An ethical and spiritual revolution

The Dalai Lama sends a message to Humanity in “The art of living in the new millennium.” His Holiness urges us to make sure that our life is as charged with sense as possible, aiming at being happy.
The present is the only thing of which we can make a good use. We must behave responsibly and with compassion for others. Compassion, like justice, solidarity, the exercise of liberty and all the virtues, demands a relationship with the others. That behavior obeys our interests because it is the source of all our happiness and joy, and the foundation to have a good heart. Our happiness is united to other people’s happiness. It is impossible to be happy alone.
Through cordiality, affection, honesty, truth and justice towards everyone else, we can ensure our own benefit. It is a matter of common sense.
That is why we can reject religion, the ideology and the wisdom received from our elderly, but we cannot run away from the necessity of love and compassion.
“This is my true religion, my simple faith. There is no need for a temple or a church, a mosque or a synagogue are not necessary; there is no need for a complicated philosophy, of a doctrine or a dogma. Our heart must be our temple, our spirit and our intelligence. Love for others and the respect for their rights and their dignity, no matter who they are and what they can be. This is what we all need.”
As long as we practice these truths in our everyday life, it matters little that we are cultured or not, that we believe in God or in Buddha, that we follow one religion or the other, or none of them. As long as we have compassion for others and we conduct ourselves with the necessary contention, starting with our sense of responsibility, we will be happy.
“With cordiality and courage, take others with a smile. Be clear and straightforward. And try to be impartial. Treat everyone else as if they were your friends. I don’t say all this as the Dalai Lama. I speak only like a human being; like someone who, like you, wishes to be happy and not to suffer.”
When some people peek to see the mirror masks of volunteers, they can find an answer in the convocation of the Dalai Lama to a spiritual revolution that entails an ethical revolution.

José Carlos Gª Fajardo
Translated by Carlos Miguélez

This article was published in the Center of Collaborations for Solidarity (CCS) on 10/04/2004