18 Rules of The Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

I was by myself at the local Barnes & Nobel when I decided to make the Dalai Lama my date. He said inspirational things to me, lifted my spirit up during a very dramatically turbulent time of my life. I dated a jerk and got dumped, my mom turned psychotic, and my grades took a turn to the dumpster. These events affected my snobbery negatively. With much gratitude to my crazy friend Cora, the relatively cultured things I got to do were seeing a highlighted performance of Die Zauberflöte and dining out fancily at my favorite restaurant Demi. Anyway, I was still so distraught over the whole thing that I didn't really enjoy the experience. To be more accurate, my mind wasn't there, it was imprisoned somewhere in this dingy cell of melancholy. The Dalai's words put me in a meditative mood and brought me peace.

There are people who have real reasons to suffer, who are really ill, for example, on the breadline, disaster victims, or abused. And yet, here again, they often have the power to remedy this. Practically speaking, they can and should take care of themselves, speak out against their abusers and take them to court demanding damages or again they can work extremely hard if they do not have enough food or clothes. And mentally, they can adopt a positive attitude."

Acording to Buddhism, reflecting on the reality of suffering never induces either pessimism or despair. It leads to the discovery of the root causes of our plight: desire, hatred, and ignorance, and to a way of freeing ourselves from them. By ignorance, we mean not understand the true nature of people and things. It gives rise to the other two poisons. When ignorance dissolves, desire and hatred have no foundation and the source of our suffering has dried up. As a result, we experience a happiness that is spontaneously altruistic and that is no longer at the mercy of negative emotions."

So yeah, while Bill Gates in this post proposes rules that bring awareness to a person's reality, the Dalai Lama's rules reach spiritually inward to the core of our beings and simultaneously connect us to others. I also find the concept of mindfulness much advocated by Thich Nhat Hand shares the same principles with what the Dalai Lama has to say.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
• Respect for self
• Respect for others
• Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

So, light up a candle, close your eyes, take a deep breath, be aware of the surrounding and contemplate the words. I did, felt much better, and get my feet back on the track.