From Here to Enlightenment by The Dalai Lama

Author:The Dalai Lama [Lama, Dalai]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2020-12-22T00:00:00+00:00

9. THE SPIRIT OF ENLIGHTENMENT

TODAY WE ARE going to talk about the spirit of enlightenment and helping others. All religious traditions stress altruism in one way or another. What is unique about Buddhism is how this involves the concept of interdependency, dependent arising.

In our daily lives, whether we are religious or not, it is certain that a disposition to help others is the very basis of our well-being—including our physical well-being. We can develop concern for others only on the basis of self-confidence, not out of fear. Increasing self-confidence diminishes fear and gives us a greater sense of inner strength, so that even the physical elements of our body function better. When we are constantly fearful, or angry, or full of hate, then the physical elements are disturbed. This is why, even in terms of physical well-being, an altruistic mind helps—particularly when you are passing through a difficult period. Grounded in self-confidence, an altruistic attitude really gives you sustained peace of mind, a calm mind.

This concept of interdependence is also very helpful in daily life because the reality is that everything is interdependent. Whether we consider economics, ecology, health, or even politics and international relations, everything is deeply interdependent. This is the reality of how things are, but when we find something appealing or threatening it often appears to us as though it were independent and isolated. When we act on the basis of such appearances, then our approach is unrealistic. So many unwanted things happen precisely because of this kind of unrealistic approach. Our approach becomes more realistic as we gain fuller knowledge of interdependency. So the Buddhist concept of interdependence gives us a more holistic approach, a more realistic attitude. This is always useful.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.