evident the moment His Holiness
We mostly laughed at his bellowing laughs.
read aloud the Beatitudes at the first session of the seminar.
He abruptly turned to me with a penetrat-
Everyone felt they were more than words in his case; they were
ing gaze. Fuzzy eyebrows raised. “You have
insights he had personally experienced.”
a question.”
In Toward a True Kinship of Faiths, His Holiness states: “The
“My generation is at a crossroads,” I said.
challenge before us—much more urgent than in the past—in
“And I wonder what message you have for
this era of nuclear weapons, international terrorism, financial
Gen Xers?”
uncertainty, and ecological crisis, is simply peaceful coexis-
“In the West, you have education. This
tence.”
is good. You have technology. This is good.
Noting that “one area where peaceful coexistence has been
But you do not educate your people in val-
hugely problematic … is in the relations between the world’s
ues of the heart, of compassion. This you
religions,” His Holiness offers that “the challenge before reli-
must do,” the Dalai Lama said. “It does not
gious believers is to genuinely accept the full worth of faith
matter whether you are Buddhist or Chris-
traditions other than their own … to embrace the spirit of reli-
tian. Compassion lives in the heart, beyond
gious pluralism.” Ultimately, he envisions a “true kinship of
religion. Even me, a Buddhist, can say that
faiths,” in which each faith tradition shows respect for the oth-
you do not need Buddhism. All you need is
ers, recognizing the compassion and love that is at their cores.
the compassion of the heart. Women know
this because peace is implicit in women.
You put boys together, they make war. You RESPECT FOR SCIENCE
put women together, they make peace.
His Holiness has always been curious. We learn from his auto-
Women are the leaders of the future.” And
biography, My Land and My People, that he was fascinated by
then he laughed.
science even as a little boy. Sheltered in the enormous Potala
After an hour, his secretary insisted we
Palace, he secretly, gleefully, took apart and reassembled clocks
wrap up. The Dalai Lama moved to the
and pocket watches, a hand-cranked movie projector owned
doorway and then hugged each of us gently,
by the previous Dalai Lama, and whatever other mechanical
like he had all the time in the world. When
instruments he could find.
I pulled back from this holy bear hug, he
Since becoming a refugee in the larger world, His Holi-
looked me in the eyes and nodded, as if
ness has enjoyed numerous conversations with scientists of all
to say, “I see you, and I’ve got you.” I had
sorts, as well as with other spiritual teachers seeking the inte-
never felt so seen and so loved.
gration of science and spirituality. He has explained that “The
main reason for my confidence in engaging with scientists
rests in the Buddha’s statement:
D A N I E L L E L A P O R T E is a Canadian
inspirational speaker, author, and entrepreneur.
20 | L IO N S R OA R .CO M
BR AVE, HUMBLE, HONEST
Monks and scholars, just as you test gold
THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN THE PRESENCE
By burning, cutting and polishing it,
of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was in
So too well examine my speech.
2009 at a public teaching in Switzerland.
Do not accept it merely out of respect.
I had recently taken refuge vows and was
very new to Buddhism.
It is little wonder then that in 1987, when asked by Chilean
I remember being incredibly impressed
neuroscientist Francisco Varela and American businessman
when His Holiness began to take questions
Adam Engle to host a week-long, open-ended private discus-
from members of the audience. These were
sion with scientists from around the world, His Holiness “leapt
not questions and answers prepared in
at this idea,” as he says.
advance; it was simply people raising their
The first meeting, in Dharamsala, marked the beginning of
hands and asking anything they wanted of
the biannual meetings of the Mind and Life Institute. These
His Holiness, one of the world’s most well-
have continued, and many illuminating essays and scientific
known religious leaders. The courage, hon-
papers have come out of these gatherings, on physics, philoso-
esty, and willingness to be utterly transpar-
phy of science, neuroscience, biology, and genetics.
ent is something I will never forget. I don’t
His Holiness has continued to maintain his love of mod-
think there are many in his position who
ern science and to see its benefits for informing religious
would be brave enough to do the same.
faith. He has stood by his earlier claim that, “If science
What also struck me was His Holiness’
proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will
humility. During that session, a woman in
have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a
the audience asked him what she should
search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learn-
do about the difficulties she was having in
ing from science about aspects of reality where its under-
raising her teenage daughter. His Holiness
standing may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism
was quiet for a long while and then simply
enriches its own worldview.”
said: “I don’t know.” Finally, at the end of
the day’s teaching he opened the floor to
A BODHISATTVA FOR OUR TIME questions once again and an individual
suggested to His Holiness he should end
His Holiness often concludes his talks with another passage
the day by leading everyone in a round
from Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara, solemnly praying:
of chanting the mantra “Om Mani Padme
Hum.” His Holiness thought for a moment
And now, as long as space endures
and then said, “Better if we sit in silence for
As long as there are beings to be found,
a few minutes.”
May I continue likewise to remain
To drive away the sorrows of the world.
M I C H A E L I M P E R I O L I is an actor, writer,
His words are often simple and pragmatic, and always and director known for his role on The Sopranos.
kind and sincere. But the Dalai Lama is far more, even, than
his most skillful words. He exhibits a kind of constancy that
assures us that his intentions are good and true. His Holi-
ness demonstrates how we should live—with kindness to all
beings, taking responsibility for their well-being. In his tire-
less efforts to serve all sentient beings, we see the joyful work
of a true bodhisattva—which gives us a glimpse of our own
innate potential.
The Earth’s future is
our future.”
PHOTO BY NORBU GYACHUNG
A C A L L TO A C T I O N O N T H E
C L I M AT E C R I S I S
For the sake of future generations, the

DA L A I L A M A tells journalist and activist
FR A N Z A LT, we must develop a sense of
universal responsibility—for the earth and
all humanity. Working together as one is the
only way we’ll survive the climate crisis.
Franz Alt: Your Holiness, dear friend, fifteen

years ago you said to me in an interview:
“The twenty-first century could become the
happiest and most peaceful one in human
history. I hope so for the youth.” Do you still
cherish that hope?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama: I am hopeful that

the twenty-first century could become the most
important century in human history. The twentieth
century experienced immense destruction, human
suffering, and unprecedented environmental
damage. The challenge before us, therefore, is to
make the twenty-first century a century of dialogue
and promotion of the sense of oneness of humanity.
As a Buddhist monk, I appeal to all human
beings to practice compassion—the source of hap-
piness. Our survival depends on hope. Hope means
something good. I believe the purpose of life is to
be happy.
The world’s seven billion human beings must
learn to work together. This is no longer a time to
think only of “my nation” or “our continent” alone.
There is a real need for a greater sense of global
responsibility.
I feel optimistic about the future because human-
ity seems to be growing more mature; scientists are
paying more attention to our inner values, training
✴✴✴ of the mind and the emotions. There is a clear
Adapted from Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal desire for peace and concern for the environment.
to the World, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and
Franz Alt. © 2020 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
and Franz Alt, used with permission of Hanover In our previous book, The Way to Peace in
Square Press/HarperCollins. a Time of Division, you expressed the idea
that “ethics is more important than religion.” to just express views and hold confer-
What does that mean as far as environmental ences. We must set a timetable for change.
policy is concerned?
As early as 1992 you said, “Universal
Religion should not be just limited to praying. responsibility is the key to human
Ethical action is more important than prayers. What survival.” What does that mean in
are Buddha, Allah, or Christ supposed to do if we concrete and practical terms?
human beings destroy our earth, fill the oceans with
plastic so that fish, seals, and whales perish, cause The seven billion human beings are
rapid increase of desertification and greenhouse social animals and must learn to live
gases released into the atmosphere? together. This is no longer a time to
Christ, Allah, or Buddha is not responsible for think only of “my country,” “my people,”
the climate change and the destruction of the “us,” and “them.” We live in a globalized
environment. It is a man-made problem. Therefore, world. Countries think about their own
we must take responsibility and find solutions to national interests rather than global
the problems. That is why we need environmental interests, and that needs to change
ethics that focus on action and compassion for all because the environment is a global
sentient beings. issue. In order to protect global environ-
mental issues, some sacrifice of national
The Paris Climate Summit at the end of 2015 interests is needed.
was the beginning of a new reality. For the
first time, the world may have seen itself as a Nationalism has been shaping our
world family. Are you still optimistic? Can the history for centuries. Is there really
Paris Agreement still be achieved? a possibility to overcome nationalist
thinking?
I hope and pray that the 2015 Paris Agreement will
finally bring tangible results. Egotism, nationalism, Wherever I go I emphasize that all seven
and violence are fundamentally wrong. billion human beings are physically,
It is important for scientists to continuously speak mentally, and emotionally the same.
up about the dangers we face and alert the public. Everybody wants to live a happy life free
Here, the media has an important responsibility from problems. Even insects, birds, and
in educating the people. The gap between rich and animals want to be happy.
poor is also very serious, and we have to take steps In order to ensure a more peaceful
to close it by helping the poor. world and a healthier environment,
Any human activity should be carried out we sometimes point a finger at others,
with a sense of responsibility, commitment, and saying they should do this or that. But change
discipline. But if our activities are carried out with must start with us as individuals. If one individual
short-sightedness and for short-term gains for becomes more compassionate, it will influence
money or power, then they all become negative and others, and so we will change the world. Scientists
PHOTO BY ISTOCK.COM / FG TRADE
destructive activities. Protecting our environment say our basic nature is compassionate. This is very
is not a luxury we can choose to enjoy, but it is a positive.
matter of survival. When I was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
The questions of the environment and climate Oslo in 1989, I called upon the world to assume uni-
change are a global issue, not just of concern to versal responsibility. We have to learn that we are all
Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Americas. What happens brothers and sisters and live on one earth and under
on this blue planet affects us all. It is not sufficient the same sun.
The world lost half a million
square miles of forest between
Unless we all work together, no solution can 1990 and 2016, and 30–60%
be found. Therefore, our key responsibility is to of the Amazon rainforest
commit ourselves to the ethical principles of univer- could become dry savanna
because of climate change.
sal responsibility beyond profit and religion, and to
Deforestation accelerates
place the well-being of all sentient beings and future global warming because healthy
generations above our egoism. forests keep excess carbon out
Climate change is an issue that affects the whole of the atmosphere, felled and
burning trees release carbon,
of humanity. But if we have a genuine sense of and forests are often replaced
universal responsibility as our central motivation, by greenhouse gas-producing
then our relations with the environment will be crops and livestock.
well balanced, and so will our relations with our
Global heating has caused
a dramatic increase in the
frequency and destructiveness neighbors. Our mother earth is teaching us a
of forest fires, such as those lesson in universal responsibility.
that ravaged the Western Therefore, each of us as individuals has a
U.S. and Australia, as well as
responsibility to ensure that the world will be safe
extreme weather events, such
as droughts, floods, and hur- for future generations, for our grandchildren and
ricanes. Worsening droughts great-grandchildren.
and flooding are expected to
force the migration of millions
of people in Asia, Africa, and
Is global warming just a political problem or
other affected regions. can every individual do something about it?
According to scientists, we human beings are

responsible for global warming and the change
in weather conditions. Logically this Resolving the environmental crisis is not just
means that we human beings have a a question of ethics but a question of our own
responsibility to solve problems that survival. The natural environment is very import-
we have created. ant not only for those of us alive now but also
On an individual level, we should for future generations. If we exploit it in extreme
change our lifestyles, consume less ways, even though we may get money or other
water and electricity, plant trees, and benefits from it now, in the long run we ourselves
reduce the use of fossil fuels, which and future generations will suffer. When the envi-
took millions of years to form. Fossil ronment changes, climatic conditions also change.
fuels are nonreusable energy; there- When they change dramatically, the economy and
fore, we must use renewable energy many other things change as well. Even our physi-
like solar, wind, and geothermal. cal health can be greatly affected.
As a boy studying Buddhism, I was
taught the importance of a caring In the past, people needed protection from
attitude toward the environment. their environment. Today it is the other way
Our practice of nonviolence applies round. Scientists tell us that without humans
not just to human beings but to all the earth would be doing better.
sentient beings.
What distinguishes human beings As someone born in Tibet, the rooftop of the world,
from animals? It is our specific where the world’s highest peaks are to be found
capacity for long-term thinking. and Asia’s great rivers originate, I have loved nature
Animals only live from one day to since my childhood. I have made environmental
the next, whereas our brain can think conservation one of my life’s commitments and
ten or even a hundred years ahead. In advocate protection of the environment wherever
consequence we are equipped to make I go. Therefore, I called on all to speak out about
preparations for the future and plan global warming, which affects the future.
for the long term. This blue planet of ours is a beautiful habitat.
Its life is our life; its future our future. Indeed, the
But is it only our short-sightedness that earth acts like a mother to us all. Like children, we
prevents us from treating our natural environ- are dependent on her. Our world is deeply interde-
ment carefully?
PHOTO BY ISTOCK.COM / OLIVER KNIGHT
pendent, both in terms of our economies and the

problems like climate change that challenge us all.
Destruction of nature and its resources results When we see photographs of the earth from
from ignorance, greed, and lack of respect for the space, we see no boundaries between us, just this
earth’s living things. Today, we have access to more beautiful blue planet. This is no longer a time
information, and it is essential that we re-examine to think only of “my nation” or “our continent”
ethically what we have inherited, what we are alone. There is a real need for a greater sense of
responsible for, and what we will pass on to the global responsibility based on the oneness of
coming generations. humanity.
We Need a Revolution
of Compassion”
In this powerful statement on the climate crisis, the
DA L A I L A M A calls on us to make this a century of
compassion for the planet and all its inhabitants.
1. BUDDHA WOULD BE
GREEN—I AM GREEN TOO
Buddha was born as his mother leaned late. We have reached a tipping point in
against a tree for support. He attained global warming.
enlightenment seated beneath a tree,
and passed away as trees stood witness
overhead. Therefore, were Buddha to 2. ENVIRONMENTAL
return to our world, he would certainly EDUCATION
be connected to the campaign to protect
the environment. Environmental education about the
Speaking for myself, I have no hesi- consequences of the destruction of our
tation in supporting initiatives that are ecosystem and the dramatic decrease
related to protecting the environment in biodiversity must be given top
because threats to our environment are priority. But creating awareness is not
a question of our survival. This beautiful sufficient; we must find ways to bring
blue planet is our only home. It provides about changes in the way we live. I call
a habitat for unique and diverse commu- on the younger generation—be rebels
nities. Taking care of our planet is to look demanding climate protection and
after our own home. climate justice because it is your future
We can no longer keep exploiting that is at stake.
the resources of this earth—the trees, One of the most positive recent devel-
the water, and the minerals—without opments has been the growing aware- “Fridays for Future,” the movement
any care for coming generations. It is ness that we have to act. Seventeen- she initiated.
common sense that we cannot survive if year-old Greta Thunberg, the teenage I am encouraged to see young people’s
we keep working against nature. We must environmental activist, who insists we determination to bring about positive
learn to live in harmony with nature. heed scientists’ warnings and take direct change. They are confident of making
PHOTO BY TENZIN CHOEJOR
If we compare damage to the envi- action, inspires me. Millions of young a difference, because their efforts are
ronment to war and violence, it’s clear people have been moved by her exam- based on evidence and reason.
that violence has an immediate impact ple to protest governments’ inaction More and more people understand
on us. The trouble is that damage to the over the climate crisis. She is correct that the survival of humanity is at stake.
environment takes place more stealthily, to say, “No one is too small to make a Simply meditating or praying for change
so often we don’t see it until it is too difference.” I wholeheartedly support is not enough. There has to be action.
A C A L L TO A C T I O N O N T H E
C L I M AT E C R I S I S
3. UNIVERSAL
RESPONSIBILITY depends on others, theirs depends on us. a difference. The 2015 Paris Agreement
Our world is deeply interdependent, not to combat climate change signed by 196
We seven billion human beings must only in terms of our economies but also countries was a good start that has to be
learn to live together. It is no longer in facing the challenge of climate change. followed through with action.
enough to think only of “my country,” We have to appreciate that local prob- We need a sense of universal responsi-
“my people,” “us,” and “them.” We must lems have global ramifications from the bility as our central motivation to rebal-
each learn to work for the benefit of all moment they begin. The climate crisis ance our relations with the environment
human beings. affects the whole of humanity. and with our neighbors. Appreciating
We are social animals born with a Island states like Fiji, the Marshall the oneness of humanity in the face of
sense of belonging to a community. We Islands, the Maldives, and the Bahamas the challenge of global warming is the
have to realize that just as our future have shown that collectively we can make real key to our survival.
Melting polar ice has raised
average sea levels by about
4. THE REVOLUTION OF 3 inches in the last 25 years,
COMPASSION with the sea rising another
.13 inches annually. Some
200 million people currently
I am now eighty-five years old and have crisis is our common responsibility. We live in coastal areas that at
lived through many of the upheavals of must find ways to exercise freedom with this rate will be underwater
the twentieth century—the destruction responsibility. by 2100. Climate change
could adversely affect the
and suffering brought by war, but also We need a revolution of compassion habitats of 50% of the
unprecedented damage to the natural based on warm-heartedness that will con- world’s species. Polar bears
environment. Today’s younger generation tribute to a more compassionate world with may be lost entirely.
has the ability and opportunity to create a sense of oneness of humanity. The entire
PHOTO BY ISTOCK.COM / AVSTRALIAVASIN
a more compassionate world. I urge them human family must unite and cooperate
to make this twenty-first century an era to protect our common home. I hope that
of change rooted in dialogue and a cen- efforts to achieve a more sustainable way of
tury of compassion for all the inhabitants life will meet with success.
of this planet.
Over-exploitation of our natural The Dalai Lama, Dharamsala, India
resources results from ignorance and
✴✴✴
greed, and a lack of respect for life on From Our Only Home: A
earth. Saving the world from the climate Climate Appeal to the World.
S EC T I O N V
THE DALAI LAMA

Why the World Needs Him More Than Ever
He is a voice for compassion, nonviolence, and caring for

the earth. At a time when so much hangs in the balance,
12 leading teachers, writers, and activists reflect on why
we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever.
PH OTO © KA MA L S E L L E H UD DI N / Z U MAP R ES S . C OM / ALA M Y
THE VISIONARY
Daniel Goleman
IN 2015, I WROTE A BOOK entitled A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our
World. There were some hopeful signs then that we were moving toward His Holiness’
vision of a society based on compassion, peace, cooperation, and protecting the earth.
Barack Obama was president, the Paris Agreement brought nations together to fight climate
change, the economy was recovering, and the world was, by its standards, relatively peaceful.
A mere two years later, it feels we are heading again in the opposite direction, with
greed, division, aggression, and short-sighted self-interest on the ascent. That is why
we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever. Almost alone among world
figures, he offers us an alternative, positive vision, one based on Buddhist teachings
that celebrate and cultivate the best of who we are as human beings. He inspires and
strengthens us in this difficult time.
We readily think of the Dalai Lama as a religious leader, a inner forces that drive the eternal sad repeat of humanity’s
philosopher, an ethicist, or a charismatic world figure. But his lesser nature. But with this internal shift we can act more com-
role as a visionary, outlining a path to a better future, may be passionately and more effectively—a mind that is calm, clear,
harder to grasp. Yet as I’ve zeroed in on this part of his persona, and kind can best embark on the grander mission he calls us to.
I’ve come to see that life has prepared him to be a unique voice The Dalai Lama’s vision for our world sees us each take
for a better tomorrow. action in our own way in five specific arenas:
A bit to my surprise, I learned the Dalai Lama is a daily lis-
• Social Justice: Countering the forces that keep corruption,
tener to the BBC’s shortwave newscast, a habit that dates back
collusion, and social injustice in place and replacing them
to before he left Tibet in 1959. Even now, when he is at his
with transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout
home in the ridge-top village of McLeod Ganj in the hilly Dha-
the public sphere. This may mean forceful action, and an
ramsala district of India’s Himachal Pradesh province, he tunes
ethical upgrade in political, business, and religious life.
in each morning at 5:30 a.m.
He supplements this window on the world’s affairs with a • Economics: The widening gap between rich and poor requires
hands-on grasp that flows naturally from his global travels. He a more equitable distribution of resources and rethinking the
spends months each year wandering the planet, meeting people basis for a fulfilled and satisfying life—and finding more cre-
of all kinds: heads of state and world-class scientists, spiritual ative ways that business can do good, not just well.
leaders and financiers, slum dwellers and social activists. Our
Service: Helping those in need, while also empowering them
•
concerns are his, whoever we are.
to help themselves. The mandate to help means not just
Wherever he goes, the Dalai Lama forms an instant, warm
handouts, but also providing the means for the poor, the ill,
bond with whomever he encounters, seeing everyone as “all
and those in dire need to improve their condition with dig-
the same.” I remember a reception for Hollywood stars some
nity and confidence.
years back in LA. An A-list of names lined up one at a time,
these stars suddenly turned into fans, smiling broadly and • Environment: Healing the planet’s wounds and making
eager for the chance to greet him. I’ve seen the same joy of visible the links between our material world, our habits, and
being with the Dalai Lama in heads of state and street kids the systems that support life. Surfacing these hidden links
in Oakland. He exudes a sense of well-being that everyone requires a deep understanding of the micro- and macro-level
around him seems to catch. consequences of daily human activities, ranging from con-
There may be no one else alive who garners the spontaneous struction to commerce.
admiration that people worldwide show for the Dalai Lama.
• World Peace: Replacing conflict, war, and intergroup hostil-
Perhaps apart from Pope Francis, I can think of no public fig-
ity with dialogue and connection. This long-term approach
ure who matches his natural feel for the deep ethical issues, to
to keeping the peace would one day see conflicts resolved
whom people worldwide listen with a spontaneous respect, and
through talk, not violence. It goes hand in hand with an end
who brings the power of his presence to all he does.
to seeing other groups as the enemy—in the realization that
From his vast web of contacts with people of all social levels,
“they” are really “we.”
ideologies, and origins, he sees the We, the human family, fac-
ing a shared set of challenges that transcend boundaries, such • Education: Schooling the heart, so children grow up with the
as the ever-widening gap between the wealthy and the impover- social and emotional tools to heal the world’s wounds. Such
ished and the steady erosion of the planet’s life support systems. an education would cultivate inner tools for self-mastery,
The BBC newscasts the Dalai Lama listens to bring daily empathic concern, and living in tune with human values.
dispatches from far corners enumerating an all-too-familiar list
of human cruelty, injustice, and despair. He sees a single root In his role on the world stage, the Dalai Lama is beholden
cause at play: a lack of compassion. to no party or economic interest. He has no deadline looming.
His remedy begins within each of us, with whatever means This lets him ponder the weightiest problems, think into the far
we can find to quell our own destructive emotions and adopt a future, and focus on the issues that matter to us all.
compassionate moral rudder—one that cares as much or more The wider the breadth of caring, the longer the timeline, and
about others as about ourselves. the freer from obligation to any particular interest, the more
Lacking these inner fundamentals, we remain susceptible visionary a leader can be. This sets the Dalai Lama apart as a
to the pulls of anger and revenge, envy, and resentment—the world leader. He is a leader who tackles the challenges faced by
humanity as a whole, and who can see beyond today’s givens to our own small piece of life in a more positive direction.
sketch a map of a better tomorrow. Likewise, there are no instant fixes for issues that have built
He bends to a greater purpose, opening a way to new possibil- over centuries into our present predicaments. Solutions will
ities, working in the interests of humanity as a whole. The Dalai unfold over generations, reinventing the future.
Lama exhibits the kind of leadership we need, not the disappoint- But we can start toward a compassion revolution. Learn, plan,
ing variety we’ve had that has led us into our present predicaments. and then act, the Dalai Lama tells us. Question givens and hidden
While we know the Dalai Lama as a source of spiritual wis- assumptions, delve into the facts, and be flexible in response.
dom and a font of compassion, he seems an unlikely futurist. The Dalai Lama views the world’s problems through a lens
But he thinks about human possibility on the right scale: over that accentuates the interconnections among us all, and between
centuries, and worldwide. He hopes to prepare us for the com- our many crises. Since the difficulties reach everywhere and
ing challenges the human trajectory portends. He asks us to everyone, some part of their remedy lies within the reach of any
think beyond the tragic, transient repetitions of our past we get of us. And so each of us can take part in the solution.
in our daily news feed. We can each begin now, in whatever way our abilities allow,
In envisioning a new future, the Dalai Lama upends many to whatever degree we can. By acting in concert we can create
values taken for granted today. Rather than a life focused on a force that, over time, bends the arc of history in a more posi-
selfies and me-first, he sees compassion as our guiding GPS. He tive direction. That combined force can make more visible the
urges us to live attuned to our shared problems and possibili- momentum toward a kinder tomorrow.
ties, in a world growing more tightly knit than ever. Even if we will not live to see the fruits of the seeds we plant
His path to the world’s solutions finds a unique starting today, the Dalai Lama tells us, act now. All of us walking in step
PHOTO BY D ON FARB ER
point: within ourselves. Begin by looking at our own minds, he together can create a force for good and a better future.
tells us, and taking responsibility for handling our own destruc-
tive emotions, those individual seeds of collective tragedy. D A N I E L G O L E M A N ’ s book, co-authored with Richard Davidson,
There is no single prescription, no magic bullet, for solving is Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Transforms Mind,
these global matters. But we each need to find a way to move Body, and Brain (Avery Books).
PHOTO BY OL IV IER ADAM
THE INSPIRATION I once half-jokingly asked His Holiness if I could stop with
Richard Gere all my commitments. I was tired. He smiled and said, “You can
stop when I stop.” I laughed. Because of course that meant never.
I REMEMBER having an intimate conversation with His Holi-
ness many years ago. At one point he touched the tip of his R I C H A R D G E R E is an actor, activist, and chair of the International
Campaign for Tibet.
tongue and quietly said, “This tongue has never lied.”
What a simple and astonishing statement. It cut right
through me. It would be quite unthinkable to believe such a
clear and dignified declaration from anyone these days. Decep- THE UNIFIER
tion, self-interest, greed, violence, corruption, and alternate Krista Tippett
truths are all sadly deemed acceptable, and even expected.
Language has become hollow. Words themselves have lost their W E N E E D T H E DA L A I L A M A more than ever because he
sacredness. Grace, kindness, and simple dignity are ridiculed as keeps secular and spiritual complexity alive in his being. All of
politically correct. humanity is richer for his modeling of authority and contempla-
But there are a few giants such as the Dalai Lama remaining tion unified. Science has been deepened by the questions he has
among us—giants who with heartbreaking humility speak and put to it. The calculus of geopolitics is redemptively confounded
act with sensitivity and concern for all beings without bias. by his chosen presence toward those who would be his enemies.
The dark forces that would divide us, that would shrink our His Holiness is at once an icon of ancient and particular
world into tribal self-interest and indifference, or outright cru- belief faithfully attended, and a forward-thinking teacher
elty and hatred at its worst, are manifesting in frightening ways demonstrating that faith can be a peaceable, compassionate,
all over the world today. The Dalai Lama and his influence are and creative companion to a world of difference.
needed more than ever now. Most of all, we need the Dalai Lama because he radiates the
His Holiness wakes us from our dreadful sleep. He is the most humanizing paradox of all—an insistence that delight is
radiant sun of the universal embrace. He is inclusion, service, not merely possible but essential amid the seriousness of life and
and self-sacrifice. He is genuine love. He is interconnected- its inevitable sufferings. As much as his words and his actions, his
ness. He reminds us who we really are. He makes us larger. smile and his laughter imprint his wisdom on the world.
He makes us care. He delights us with his wisdom, his joy, his
laughter, and his optimism. He carries us. How impossible it is K R I S TA T I P P E T T is creator of the public radio show and podcast
to be proud and pretentious around someone so utterly sim- “On Being” and the author of Becoming Wise.
ple and kind.
We want to be better. We want to be good. We want to find
solutions that work for everyone—that bring happiness and the THE TEACHER FOR ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
causes of future happiness to ourselves and all beings without Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell
the merest speck of discrimination. Gazing at the Dalai Lama’s
face, hearing his words, receiving his blessings, we want to love is a witness to the power
T H E L I F E O F T H E DA L A I L A M A
more deeply, forgive more completely, and serve others more of loving-kindness. His teachings touch every land and are
selflessly. And we can. respected in every language. He will long be one who surprises
In His Holiness’ loving presence, we know that all good the world with his generosity of spirit. The inclusiveness of
things are attainable. We know that the darkness of this his embrace is for those of every faith and, yes, for those of no
moment is not permanent. It is completely transformable—if faith. The life of the Dalai Lama is a call to unity.
we do the work, if we want it badly enough. We have this His expressions of the divine resonate with the deepest
extraordinary opportunity now, right now. thinking of all religions. His teachings are richly ecumenical
Beings such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama rarely come and offer open space for each and every child of God. As his
to our world. But they do most certainly come when we need work has progressed over many years, he has deepened his
them the most. How foolish it would be for us not to embrace engagement with the faiths of the world.
this amazing gift and not do the work to free ourselves and all Only when we have deep respect for one another’s faiths will
our brothers and sisters beings from this craziness. It’s up to us. peace be possible. Never has the Dalai Lama placed one belief
above another. Rather, his is a commitment to a peace-filled What we need are more Dalai Lamas, thousands like him
world marked by deep respect for every religion. across the world.
We live in a society torn apart by war, bigotry, and senseless What we need is more love.
living in the name of a holiness that no true person of faith
could ever claim. Always fearless and determined, the Dalai J AC K KO R N F I E L D ’s book is No Time Like the Present: Finding
Lama, year in and year out, bears witness to a God of love. Freedom and Joy Right Where You Are (Atria).
He gives guidance to all who seek a faithful life, often without
speaking a single word.
The Dalai Lama strongly advocates an inclusive view of THE LAMP FOR OUR PATH
the world, and with courage calls on every religious leader to Jan Willis
preach a faith that unites people and brings them to a greater
empathy and concern for others. in the world gives hope,
S O M E PE O P L E’ S V E RY P R E S E N C E
In these troubled times of mistrust of leaders and misuse solace, and courage to the rest of us. Their life and being is a gift
of prestige, the Dalai Lama is a figure whose gracious presence to us all. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is such a person.
shines brightly today and far into tomorrow. I pray that the life Though his country was invaded by the Chinese Liberation
and witness of the Dalai Lama will be available for generations Army in 1950 and he has witnessed firsthand the attempted
yet to be born. On their behalf, we give thanks for this man of destruction of his people and their culture, he is not bitter.
peace who dares to teach all God’s children, with none excluded. Rather, he forgives. This remarkable ability to forgive and to
remain without bitterness is striking to all who meet him. His
R E V. D R . J O A N B R O W N C A M P B E L L is the president of the abiding compassion, peace, and joyfulness are hallmarks of
Global Compassion Council. the man.
One of His Holiness’s predecessors, the great sage Atisha, titled
his famed work A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. His Holi-
THE BEACON OF LOVE ness the Dalai Lama is assuredly such a lamp. He is a principal
Jack Kornfield exemplar of his Buddhist faith—a nonviolent man in a violent
world, a peacemaker in a world of war, a joyful heart in the midst
BY THE TENS OF THOUSANDS, people all over the world of sorrow. He shows us that the end of suffering is possible.
flock to the Dalai Lama’s live teachings. In a world like ours where craving, strife, bitterness and
Yes, they go to learn profound Buddhist teachings on mind, greed seem constant and inevitable conditions, His Holiness’
emptiness, and how to transform suffering into compassion. embodiment of peace and compassion changes everything. His
Yes, they go for inspiration, to be with a renowned Nobel joyful fearlessness is a lighthouse’s strong beam cutting through
Laureate, a world leader, and embodiment of compassion, the dense fog of ignorance. How fortunate we are to be able to
peace, and understanding. In these difficult, divided times, his glimpse his light in the world.
message is a profound medicine for the heart—an antidote to
violence, intolerance, and fear. J A N W I L L I S is a professor of religion at Wesleyan University and the
They also go to experience his tenderness and care for all author of Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist.
living beings. To learn what it is like to become a beacon of
love for all whom we touch.
But especially, they go to hear him laugh! To see a man THE BODHISATTVA
who carries so much responsibility and has borne so much Robert Thurman
tragedy, whose country and religion have been taken over and
decimated, still laugh and be joyful is a balm for the hearts of W E H AV E B E E N B L E S S E Dto live in an era that keeps alive
all. His deep resonant voice, his amused chuckle, his playful- the memory of certain great humans who, though once just
ness, and embodiment of delight is almost a magical power. like us, became perfected with full and accurate knowledge of
We all wait for it like children hoping for a special story or reality and joyful, selfless, and artful love for others. They are
dessert. called “buddhas”—awakened from sleepwalking in delusion
What he teaches us with his laughter is that while we may and blossomed into omnicompetent compassion for all others.
face great difficulties, nothing can limit our spirit. Compassion, If Shakyamuni Buddha were to return today, he might be some-
joy, and freedom of heart are our human birthright. one like the Dalai Lama.
He invites us to live this truth. The buddhas encourage us to find our purpose and realize
He shows what humanity can become. our full potential of lasting happiness, whatever our religion or
culture. Skillfully, the Dalai Lama teaches his
“common human religion of kindness,” anchor-
ing it in science and insisting that others can
follow parallel paths in their own ways to the
same good effect.
Called the “Ocean Teacher,” the Dalai Lama
is the most prominent in an ocean of emana-
tions of compassionate beings who represent
the peaceful, joyous way we could be living and
taking care of each other and our planet. For
those who recognize him (he staunchly rejects
the claim), he is an incarnation of Avalokitesh-
vara (“God who Cares”), a divine bodhisattva
who deploys countless emanation bodies to
help beings free themselves from suffering.
Avalokiteshvara is like a living Jesus, a Jesus
who keeps coming back, generation after gen-
eration. But unlike Jesus as a sole incarnation,
Avalokiteshvara comes as many beings, recog-
nized or not, and not only as Tibetan lamas, not
only as Buddhists, and not only as males.
The world’s people and the world’s leaders
sense the Dalai Lama’s presence in their lives,
and he ranks high in global popularity. Sadly,
though, they don’t follow his advice, being too
preoccupied with power and money to imple-
ment his plan for “world peace through inner
peace.” Luckily, he and his bodhisattva team-
mates maintain their common sense and vision
of hope, and patiently point to a better way
forward for this planet.
R O B E R T T H U R M A N is professor of Indo-Tibetan
Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and president
of Tibet House U.S.
with modernity, rather than choosing cultural isolationism,

THE VOICE OF TIBETAN FREEDOM
have powerfully shaped the way in which traditional Tibetan
Thupten Jinpa Buddhist cultures and societies engage with the challenges of
modernity and globalization.
PHOTO BY TH OMAS IMO / A LA MY S TO C K PHOTO
A S O N E O F T H E WO R L D ’ S M O S T E N D U R I N G and revered Through ongoing collaboration with scientists from a wide

figures, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is, for millions around the range of disciplines, the Dalai Lama has encouraged the integra-
globe, a powerful voice of humanity’s conscience and its aspiration of insights from the Tibetan tradition into modern scientific
tion for a more peaceful and a just world. For we Tibetans, both research. This creative marriage of ancient East and modern West
inside Tibet as well as without, he serves as the bond that unites leads to genuine offerings beneficial to humanity at large.
us in our aspiration for peace, freedom, and dignity. For Tibetans, this vision has helped create a mindset in
As the voice for the Tibetan people and their aspiration for which they are empowered by the knowledge that their culture
freedom and dignity, he has kept the fate of Tibet, its people, is an important spiritual heritage of the world. This vision has
and its culture in the forefront of the world’s consciousness for offered a way for people of the Tibetan cultural world, while
over five decades. His unwavering insistence on nonviolence taking pride in their distinct heritage, to contribute to the larger
as the means of freedom struggle and his active engagement well-being of humanity.
In simply being who he is, His Holiness the Dalai Lama which is what meditation is really about. Then, what is “not
exemplifies what it means to embody the noble ideals of Tibet’s special” becomes very special indeed, and what is ordinary
Buddhist faith while being an active participant in today’s becomes extraordinary.
world. As the leading voice of compassion on the global stage, Here, I am not talking just about His Holiness the Dalai
he reminds us of the fundamental qualities that define each one Lama. Imagine what the world would be like if more of us were
of us as a fellow human, on the same journey that is life. able to undertake that cultivation. If motivated by our own
dissatisfaction and suffering, our intuition as to where real hap-
T H U P T E N J I N PA is a longtime translator for the Dalai Lama and piness might lie, and our love for the beauty in the world and
author of A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate in life itself—including the unfamiliar other which sometimes
Can Change Our Lives. scares us—we realize we are so much bigger than our fears and
narratives about the world and who we are.
Then, we are just as we are, only awake to it. Nothing is dif-
THE ETHICIST ferent, except everything.
Sylvia Boorstein
J O N KA B AT- Z I N N is the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
WHEN I RETURNED HOME from a trip to hear His Holiness
the Dalai Lama give teachings, my colleague Sally Armstrong
asked, “Did His Holiness say anything new?” THE HEART OF COMPASSION
I laughed, and Sally did too, at the apparent silliness of her Roshi Joan Halifax
question. His Holiness is probably the most widely recognized
representative of what the Buddha taught. To all who know his D U R I N G A TA L K O N C O M PA S S I O N I gave at a neuroscience
face, he represents peace. Yet at the heart of it, he is a Buddhist, meeting, I shared with the Dalai Lama some words from a cli-
and with the Buddha’s teachings being two and half millennia nician who spoke about working with dying people. I saw His
old, imagining something new in a tradition that has endured Holiness put his hands together and bow his head, his eyes fill-
so long is a bit of a stretch. ing with tears, when he heard the story of this doctor selflessly
After a moment’s thought, though, I told Sally that His Holiness taking care of a woman with breast cancer.
had, in fact, said something I had not heard him say before. He had It was remarkable to see how His Holiness shifted from a brief
said, “I am not interested in whether or not a person is a Buddhist. moment of empathy and seeming distress to compassion. I also saw
I am interested in whether or not they are an ethical person.” this when visiting His Holiness’ residence in Dharamsala, where
I’ve heard that this is an idea he is teaching regularly now. Tibetan pilgrims show up for a blessing after a long and dangerous
This aligns with what I am seeing in the contemporary Bud- trip to India. Shifting out of an intense conversation about neuro-
dhist teaching community that I’m a part of. I myself am science, his eyes softened as he gazed at the pilgrim before him.
emphasizing compassion as an attribute of wisdom, and dedi- He took hold of their hand, offering a prayer and perhaps words of
cation to ethics as a path to wisdom. In a world so beleaguered encouragement. A breath later, he would turn back to his neu-
by greed, hatred, and delusion, the most immediate remedy— roscience colleagues, and engage in the most technical conver-
one that is non-parochial and therefore available to everyone— sation about neural pathways and the nature of consciousness!
is ethical, honest kindness, just as the Dalai Lama says. Once I approached him with a photo of a young Nepali boy
named Tsering who had drowned saving the life of an American
S Y LV I A B O O R S T E I N is a psychologist and leading teacher of doctor who had been knocked into a river by a huge stone. The
Insight Meditation. doctor would surely have lost her life had Tsering not jumped
into the boiling Himalayan river and grabbed a board for her to
hang on to. Though an excellent swimmer, Tsering got caught
THE ORDINARY BECOME EXTRAORDINARY in a powerful eddy and was swept downriver in the relentless
Jon Kabat-Zinn monsoon-charged current. Her life was saved, but his was lost.
Shortly after, I took a khata (a Tibetan ceremonial scarf) and
IN MY EXPERIENCE OF SPENDING TIME with him over Tsering’s photo to Dharmasala on behalf of his mother, in the
the years, the Dalai Lama embodies on a regular basis what is hope that I could ask His Holiness to pray for an auspicious
deepest and best in all of us, by virtue of our being human. rebirth for her son.
In that sense, he is not special, as he himself never ceases When I shared the story with him, time seemed to stop. His
pointing out. But for qualities such as equanimity and kindness Holiness was totally alert, his eyes tender. The space immedi-
to come out in us and flourish usually requires cultivation, ately around him was still. His Holiness said that Tsering would
be reborn as a great bodhisattva for his selfless and compas- by the very people who should be protecting them. Mother
sionate act. These were the words I needed to hear. They were a Earth is crying as we go on with “business as usual,” refusing to
gift I could carry back to his mother. address our damaging addictions to comfort and consumer-
I went back to my seat in the conference and watched His ism. Poverty is on the rise as more and more children are being
Holiness shift his mental state, as quickly as stepping through denied access to opportunities for the life they deserve. The ref-
an open doorway. His nimbleness of mind and heart was a good ugee and displacement crisis is the biggest we’ve ever seen. Our
example of how the taste of suffering induces empathy, followed political systems seem broken while fear, racism, and misogyny
by compassion in someone who has trained the mind and heart are no longer hidden in the shadows.
to use suffering as a medicine to open to greater love and care. Where do we fit in all of this? What is the correct spiritual
His Holiness is a powerful example for all of us today, as response?
we face our imperiled world. His great and tender heart and As we contemplate these questions, we may look to the call
his boundless wisdom open him to the truth of suffering and for a spiritual revolution so clearly articulated and lived by the
freedom from suffering. This is why we love him, and why he Dalai Lama. Time and time again, he has called for a “radical
continues to inspire us to practice and to serve. re-orientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self,”
and from fundamentalism, self-certainty, and subtle and not-
R O S H I J O A N H A L I FA X is the founder and head teacher of Upaya so-subtle violence.
Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe. His is not a call to a make-believe spirituality of disengage-
ment, but to a caring way of sacrificial love and radical compas-
PHOTO B Y OL IV IER A DA M
sion. Can we hear his call and begin to take it seriously? Can we
THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTIONARY follow in his footsteps? We have to—because the future of our
Adam Bucko world depends on it.
that is making less and less

W E A R E L I V I N G I N A WO R L D A D A M B U C KO is a Christian contemplative and the co-author of
sense. Black kids are being executed on the streets of our cities Occupy Spirituality and The New Monasticism.
PH OTO : RE U TE R S / R E UT E RS / A NI N DI TO MU K H ER J EE / A LAM Y
“Be kind whenever possible.

It is always possible.”
—His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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INCLUDING
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• Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell • Joanna Macy and more
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TH E V ISION OF

The DALAI LAMA

The Message Our World Needs

what truly brings happiness to you and those

J A N W I L L I S is professor emerita of religion at Wesleyan

For the sake of future generations, the

Franz Alt: Your Holiness, dear friend, fifteen

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: I am hopeful that

According to scientists, we human beings are

pendent, both in terms of our economies and the

THE DALAI LAMA

He is a voice for compassion, nonviolence, and caring for

with modernity, rather than choosing cultural isolationism,

A S O N E O F T H E WO R L D ’ S M O S T E N D U R I N G and revered Through ongoing collaboration with scientists from a wide

that is making less and less

“Be kind whenever possible.

Get the full print edition available

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