DALAI LAMA REVEALS SECRETS FOR MENTAL PEACE!
Dalai Lama always believed that we need to have a flexible mind. We should develop a broader perspective in our life. Our thinking should not be restricted to just our own self, but it should encompass the whole community as well as the whole world.
Dalai Lama explains this beautifully, “Change must come from within the individual. But when you are seeking solutions to global problems, you need to approach these problems from the standpoint of the individual as well as from society at large. So when you are talking about being flexible, about having a wider perspective and so on, this requires the ability to address problems from various levels: the individual level, the community level, and the global level!”
In his interview with Howard C. Cutler, Dalai Lama has explained in detail about how we should have a supple and a flexible mind and should have a broad perspective towards life. Cutler explains after his discussion with the Dalai Lama that Flexible Mind can be achieved in two ways
1. Directly Through our efforts to stretch our perspective.
2. Deliberately try on new viewpoints.
When Dalai Lama was asked that did he face any situation in life when his thinking became narrow or he did not look upon things from a broader perspective? But Dalai replied that in fact that it was the opposite. Sometimes if he was asked one question, he would agree to that. And if someone asked him for some advice which contradicted the previous reply which he gave, he still agreed. This was the exact reason why his mind was so flexible and so supple.
Now, let us take an example. If some person says that he likes to go to the temple and offer flowers to God and it gives him great peace of mind, what is wrong in that? Now, another person feels that he does not require to go to the temple because he feels God is in heart, is this thinking incorrect? If you look at things from a broader perspective, both the methods are perfectly fine, as long as it is done with a proper frame of mind.
Dalai Lama, explains beautifully, “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness!?
Howard Cutler gives us a beautiful method which will help us in making our mind flexible. Repeat these three statements to yourself!
1. I am a human being.
2. I want to be happy and I don’t want to suffer.
3. Other human beings, like me, are happy and don’t want to suffer.
Dalai Lama also explains that we should take care of the extremes. Suppose you are feeling on a very high note. Things are working very well for you. You are making profit in your business, you are having good health and your family relations have also become strong. At that time you should not get carried away rather think about the times when you were facing difficulties. It will prepare you for any unpleasant event in the future. Similarly, if you are facing any crisis in your life, think about the good times you had in the past, this will give you hope and positive feelings. So we need TO BALANCE OURSELVES and TAKE CARE OF THE EXTREMES.
Dalai Lama goes on to explain, “A balanced and skillful approach to life, taking care to avoid extremes, becomes a very important factor in conducting one’s everyday existence. It is important in all aspects of life. For example, in planting a sapling of a plant or a tree, at its very early stage, you have to be very skillful and gentle. Too much moisture will destroy it, too much sunlight will destroy it. Too little will also destroy it. So what you need is a very balanced environment where the sapling can have healthy growth.”
