Dalai Lama Speaks on Inner Peace, Inner Values & Mental States

Dear brothers and sisters When I say brothers and sisters I truly mean it Above all we truly need that spirit right now And I believe our traditional notion of "us versus them" is an outdated one we must embrace a concept that sees all of humanity as our brothers and sisters and then should consider part of us That's much better Due to the numerous challenges we are currently encountering Ultimately problems created by humans That's utterly unnecessary on top of nature's own challenges given how serious the problem already is Adding another human -made issue— is that wise Certainly not So in the end I believe our idea ours and theirs comes down to this And don't worry about them about their situation The worst part is they have no hesitation in taking advantage of them Actually cheat on them So therefore I always say tell people we now need a sense of global responsibility Think of six billion humans as equals Simply reflect on yourself It's actually foolish Every kind of action Suppose creating a joyful life No one intentionally undertakes any task or deed to cause trouble or hardship Therefore everyone moves forward with the purpose of bringing better days But then if you just think only of yourself and don't care about others that kind of motivation makes your actions unrealistic and wrong As a result these unwanted problems which we essentially created ourselves That's why we truly need a healthy positive mindset I believe that's extremely important I think we give sufficient attention to material development and material values Compare that: we pay far less attention to our inner worth to our mind So drawing from our past experiences in the 20th century I believe now— We've invented countless advanced technologies thanks to scientific progress Yet sometimes certain technologies spark more fear and anxiety Based on the experience we've gained in the 20th century we now find ourselves in the 21st century Based on our past experience we now need to ask ourselves what's gone wrong Basically not working Test test I can't remember what I was saying now There is matter there is matter no mind So the matter utilized by human beings ultimately means matter used by the mind Something like that isn't it And then the very essence of happiness and joyfulness is a certain state of mind Mental state Mental state mental sensation And likewise pains—and of course this which I mentioned this morning— So I apologize—I say it again Thus the pains and sorrows—these too are mental sensations So recently in Dharamshala during one of our science meetings I mentioned It's rather strange The very foundation of pain and pleasure is the mind Now we're greatly eager to gain more pleasure more joyfulness And we do our best to minimize suffering Yet both pain and pleasure are merely mental states We overlook what the mind truly is Of course I think many people have had the same experience —having a natural ease with materials with matter itself but in the meantime as a person a very unhappy one I noticed some of my friends not Richard Blum Some are incredibly wealthy I think—extremely rich—but as a person deeply unhappy What' s wrong They have plenty of money And with money comes usually all at once more friends But in reality it's doubtful Are these friends truly friends of humanity or just friends of the individual Are they friends to the person or friends to money That's the question Doubtful In general richer people tend to have more friends that sort of thing But despite that as a person they can still be deeply unhappy So sometimes these people are still chasing comfort through money through power That's wrong If they paid more attention to our inner worth and inner science they would likely discover a more effective way to confront their unhappiness What do you think Does it make sense Thank you At this point I believe I can share my own experience The very moment the time of my birth 1935 So at that time just as Nazi power was beginning to take hold in Europe in Germany Then the Second World War soon began Then the Korean War the Vietnam War—things like that So throughout my life I've witnessed far too much violence and also some violence committed in the name of revolution I believe most efforts fall short of creating a truly happy or healthy world Yet fear distress discomfort and uncertainty still linger Thus it's quite clear that material wealth alone cannot create a truly healthy world And at the family level as Blum mentioned since 1979 they've frequently come here and also to Europe So among my friends once they had one wife Next time another wife Then next time another wife So happy marriage divorce marry again So people without children—well that’s fine even better Enjoy the brief moment then let it go and search for another one It doesn’t really matter Without seriously considering moral principles it's a profound tragedy—especially with children This is about children Children's complete trust rests entirely on their parents yet it is divided I find that sad Thus these issues also indicate underlying problems within the family And then from time to time some truly unbelievable incident—like a shooting in a classroom a harmless student caught in the crossfire a sign of something deeply wrong And just like Japan I was told the number of students taking their own lives is on the rise So once in America we had a meeting about the issue facing young people There are medical scientists educators social workers and psychologists At that meeting there was nearly unanimous agreement that the issue stemmed from a lack of affection within the family and the surrounding environment In China people are now rapidly advancing in terms of material well-being There are quite a few cases involving mental health issues and so in my own situation that's exactly what's happening now Then at the age of sixteen I lost my freedom and was left with constant fear and suspicion except for brief periods At fifty-four I went to Peking For a few months I stayed there remaining there I had several meetings with Chairman Mao Of course I also had brief encounters with most of the leaders at the time As a result of these meetings with such people these leaders are truly revolutionary—devoting their entire lives to the well-being of the people especially the working class Wonderful Then especially Chairman Mao at that time I truly developed sincere respect and admiration for his revolutionary work And many party members most of them are veterans of the Long March Truly dedicated Then at fifty-five I return from Beijing On the road I meet General Tang Kuo-hua He is part of our autonomous preparatory committee He served as deputy chairperson He was traveling from Lhasa to Beijing and I had just returned from Beijing We met on the road in the Khonpo region But then I told him last year when I was taking the same route coming to Peking my mind was filled with suspicion and fear Now I'm returning with full confidence So that feeling lasts until 56 So except for that period it's a constant fear At twenty-four I lost my homeland That was fifty years ago There's still so much trouble so much sorrow so much heartbreaking news During this time money offered no comfort Of course I love watching Thus even some exquisite watches failed to bring inner peace And occasionally some dogs and cats—very beautiful—also failed to bring inner peace Sometimes my human friend there's an even deeper kind of sadness They also complain They also express their own kind of sorrow Instead of bringing peace it brings more worry But the only thing that brings inner peace is my own inner worth Compassion the spirit of forgiveness and a realistic attitude These things bring inner comfort But my physical health is also positively influenced by these inner values To my health To my health So you know I think a lot of you might not be aware but last year I had surgery to remove my gallbladder So at that time there was one specialist—a surgical expert— There are a few specialists One specialist referred to me as a young patient Then I told him I'm not young—now over seventy-three Then he says yes I know you're 73 over 73 but your body still looks like it's only 60 Thus he was described as a young patient That reflects my mental tranquility and inner strength which I believe truly makes a difference in the physical realm We're all the same just human beings Therefore I want to share with you the ultimate source of your happy life: a happy mental state lies within yourself That's something I believe you should be aware of