Dalai Lama celebrates 80th year!

Compassion is often regarded as having an emotional aspect to it, though when based on cerebral notions such as fairness, justice and interdependence, it may be considered rational in nature and its application understood as an activity based on sound judgment. There is also an aspect of compassion which regards a quantitative dimension, such that individual’s compassion is often given a property of “depth,” “vigour,” or “passion.”

The etymology of “compassion” is Latin, meaning “co-suffering.” More involved than simple empathy, compassion commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering.

Compassion is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism.

In ethical terms, the expressions down the ages of the so-called Golden Rule often embodies by implication the principle of compassion: Do to others what you would have them do to you.

The English noun compassion, meaning to love together with, comes from Latin. Its prefix com- comes directly from com, an archaic version of the Latin preposition and affix cum (= with); the -passion segment is derived from passus, past participle of the deponent verb patior, patī, passus sum. Compassion is thus related in origin, form and meaning to the English noun patient (= one who suffers), from patiens, present participle of the same patior, and is akin to the Greek verb πάσχειν (= paskhein, to suffer) and to its cognate noun πάθος (= pathos). Ranked a great virtue in numerous philosophies, compassion is considered in almost all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama blowing out the candles of a cake presented in honor of his 80th birthday (July 6th) during a program with the mayors of Westminster and Garden Grove, California, proclaiming them Cities of Compassion during the first day of the three day Global Compassion Summit in Anaheim, California, USA on July 5, 2015. (Photo by Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL)

“The same as all beings, I wish to live a happy life. We all face a lot of problems that are essentially our own creation. The real point here is with our emotions. Unless we have some knowledge of how to tackle them we’ll run into trouble.

“My life is dedicated to the well-being of others. If humanity is happy, then I’ll be happy, because each of us is dependent on others.”

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s Official 80th Birthday Celebration and Global Compassion Summit in Anaheim and Irvine, CA, USA from July 5 to 7: As part of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s official 80th Birthday Celebration in the U.S., His Holiness will participate in various talks, events and panel discussions at the Honda Center in Anaheim and the Bren Events Center at the UC Irvine Campus organized by Friends of the Dalai Lama in partnership with the Center for Living Peace and University of California, Irvine. Contact Website: www.HHDL80.org

Compassion is the response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help. It really is the act of going out of your way to help physical, spiritual, or emotional hurts or pains of another.

Compassion and the Individual
Tenzin Gyatso; The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

The purpose of life

ONE GREAT QUESTION underlies our experience, whether we think about it consciously or not: What is the purpose of life? I have considered this question and would like to share my thoughts in the hope that they may be of direct, practical benefit to those who read them.

I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.

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Compassion and the world

“In conclusion, I would like briefly to expand my thoughts beyond the topic of this short piece and make a wider point: individual happiness can contribute in a profound and effective way to the overall improvement of our entire human community.

Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people. It is foolish to dwell on external differences, because our basic natures are the same.

Ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home, If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another.

If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self- worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others.

I believe that at every level of society – familial, tribal, national and international – the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities.

I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend. This gives me a genuine feeling of happiness. It is the practice of compassion.”