THE DALI LAMA

Feeling that I might be all alone with my attitude of Ahimsa—I decided to seek the counsel of others more knowledgeable than myself.

A few years ago I had the unbelievable privilege of being invited to a luncheon with the Dali Lama. When he first came into the room and passed by me, I held by palms together and bowed in the traditional greeting of holy men in the East. Instead of returning the greeting in the same way, His Holiness pointed at me with his index finger in a manner that was more Billy Crystal than Dali Lama. He laughed when he saw the desired effect!

The Dali Lama has to be the most humble soul I have encountered on this planet. And, he has a great sense of humor! Here are a few of his thoughts on anger:

"Anger and hatred cannot bring harmony. The noble task of arms control and disarmament cannot be accomplished by confrontation and condemnation. Hostile attitudes only serve to heart up the situation, whereas a true sense of respect gradually cools down what otherwise could become explosive. We must recognize the frequent contradictions between short-term benefit and long-term harm."

"Whenever I examine human tragedy, I find that in most cases it is the result of human behavior—negative emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy and extreme greed. All good things that are constructive, happier human experiences, are mostly motivated by respect for others’ rights and concern for others’ well-being—compassion, love and kindness."