In the past, the respect people had for religion meant that ethical practice was maintained through a majority following one religion or another. But this is no longer the case. We must therefore find some other way of establishing basic ethical principles.
I want to show that there are indeed some universal ethical principles which could help everyone to achieve the happiness we all aspire to.
The practicing of loving kindness toward one’s enemy is the ultimate test of one’s own spiritual attainment.
If you utilize obstacles properly, then they strengthen your courage, and they also give you more intelligence, more wisdom.
The more you nurture a feeling of loving kindness, the happier and calmer you will be.
If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.
The key point is kindness. With kindness one will have inner peace. Through inner peace, world peace can one day be a reality.
Peace in the world relies on individuals finding inner peace.
The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence.
If you have a great deal of knowledge, but you’re governed by negative emotions, then you tend to use your knowledge in negative ways. Therefore, while you are learning, don’t forget the importance of warmheartedness.
A compassionate attitude opens our inner door, and as a result it is much easier to communicate with others. If there is too much self-centered attitude, then fear, doubt and suspicion come and as a result our inner door closes. Then it is very difficult to communicate with others.
The basis of human rights is happy life. Everyone wants to lead a happy life for which we need to have a holistic approach.
Values are related to our emotions, just as we practice physical hygiene to preserve our physical health, we need to observe emotional hygiene to preserve a healthy mind and attitudes.
As human beings we each have a responsibility to care for humanity. Expressing concern for others brings inner strength and deep satisfaction. As social animals, human beings need friendship, but friendship doesn’t come from wealth and power, but from showing compassion and concern for others.
Peace is the only way for the survival of humanity.
All beings want to live in peace and happiness, undisturbed. Therefore the concept of human rights is universal.
When we talk about global crisis, or a crisis of humanity, we cannot blame a few politicians, a few fanatics, or a few troublemakers. The whole of humanity has a responsibility because it is our business, human business. I call this a sense of universal responsibility. That is a crucial point.
We know that to wage a nuclear war today, for example, would be a form of suicide; or that to pollute the air or the oceans in order to achieve some short-term benefit would be to destroy the very basis for our survival.
It is a question of our own peace and mental stability.
Some consider me as a living Buddha. That’s nonsense. That’s silly. That’s wrong. If they consider me a simple Buddhist monk, however, that’s probably okay.