Men often become what they believe themselves to be

Theoretically, one could imagine a situation where armed intervention at an early stage might prevent large-scale conflict. The problem is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to predict the outcome of violence. That it will be just is not guaranteed at the outset – it will only become clear in hindsight. The ...only certainty is that where there is violence, there is always and inevitably suffering.


Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning.
We may consider each generation as a distinct nation, with a right, by the will of its majority, to bind themselves, but none to bind the succeeding generation, more than the inhabitants of another country. If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

There is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile and that our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. There is no denying that if society suffers, we ourselves suffer, and the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. We can reject religi...on, ideology, received wisdom, but we cannot escape the need for love and compassion.

The consensus that science and spirituality are incompatible no longer holds firm. As the scientific understanding of the nature of reality deepens, perceptions are changing and people are beginning to show more interest in what I call our inner world. By this, I mean the dynamics and functions of consciousness: both our hearts and our minds.

Those who say the Dalai Lama is unrealistic in advocating unconditional love, I urge them to experiment with it nonetheless. They will discover that when we reach beyond the confines of narrow self-interest, our hearts become filled with strength. Peace and joy become our constant companions. It breaks down barriers of... every kind and destroys the notion of my interests being independent from others' interests.

The modern world is such that the interests of a particular country or community can no longer be considered to lie within the confines of its own boundaries. Cultivating contentment is therefore crucial to maintaining peaceful coexistence because discontent breeds a sense of acquisitiveness that can never be satisfied.

We may consider each generation as a distinct nation, with a right, by the will of its majority, to bind themselves, but none to bind the succeeding generation, more than the inhabitants of another country.