Words to the Cosmos

The Spiritual Practice of Openness

// October 26th, 2009 // life the universe and everything, spirit

An Excerpt from Many Ways to Nirvana: Reflections and Advice on Right Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

In five lectures, His Holiness the Dalai Lama presents the essentials of Buddhism. Here is an excerpt on the spiritual practice of openness.

“If you look at the same object from different angles, you can see differently. For example, we lost our country, and our country has experienced a lot of destruction. If we think only from one angle, there is great disturbance and sadness. But because of this tragedy, we became refugees and have had many occasions to interact with different people — religious people, scientists, ordinary people — and that is very useful and a good opportunity to learn. If one thinks along these lines, the same tragic situation has, on the one side, very sad implications, and on the other, new opportunities. And it also helps to make comparisons. When tragic things happen, you can think what it would be like if worse things had happened. When you make a comparison, you see that your situation is far better. The way you perceive a situation, even though it remains the same, makes a big difference to your mental attitude.”