The Dalai Lama Foundation-Canada

Arun Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi identified “Seven Blunders” that are at the very root of the different
aspects of violence that we experience.

1. Wealth without work.
2. Pleasure without conscience.
3. Commerce without morality.
4. Science without humanity.
5. Knowledge without character.
6. Worship without sacrifice.
7. Politics wothout principles.

More recently, I added an eighth blunder,

8. Rights without responsibility.

It is an enlightening exercise for anyone concerned about the state of the world to analyze each of these eight blunders. First, we need to look how each of them contributes to violence in society. Second, we need to ask what would happen if these blunders were replaced by their opposites. What would the world look like, for example, if there was “wealth with work” or “pleasure with conscience”.

Excerpted from Arun Gandhi, Foreword in Catherine Ingram, 2003. In the Footsteps of Gandhi: Conversations with Spiritual Social Activists. Parallax Press, Berkeley CA. Page 10.

London Times
3 October 2006

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and several other religious leaders called on governments to bring the ‘global horror story’ of the arms trade under control in a letter published in the London Times ahead of a vote on an international arms trade treaty at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The signatories of the letter include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Norwegian Lutheran Bishop Gunnar Staalsett, Sheikh Musa Muhammad, the chief imam of the Abuja National Mosque in Nigeria, Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center in Washington DC, and Swami Agnivesh, president of the World Council of Arya Samaj, India.

Following is the text of the letter.

Today, somewhere in the world, a mother will lose her child to armed violence, a young woman will be raped at gunpoint, and a family will be forced from their home by conflict. Worldwide, up to 1,000 people are killed every day by gun violence, and many more are maimed or terrorised.

The world is awash with weapons, including an estimated 640 million firearms, or one gun for every ten people on the planet. And all too often, weapons fall into the wrong hands and are used against innocent people.

This is a global horror story, which plays itself out from the favelas of Brazil, to conflict in the Middle East and to the killings in Darfur. And the vast majority of the victims are not fighters, but ordinary men, women, and children.

There have been international treaties to control the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons for decades. Yet, despite the mounting death toll, there is still no comprehensive treaty governing sales of conventional weapons from handguns to attack helicopters.

This month, the world’s governments have the opportunity to take a vital first step when they vote on an international arms trade treaty at the UN General Assembly in New York. An international arms trade treaty based on governments’ existing commitments under human rights and humanitarian law would have the power to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

The treaty already has the backing of 55 governments, including much of Africa, Latin America, and Europe. It also has widespread popular support: one million people in more than 150 countries have signed the Million Faces Petition calling for tougher arms controls.

As faith leaders from many different countries, we call on the world’s governments to act urgently to bring the arms trade under control.

To view the London Times please go to [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/global/].

Parveen Chopra and Swati Chopra
Life Positive
11 October 2006

It seems that His Holiness has perfected the ‘art of laughing’, if one may call it that. He uses it to punctuate philosophical debate, at times to bridge the awkward silence as he thinks up a suitable reply to a question, but most of all, to convey his innate joie de vivre. It is infectious.

Question:
What does our world need to become a better place?

Dalai Lama:
Undoubtedly we need to be more compassionate.

Question:
How can we practice compassion?

Dalai Lama:
Through awareness! I think that ignorance and afflictive emotions give rise to unwanted circumstances. As far as ignorance is concerned, not just Buddhism, every religion recognizes it as the source of suffering. All over the world, much effort is put in education. It is something sacred as it helps to get rid of ignorance. But we have to be careful about the kind of education we impart to our children. Now I see well-educated people who are so unhappy. Why do they become unhappy? It is because of too much desire, hatred, and jealousy. The antidote to weaken that is increasing the right kind of knowledge. I think, perhaps knowledge coupled with a warm heart brings wisdom.

Compassion stems from wisdom. For instance, animals with their limited intelligence are happier and more peaceful than we are. Even so, I have observed that animals become aggressive during the mating season, because there is now attachment to the mate.

I believe that whether a person follows any religion or not is unimportant, he must have a good heart, a warm heart. This is essential for a happy life. This is part of what I call ’secular ethics’.

Let’s take the example of Mahatma Gandhi. Physically, he was frail. Although he was well educated, there are others who are better educated than he was. Why then did he become a mahatma? It was because of his heart. He did not act for himself or in his own interest; that is compassion. Compassion, I think, is the main element in becoming a good person. Stalin, Lenin, Mao Zedong were powerful leaders. But they lacked compassion and became unpopular.

Compassion automatically brings happiness and calmness. Then, even if you receive disturbing news, it will be easier to take, as your mind is still. But if you are agitated, even a minor happening will upset you greatly.

Question:
How does one bring about calmness?

Dalai Lama:
Hatred, jealousy and excessive attachment cause suffering and agitation. I feel that, again, it is compassion that can help you overcome these to move into a calm state of mind. Compassion is not being kind to your friend. That is attachment, because it is based on expectation. Compassion is when you do something good without expectations, even without knowing the other person. It is in realizing that the other person is just like me. That recognition is the basis on which you can develop compassion, not only towards those around you, but also towards your enemy. Normally, when we think about our enemy, we think about harming him. Instead, try to remember that the enemy is also a human being. He or she has the right to be happy, just as you do.

Real compassion is unbiased. What we normally feel is biased compassion as it is mixed with attachment. Genuine compassion flows towards all sentient beings, particularly towards your enemy. You must keep in mind that developing compassion might not benefit the other directly. If I try to develop compassion towards my enemy, he might not even be aware of it. But it will immediately benefit me! How? By calming my mind. On the other hand, if I keep thinking how awful everything is, I will immediately lose my peace of mind.

Modern medical researchers have come to the conclusion that peace of mind is vital to good health. Experiments show that it is easier for those who practice love and compassion to regain a peaceful state of mind after being agitated.

I am not saying that compassion must be practiced because the Buddha taught it. No. It must be practiced equally by the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Jain, the Christian. It is part of the ’secular ethics’ that I talk about. There is nothing sacred or religious about aspiring to a calm mind. People just need to realize that it is good for our health! My approach is to promote values that enable the individual to have a calm mind.

Having a calm mind actually works wonders. Recognizing this would help me want to develop it. This has to be made clear to every individual, even to children. It is important to make the child realize that if he loses his temper, he will suffer. If he is able to be more compassionate, he will feel more joy even while playing. If you smile, life becomes sweeter. After all, if I smile at you, you will smile back!

Question:
Don’t you ever experience anger?

Dalai Lama:
Oh yes, I do. Negative emotions come and go. I do not think they remain within me for long. If you let anger remain within you, it leads to ill-feeling and hatred.

Question:
How do you deal with anger?

Dalai Lama:
Through my clear conviction about compassion. I think negative emotions are part of my mind. It is quite natural to feel angry when faced with problems. But you can change.

If you are able to recognize the moment when anger arises, you will be able to distinguish the part of your mind that is feeling anger. This will divide your mind in two parts – one part will be feeling anger while the other will be trying to observe. Therefore, anger cannot dominate the entire mind. You are able to recognize that anger is harmful and maybe develop an antidote to it. View your anger objectively. Try to see the positive side of the anger-causing person or event.

Question:
What is the goal of human life?

Dalai Lama:
To be happy!

Question:
What is the purpose of existence?

Dalai Lama:
Happiness.

Question:
You travel all over the world. Do you think that the world is moving towards being more positive?

Dalai Lama:
I would like to quote Britain’s Queen Mother on this. On her 96th birthday, I asked her the same question. She said that it was becoming better, because when she was young, for instance, nobody was concerned about the environment, human rights, or the right to self-determination. Today, these have become universal values. When Gandhiji implemented ahimsa, I think everyone took it as a sign of weakness. Now most of the world accepts nonviolence and practices it, like Nelson Mandela.

Question:
Any message for the readers of Life Positive?

Dalai Lama:
Life can be pleasant or miserable. To lead a fruitful life and to make it positive, analyze. And remember that calmness and compassion are an important part of human life. I hope that all Life Positive readers will pay greater attention to inner values.

To view the complete interview please go to [http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2006/10/11_7.html]

Tsering Tashi
Office of Tibet London
2 October 2006

The leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Finland today warmly welcomed and thanked His Holiness the Dalai Lama for taking part in the inter-faith meeting that he had arranged today in Helsinki with leaders of the Christian churches, intellectuals, and business executives. In his concluding remarks before the end of the meeting, the Metropolita or Archbishop Ambrosius said they would bear in mind the importance that His Holiness gives to warm heart, unbiased compassion, and Tibet.

His Holiness told the distinguished gathering that all the major religions of the world had the same message of love, compassion, and forgiveness. He said to promote interfaith harmony it was helpful if people from different religious backgrounds mix with each other. His Holiness also shared his experience of interactions with practitioners from the Christian and Islamic traditions.

The Tibetan Nobel Peace Laureate said that a peaceful society and a peaceful world is in the interest of everyone and, therefore, we must think about the environment and welfare of humanity as a whole, because in this world of growing interdependence, the concept of national boundaries no longer seems to be relevant.

Mrs. Kesang Takla, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for northern Europe, the Baltic States and Poland, said the public interest in attending His Holiness’ talk and the teaching clearly indicated the success of the fulfillment of His Holiness’ three declared commitments in life, namely the promotion of human values, the promotion of inter-religious harmony and working for Tibet.

To view the complete article please go to [http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2006/10/2_7.html].