Some of the simplest words and statements hold the largest revelations. These Dalai Lama quotes are the simple gems that make life better.

Life is complicated. I learned the depth of this complication this morning while mentally hashing out a situation. Although we would love for life to be simple, with definite answers and solutions, it’s just not that easy. However, there are a few Dalai Lama quotes that help us put life back into perspective, making complicated truths reveal a simplicity of happiness.

Who is the Dalai Lama?

Within the school of Tibetian Buddhism, there are monks called the Dalai Lamas. The current, or 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, received the Nobel peace prize in 1989.

He has also traveled the world, spreading his teachings on the environment, women’s rights, sexuality, science and anti-violence ideology. The Dalai Lama also leaves us with sage wisdom in forms of quotes. These are the Dalai Lama quotes that teach important life lessons.

Life made simple

The wisdom of the Dalai Lama surpasses our understanding of how life is supposed to be. I understand that not everything can just be swept aside and forgotten. Yes, some situations must be hashed out just like my morning of difficult decision making.

But these Dalai Lama quotes help us see things from a simplistic perspective and gives us time to calm down and take a fresh look. I think I needed some of these this morning. Let’s take a look.

“In the practice of tolerance, our enemy is the best teacher.”

Just like patience, tolerance must be something understood through acceptance. It seems that no matter how hard we stress, we cannot force everything into our little boxes of understanding. Just as patience must be learned to have inner peace, so does tolerance. There must be tolerance for differences in order to grow.

“Whether one believes in a religion or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.”

This quote speaks so much and creates a unity between believers and non-believers. I think it’s important to understand that religion does not create humanity.

We can believe in Gods or we can believe in nothing, and still, as human beings, we all want to be loved and cared for. This realization brings great peace inside.

“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.”

When we fail at something, it’s not just failure. We also win, in that we learn valuable life lessons from what went wrong. Maybe we said the wrong thing or took the wrong action, and this can teach us so much for the future.

Yes, there could be additional consequences that come with our failures, but we can use our lessons to try harder next time to get it right.

“If you can help, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.”

There will come a time when you cannot help someone. During this time, the best thing you can do is refrain from causing any additional hurt. Do not gossip about this person’s misfortune. If you spread lies for personal satisfaction, this will come back to haunt you.

“Happiness is not ready-made. It comes from our own actions”

Honestly, we are in control of our own lives, and we decide whether or not we will be happy by our actions. We must not look toward others as fulfillment, rather we should continue to be compassionate, tolerant and loving, and this will make us happy in turn.



“Silence is sometimes the best answer”

I have personally struggled in this area, as I love to lecture people on how they’ve wronged me. The truth is, however, sometimes silence is the only thing that can reach certain places. Yes, we all want a solution and we want to be treated fairly, but silence says so much more than retaliation.

“Neither a space station or an enlightened mind can be realized in a day.”

Just like all great innovations and modern technologies take time to imagine and create, so does the maturation of the human mind.

Our mind is filled with intricate reasonings, as detailed as the cogs and screws of any great machine. It takes time to reach inner peace and build a great mind of compassion and love beyond our understandings.

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

This is a funny quote but it has great meaning. If you’ve ever been bitten relentlessly by an insect and unable to sleep a wink at night, then you will understand the power this small creature can hold over you.

Just like this mosquito, you have the power to get attention, hold attention and create change. You can wake them up and keep them alert until your job is done or your message is conveyed.

“Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.”

Avoiding bad things is good, this is true, but when you cannot avoid certain difficulties, you must learn how to respond. In life, you will not be able to avoid everything that happens, and your suffering will be greater or less according to how you react to what has happened to you.

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

Spirituality does not come from the confines of human structures. A higher power is not born in temples or neither does it dwell solely in that place. True spirituality dwells within us, and it guides our moral compass. Kindness and love is our philosophy above all else.

Life does not have to be complicated

Although life throws curve balls all the time and problems arise that cannot be easily solved, life can be viewed in a simplistic manner. It’s like this selection of Dalai Lama quote states,

“Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.”

And this is true…

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