Feb 10th 2009 07:59 am
The Dalai Lama -
“As human beings, we are all the same. So there is no need to build
some kind of artificial barrier between us. At least my own experience
is that if you have this kind of attitude, there is no barrier.
Whatever I feel, I can express; I can call you ‘my old friend’. There
is nothing to hide, and no need to say things in a way that is not
straightforward. So this gives me a kind of space in my mind, with the
result that I do not have to be suspicious of others all the time. And
this really gives me inner satisfaction, and inner peace.
So I call this feeling a ‘genuine realization of the oneness of the
whole of humanity’. We are all members of one human family. I think
that this understanding is very important, especially now that the
world is becoming smaller and smaller. In ancient times, even in a
small village, people were able to exist more or less independently.
There was not so much need for others’ co-operation. These days, the
economic structure has completely changed, so that modern economies,
relying on industry, are totally different. We are heavily dependent
on one another, and also as a result of mass communication, the
barriers of the past are greatly reduced. Today, because of the
complexity of interdependence, every crisis on this planet is
essentially related with every other, like a chain reaction.
Consequently it is worthwhile taking every crisis as a global one.
Here barriers such as ‘this nation’ or ‘that nation’, ‘this
continent’, or ‘that continent’ are simply obstacles. Therefore today,
for the future of the human race, it is more important than ever
before that we develop a genuine sense of brotherhood and sisterhood.
I usually call this a sense of ‘universal
responsibility’ ”
.
–from Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection by the
Dalai Lama, translated by Thupten Jinpa and Richard Barron, Foreword
by Sogyal Rinpoche, edited by Patrick Gaffney, published by Snow Lion
Publications
Posted by Shona / Uncategorized