If you want to be wisely selfish, care for others
Interpretation
Being wisely selfish means prioritizing your own well-being while also caring for others.
This quote from the Dalai Lama emphasizes the importance of balancing self-care with compassion for others. It suggests that true wisdom lies in understanding that taking care of your own needs allows you to better support and care for those around you, promoting a healthier and more harmonious relationship with oneself and the community.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a workshop about personal development and the importance of self-care.
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.
Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions.
I've had the good fortune of teaching and preaching across much of the globe, while also struggling to make sense of my experience in my own tiny world.
The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.
Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead one to sovereign power.
If the average person realized the power he wields over his life and destiny, he would live in a perpetual state of wonder and thanksgiving.
A few years ago I met an old professor at the University of Notre Dame. Looking back on his long life of teaching, he said with a funny wrinkle in his eyes: I have always been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I slowly discovered that my interruptions were my work.
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