teachings of the dali lama

[loketron]

im reading this book by Howard C Cutler and his holiness the dali lama.
heres something i came across last night that i thought id share.

"Doing wholesome deeds may not come naturally, but we have to consciously train towards it. This is so, particularly in modern society, because there is a tendency to accept that the question of wholesome deeds and unwholesome deeds - what to do and what is not to be done -is something that is considered to be within the purview of religion. Traditionally, it has been considered the responsibility of the preligion to prescribe what behaviors are wholesome and what are not. However, in today's society, religion has lost its prestige and influence to some degree. And at the same time, no alternative, such as secular ethics, has come to replace it. so there seems to be less attention paid to the need to lead a wholesome way of life. It is because of this that i think we need to make some special effore and consciously work towards gaining that kind of knowledge. for example, althought i personally believe that our human nature is fundamentally gentle and compassionate, i feel it is not enought that this is our underlying nature, ; we must also develop an appreciation and awareness of that fact. and changing how we preceive ourselfs, through learning and understanding, can have a very real impact on how we interact with others and how we conduct our daily lives"

i know this dosnt have to do with lonliness but it stuck a chord with me, so i thought id share.
i know ive already passed up a good quote in this book about being happy alone, if i find it ill post it.

choi!

 

[iwasaloverb4thiswar]

i have read about half of this book in bits and pieces, but that was a while ago and I wouldn't feel really confident about commenting on this book directly, however, your post did remind me of one of my favorite buddhist philosophies...the idea of prajna. The potential that all of us contain, forever and ever no matter what, to become our best selves. It's kinda nice to just think there is this little pearl that we all carry with us, that we can tap into at any moment and embrace and be bigger and better than we ever thought. It's hopeful, especially for those that have a hard time forgiving themselves or seeing beyond their temporary black hole. It's cheesy when you sspell it out, but it meant a lot to me at the time, and still does.