Be Angry by Dalai Lama

Author:Dalai Lama [Lama, Dalai]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612834429
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Competition and Anger

All right. Returning again to the question of how to create an altruistic society, I want to talk about the meaning of competition.

More and more, modern society is governed by tough competition, which makes life very difficult. One problem is our desire to become this competitive society, but another problem is that those who criticize this competitiveness tend to emphasize only its negative side. But I believe that competition can also be very valuable.

I think there are two kinds of competition. First there is the kind that allows us to empower each other. For example, in martial arts such as judo and kendo, when two people compete, they are not caught up in winning or losing but battle as rivals who enhance each other's strengths, which is a great thing.

But nowadays in greater society, we have adopted a Western [American] type of competition that determines a winner and a loser. The result is that the winner takes all and the loser suffers, and no matter how difficult his life becomes he has to bear it, because he lost the competition.

This kind of competition that produces a winner and loser, a winning team and a losing team, is becoming more prevalent.

This kind of competition that creates “winners” and “losers” causes happiness and it causes anger.

I make a distinction between the good and worthwhile kind of competition and the other kind that is not. In the best kind of competition, we aim to accomplish a particular goal, and when we look at the good qualities that others possess, we want to achieve the same thing for ourselves. That kind of competition is positive.

In Buddhism we say, “Take refuge in the three treasures of the Buddha, dharma, and sangha,” and in a sense we feel a kind of rivalry with the “three treasures.” We take the Buddha and sangha [monastic community] as our models, so that we can strive to attain a higher state. This kind of competition is positive and necessary for our development.

“COMPETITION THAT CREATES

WINNERS AND LOSERS

CAUSES HAPPINESS AND

IT CAUSES ANGER.”

Then there is the negative type of competition that must be overcome. This is the type of competition that draws a line and says, “I am the winner, and you are the loser.”

In this type of competition, we try to harm the other person and put ourselves first, and in that way we create our own enemy.

The more prevalent this type of competition becomes, the more problems it creates in a society. But a positive spirit of competition allows us to lift each other up, to help each other, so that everybody ends up on top.

“THE MORE PREVALENT NEGATIVE

COMPETITION BECOMES,

THE MORE PROBLEMS IT CREATES

IN A SOCIETY.”

“WHILE COMPASSION BRINGS A

COMMUNITY CLOSER,

ANGER DOES THE OPPOSITE.”

Around the globe, many kinds of competition exist. Last year I saw that, in the United States, competition is all about winning and losing. Even if I win today, I might lose tomorrow, so the harsh reality is that my mind can never rest.

China is the same way.

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