Dalai Lama has been able to address so many issues that have tended to affect the human life especially the spiritual perspective. So many people from across the globe usually wants to achieve that fundamental need in life which is mainly focused on ensuring that they are able to live upto their dreams. Each and every one of us has made it their mandate to chase happiness at all costs. The main question that is being addressed here is how people achieve this happy life. There are many things to consider when one has to be said to be successful. These two issues of happiness and success are some of the key goals and the legitimate rights for most humans around the world. How to develop these now forms the thesis of the works of Dalai Lama. In most cases, people should learn to balance their lives for a proper comeback rather than just concentrating on one thing in life. So many people have the belief that material possessions are some of the key issues which will lead them to be fully satisfied when it comes to their desires and fulfilling of all their goals in life. This has come across due to the advancement that has been witnessed in the technological and material facility spectrum. This belief has given most people a false hope that has come out to possess a firm basis. Most people have therefore neglected the state of mind and their inner value and settled for the most misleading concept about happiness and success (Ribush 56). Dalai Lama brings on the issue of spirituality and how it will relate to happiness and personal success. However, so many people will tend to confuse the meaning of spiritual. This word does not mean the ability to have some religious faith since there are two distinct level of spirituality which include that with faith and the one with no instance of faith. It is commonly evident that someone can lead a meaningful life without religious faith but according to the author, one is unable to remain happy without the spirituality of having those human values that are basic for survival.
Major points supporting the thesis
Enlightening humans is a very significant step when it comes to human development. The author focuses much on the religion of the Buddha which focuses much on enlightenment. This is a very significant spiritual tradition which entails Dharma. Dharma is often evident to mean an instrument that is mostly used when it comes to training the mind on some of the most important things. In most cases, people will work out ways through which they are able to solve the issues they face. Most of these problems usually come from the mental levels and perspectives. This is related to happiness since it is one of the fundamental determinants. According to Buddha, most of the unrests realised mentally are usually due to the negative emotional forces that are often faced. Some of these negative emotions include fear, doubt, unhappiness and frustration among the many others that are also significant and important. The negative emotions mentioned above will then force us to engage in activities that will always have negative impacts and thus leads to much more issues and also adds more suffering. By the use of practice of Dharma, one is able to work out ways through which the problems can be solved or worked out whether they are short term, intermediate or even long term in nature. People who usually practice Dharma will then stay out of struggles and stress hence will tend to be happy with life and look to be enlightened.
Transformation is another key aspect of what the author relates to Dharma. This is where people are able to bring about the change they need through transformation in different sections of life. Under this, one will have to destroy all the task forces that might lead to destruction after the mind has been transformed. All the destructive emotions together with the thoughts will then be replaced with those that are constructive and beneficial after transformation has been witnessed. Transformation will therefore aid in happiness as it will change the undisciplined minds to that which is disciplined. The author presents transformation through the theory of impermanence since all events and things are usually subjected to change and transformation at one point as there is no practice or anything which will forever be permanent. Being in line with the true nature of reality also makes everything to work out. The teachings of the author therefore gives us a great discussion on what the nature of reality is all about in connection to the teachings of Buddha which is the guiding religion for the author. The reality will always have some insights of enlightenment as one of the most powerful quests.
Key terms defined
There are so many terms that relates to the key thesis for the teachings of Dalai Lam. One of the words that have been used in the teachings is the one of Buddha nature. Just like the name suggests, this term refers to the nature of a mindset that has been possessed by all the beings which are sentient. This nature of mind is often a clear light. All these sentient have a potential of becoming enlightened by ensuring that things that will obscure omniscience and liberations have all been removed (Novick et al., 28). The author has also talked much about Buddha. This word has been used to refer to someone who has been enlightened fully. It is someone who has been able to take out all the obscurations that have veiling the mind and mindset of an individual and in exchange developed all the qualities that are good and desired for perfection. The term lama or guru has also been used in this context. This is a teacher or a spiritual guider just like teacher Dalai Lam who is able to show his followers the way to enlightenment and personal liberation. He is often loaded with the knowledge of Dharma. Another significant term is intelligence which is also referred to as the faculty of imagination. This term is used by His Holiness Dalai to mean the western sense that is often possessed by human being and their capacity when it comes to thinking and making proper imaginations. These will enable one to project properly into the future events through the recalling past experiences that have been witnessed. This often leads people into self-conflict. The move helps people in knowing the difference between short and long term benefits and the different detriments.
Basic assumptions made by the author
Several assumptions have been made by the author in relation to the whole context. The author assumes the role of practising caring and compassion for the survival of others. He assumes that there are no indirect benefits that one can gain from the practice but instead focuses more on personal experience that the whole practice is able to bring. He also assumes that one will benefit much from having internal consideration of him/her rather than external factors which also exists. He also assumes that the Chinese just have the living Buddha but cannot explain how it was achieved yet it mostly belongs to the Buddhist. He also assumes that everything that we need is already in our mind and there is nothing else we need to lead a happy life. All these assumptions enable him to reach his ultimate goal of solving the thesis statement.
Important implications of the author’s position
The author’s view in as far as happiness and success in life is concerned can be fully relied on. This is because people will always find ways through which they are able to remain happy. People should therefore adopt the nature of Buddha as a very significant guiding factor in realizing and relishing success in the future. The author has encouraged people to be generous. This is because generosity has the main function of fulfilling most of the wishes of the sentient beings of the others (Lussier 45). Through this, people will rarely have the feeling of miserly attachments that are often witnessed and possessiveness. Happy life is also associated much with patience which will now refer to the developing of the ability to bear any harm that one might come across. One will have to cultivate a sense of indifference towards the whole issue.
Works cited
Lussier, Mark. "Enlightenment East and West: An Introduction to Romanticism and Buddhism." (2007).
Novick, Rebecca McClen, and Nicholas Ribush, eds. Illuminating the path to enlightenment. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2011.
Ribush, Nicholas, ed. Teachings from Tibet: Guidance from Great Lamas. Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2005.
