I came across an article by Pico Iyer (New York Times, July 22, 2009) that described how and when he met with the 14th Dalai Lama, and some very intriguing ideas proposed by the latter.
This is what Pico Iyer cited from the Dalai Lama:
"“Dream — nothing!” is one of the many things I’ve heard the 14th Dalai Lama say to large audiences that seem to startle the unprepared. Just before I began an onstage conversation with him at New York Town’s Hall this spring, he told me, “If I had magical powers, I’d never need an operation!” and broke into guffaws as he thought of the three-hour gallbladder operation he’d been through last October, weeks after being in hospital for another ailment. For a Buddhist, after all, our power lies nowhere but ourselves.
We can’t change the world except insofar as we change the way we look at the world — and, in fact, any one of us can make that change, in any direction, at any moment. The point of life, in the view of the Dalai Lama, is happiness, and that lies within our grasp, our untapped potential, with every breath."
Whether this is realistic and practical to any one of you is a question open for debate. For those of you who have tried hard to seek happiness within, I gather, the statement is realistic and practical.
Here is the hyperlink of the original article: http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/the-doctor-is-within/.
