Psychologies Magazine , January 2003.
The life of Tenzin Gyatso, the son of a peasant born in a remote province of Tibet, is truly extraordinary. Discovered at the age of two through dreams and oracles, and considered the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, he was taken to Lhasa, the capital, to be enthroned. At five, he became the new spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet. From then on, he led the life of a monk, took a vow of chastity, and pursued extensive philosophical studies. In 1959, he was forced to secretly flee his country, which had been occupied by China for ten years, and went into exile in India. In 1989, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his peaceful resistance and that of his people, who were experiencing a true cultural genocide. Since 1973, he has traveled regularly to the West, where this "simple Buddhist monk," as he likes to call himself, has become a media personality. An apostle of humanist spirituality, he captivates with his exceptional charisma. This stems as much from his extraordinary destiny as from his warm personality, as much from his infectious laughter as from the genuine alignment between his words and actions.
THE FIVE KEYS TO HIS THOUGHT
1 – CHOOSING NONVIOLENCE
Despite the atrocities committed by the Chinese in Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso has always opposed not only any form of armed resistance, but also the act of denigrating his adversaries. “Whatever they do to us, never speak ill of the Chinese,” he tirelessly repeats to those he speaks with. Nonviolence must take root in our hearts as a refusal to enter the vicious cycle of hatred, revenge, and retaliation. This message draws inspiration from both the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and the political example of Gandhi, to whom the Dalai Lama often pays tribute.
2- THERE IS NO SINGLE TRUTH.
Since the same truth can have different faces, the Dalai Lama advocates religious tolerance. He regularly surprises his Western audiences by stating that it is pointless, and often even detrimental, to try to change religions. This attitude is genuine. During a private audience, he was seen offering an icon of Christ to an Anglican who confessed to having recently converted to Buddhism. He told him: "Buddha is my door, Jesus is your door."
3 – WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ACTIONS.
The Buddhist concepts of causality and the interdependence of all things are at the heart of his teachings. Every phenomenon is the result of causes and conditions that brought it about, and all phenomena are interconnected. It follows that each of our actions generates effects (positive or negative) for ourselves, but also influences global reality. Hence, an ethic of individual responsibility – we are responsible for all our actions – which is inseparable from the evolution of the planet. “Peace of heart leads to world peace,” the Dalai Lama likes to repeat, emphasizing that “the motivation behind the action is more important than the action itself, because it is the intention that creates our responsibility.”
4 – HAPPINESS IS LEARNED
“Achieving genuine happiness requires transforming our way of thinking and the way we see the world and others.” By observing ourselves carefully, we can understand how negative emotions, thoughts, and actions make us unhappy and how, conversely, positive emotions, thoughts, and actions enrich our lives. Through introspection and self-work, we gradually learn to be happy.
5 – LOVE AND COMPASSION
“The true value of existence is revealed in compassion.” Compassion is not a feeling or an emotion, but the fruit of a rational understanding of reality and the true nature of the human mind. To annihilate the poison of selfishness and attachment to one's own ego, one must discover that all beings suffer and that this suffering is the cause of all evil. It is by having compassion for every suffering being—beginning with those who cause us suffering—that we will free our minds from the darkness of ignorance and attain peace of heart.
Psychologies Magazine, January 2003.