But not this year, due to the pandemic-so, like the rest of the world, we met by Zoom. ![]() Ordinarily around this time, I visit him at his monastery in Dharamsala, India. Beyond our writing and interviews, he has given me personal advice that has deepened my religious faith, guided my career, and improved my relationships. Want to stay current with Arthur's writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out.į or the past seven years, one of my most treasured collaborative friendships has been with His Holiness. ![]() To take his message to heart means setting yourself apart from the orthodoxies that rule our culture-including, perhaps, some that you don’t even know are influencing your assumptions and limiting your thinking. In contrast, the Dalai Lama asks us to treat others gently as sisters and brothers, even if they disagree with us to love unconditionally to reject self-centeredness, which he sees as the source of unhappiness. Today, conventional wisdom too often teaches that people who disagree with us are obstacles we must coerce others to follow our wishes happiness is supposed to come from getting exactly what we want. You could easily be persuaded that he is a fairly anodyne figure, someone who endeavors only to bring peaceful, good feelings in a turbulent world, without disrupting any established dogmas.īut listen closely to his still, small voice, and you will receive transgressive truths. His message, always delivered softly and calmly and punctuated with infectious laughter, soothes the spirit in a world of shouting. In our noisy world, they are easily missed or dismissed.Ī living example of this paradox comes from Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and global leader of Tibetan Buddhism. We might call this the paradox of prophecy: Many of the most profound truths come not in shouting and scandal but, rather, in a whisper. Rather, He came to Elijah in a “still small voice,” which compelled Elijah to draw near, so he could hear it. As the prophet waited for God’s message to him, there was a wind so strong that it “broke the rocks in pieces,” but God was not there. I n the Old Testament, God often communicates with His people through violent events: floods, plagues, wars. As part of his goal to communicate with as many people as possible to spread the message of nonviolence and inner peace, the Dalai Lama travels the world to speak about Buddhism and science, peace, interfaith dialogue, and various topics on Tibet and religious teachings.“ How to Build a Life ” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. He fled Tibet during the 1959 Tibetan uprising when China cracked down upon the country. He has millions of followers, not because he is a spiritual man (which he is) but because he exudes a personality that attracts people to him. You can find him on Twitter (link here), on his website (link here), and Facebook (link here). And, he uses all methods of communicating with his Tibetan countrymen and with the world. The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader in the true sense. Deeply believes that the purpose of life is to be happy.Advocates peaceful solutions based on tolerance and mutual respect.Sensitive, compassionate, and imaginative.Here are the Dalai Lama’s main leadership characteristics: I discovered that the profile I had written for Pope John Paul II was not that much different. While working on this article, I re-read other profiles of great leaders those from the ancient world and those who are practicing leaders today. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of the Tibetan people “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, he radiates charisma. ![]() His Holiness the Dalai Lama has campaigned tirelessly for peace, nonviolence, democracy, and reconciliation, especially among world religions. Those who can carry on after such traumatic events are only those who find a deep spiritual faith within themselves. ![]() He told me that he survives his awful wounds because of his belief in the principles espoused by the Dalai Lama. Yesterday I was speaking with a medically-discharged soldier who had received horrible wounds in Afghanistan.
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