Genuine harmony must come from the heart. It cannot come from the barrel of a gun.
Interpretation
True peace and harmony must originate from genuine intentions, not through force or violence.
In this quote, the Dalai Lama emphasizes that authentic harmony in society cannot be achieved through coercion or violence, represented by the 'barrel of a gun'. Instead, it must arise from heartfelt connections and mutual understanding among people, highlighting the importance of compassion and peace in fostering real unity.
In practice
In a speech about conflict resolution, one might say, 'As the Dalai Lama once stated, genuine harmony must come from the heart.'
Human beings are not intrinsically selfish, which isolates us from others. We are essentially social animals who depend on others to meet our needs. We achieve happiness, prosperity and progress through social interaction. Therefore, having a kind and helpful attitude contributes to our own and others' happiness.
Material objects give rise to physical happiness, while spiritual development gives rise to mental happiness. Since we experience both physical and mental happiness, we need both material and spiritual development. This is why, for our own good and that of society we need to balance material progress with inner development.
All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a simple level we find that if we have a compassionate heart we naturally have more friends. And scientists today are discovering that while anger and hatred eat into our immune system, warm-heartedness and compassion are good for our health.
My religion is kindness. _x000D_ A good mind, a good heart, _x000D_ warm feelings these are _x000D_ the most important things.
If a person's basic state of mind is serene and calm, then it is possible for this inner peace to overwhelm a painful physical experience. On the other hand, if someone is suffering from depression, anxiety, or any form of emotional distress, then even if he or she happens to be enjoying physical comforts, he will not really be able to experience the happiness that these could bring.
A world free of nuclear weapons will be safer and more prosperous.
For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who sacrificed their lives for a noble cause. Even as we mourn our fallen colleagues, we are all uplifted by their unflinching commitment and are inspired to strive even harder for the collective cause so eloquently envisaged in the United Nations Charter: a world free from the scourge of war.
We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody, that is far superior to the discords of war.
Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be acheived unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called 'peacekeeping forces' into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.
By its existence, the Peace Movement denies that governments know best; it stands for a different order of priorities: the human race comes first.
The Nobel Peace Prize is a powerful message. A durable peace is not a single achievement, but an environment, a process and a commitment.
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