By accessing or using this site you accept and agree to our Terms and Conditions
We run an ad-free website, help us keep going, Support Us!
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams
Top 10 Best Quotes
“So many wars have been fought and so much injustice has been perpetrated because we've banished others from our group and therefore our circle of concern.”
“We stand firm against the wrong not only to protect those who are being harmed but also to protect the person who is harming others, because eventually they, too, will suffer. So it's out of a sense of concern for their own long-term well-being that we stop their wrongdoing.”
“We are part of the same society. We are part of the same humanity. When humanity is happy, we will be happy. When humanity is peaceful, our own lives are peaceful. ... We must develop the sense of 'we'. Once you're able to develop that sense of common humanity and the oneness of humanity, then naturally you will want all others to be free from suffering and enjoy happiness. The desire for happiness is a natural instinct shared by everyone.”
“Perhaps our synagogues, our temples, and our churches," Archbishop Tutu added, "are not as welcoming as they should be. I really think that we do need for these fellowships to do a great deal more to have those who are lonely come and share. Not in an aggressive way, or in order, as it were, to increase their records or their ranks, but really just keenly interested in one person who comes and gets what they did not have before--warmth and fellowship. ...”
“Yet scientists have found that the more we experience any pleasure, the more we become numb to its effects and take its pleasures for granted... But there does seem to be one thing in the literature that powerfully and lastingly changes our sense of well-being. It is what the Dalai Lama and the Archbishop had been advocating throughout our first day: our relationships, and specifically, our expression of love and generosity to others in our life.”
“So when we think about the future, how to build a healthy humanity, we really have to think about how we create a new generation of citizens with a different kind of mind-set. Here education is really the key. Christianity has wonderful teachings, so does Buddhism, but these teachings and approaches are not sufficient. Now secular education is universal. So now we must include in formal education of our youth some teaching of compassion and basic ethics, not on the basis of religious belief but on the basis of scientific findings and our common sense and our universal experience. ... to educate children about the value of compassion and the value of applying our mind.”
“So irrespective of our beliefs, we are all the same human beings. We all want a happy life.”
“I would forget that I'm just talking as a human being to fellow human beings. I would think of myself as something special, and that kind of thinking would make me feel isolated. It is this sense of separateness that isolates us from other people. In fact, this kind of arrogant way of thinking creates a sense of loneliness, and then anxiety.”
“I think maximum lifespan is about a hundred years. Compared to human history, a hundred years is quite short. So if we utilize that short period to create more problems on this planet, our life would be meaningless. ..., so we need to use our days wisely, to make our world a little better for everyone.”
“I asked what we must do about intolerance and fanaticism which was flaring all around the world. "Education and wider contacts are really the only solutions," the Dalai Lama replied.”
Except where otherwise noted, all rights reserved to the author(s) of this book (mentioned above). The content of this page serves as promotional material only. If you enjoyed these quotes, you can support the author(s) by acquiring the full book from Amazon.
Book Keywords:
human, peaceful, beliefs, contact, meaningless, loneliness, others, human-being, desire, well-being, compassion, lifespan, fought, suffering, make-world-better, citizens, protect, generosity, human-beings, suffer, lonely, wrongdoing, intolerance, future, education, special, society, wars, happiness, youth, fanaticism, wrong, planet, life, children, wisely, people, separateness, anxiety, mind, humanity, fellowship, share, world, concern, warmth, solution, harm, love, banished, isolated, arrogant, relationships, welcoming, healthy, problems, injustice, thinking, happy