8/10/2023 0 Comments Dalai lama quotes compassion![]() “When faced with economic or any other kind of injustice, it is totally wrong for a religious person to remain indifferent. In the following quotes, the Dalai Lama sheds light on “compassionate anger.” You might be surprised to hear he encourages it by saying it is a good anger that is worth having. Since all of us have probably at one time or another, been on the receiving end of other people’s anger, we all have experience of its unpleasant consequences.” However, when anger extends beyond this practical function, most of the energy it brings us is not helpful at all. In these ways, anger can, in certain situations, make us more effective in getting things done and in obtaining what we rightly seek. Again, feeling angry can, in the short term, make our minds more focused and give us an extra burst of energy and determination. For example, in some situations strong compassion may give rise to an equally strong sense of outrage-that is anger about an injustice. ![]() “Similarly, even anger is not always destructive. In fact, the Dalai Lama says anger can be constructive at times. Maybe you’ll discover more compassion for yourself or someone else because, according to the Dalai Lama, anger can be the appropriate response in some circumstances. If you find yourself becoming judgmental and righteous in response to anger that arises in yourself or others, you might want to take a step back and be sure you understand the context. In the area of the human mind, therefore, we should always maintain an attitude of open-mindedness, pragmatism, and flexibility.” Often we can make this determination only by taking into account the underlying motivation, the specific object of the emotion, the consequences of the emotion, and so on. It is difficult or impossible to determine whether or not a given mental state is destructive without knowing the context. “So when we are dealing with matters as subtle as human mental processes, it is important not to be too dogmatic. You should be meek and submissive.īut is this true? The Dalai Lama suggests there’s far more subtlety involved when it comes to emotions, including anger. Or you may have come to believe that compassion means patiences, tolerance, and forgiveness and doesn’t include anger at all. Or you may have spent years in a spiritual or religious organization where you were taught that anger-even a single moment of anger-should always be avoided or you’ll go directly to hell. But you may have been raised to believe that anger is always bad and you should never feel it. Within this, it is also possible to distinguish between two sub-categories: those emotional states that are destructive in themselves, such as greed, hatred, or malice and those states, such as attachment, anger, or fear, which only become destructive when their intensity is disproportionate to the situation in which they arise.” “Generally, we can define destructive emotions as those states which undermine our well-being by creating inner turmoil, thereby undermining self-control and depriving us of mental freedom. “So the important point to bear in mind is that these feelings are not destructive in themselves they become destructive only when their intensity is out of promotion to the situation, or when they arise in situations that do not call for them.” All emotions have destructive and non-destructive sides. Emotions aren’t harmful in and of themselves. It’s natural for feelings, including anger, to arise. For example, he says “…anger helps us repel forces that are detrimental to our survival and well-being.” The Dalai Lama explains that all emotions have an evolutionary purpose and a biological dimension - in other words, they’re natural responses to circumstances that appear in our lives. ![]() But from a Buddhist perspective, mental states that involve an emotional dimension are seen, instead, as either beneficial or harmful. In the West, we see emotions as either pleasurable or painful and relate to them accordingly. ![]() Can anger be a healthy response to unjust situations or should it be avoided at all costs? Let’s look at the Dalai Lama’s view on compassionate anger. ![]()
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