Summary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's "Be the Change"

“Be the Change” by his Holiness the Dalai Lama - Ralph's summary

The first half of an hour consisted of Tibetan songs, followed by a few dance numbers by the young people of Scotland.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama spoke for about 45 minutes.

The first impression that I had as he entered and approached the mike was his image. The image of His Holiness – he appears very centered. He is very down to earth. His stance is very welcoming, warm and inviting. His facial expression is child like and playful.

He started his talk by highlighting that we are all similar to each other on a physical, a mental and an emotional level.

His second point is that we all have the right to happiness. He indicated that you can tell whether a person is happy or not happy by their face – their facial expression reveals their mental [emotional] state. He then discussed how to achieve happiness. 


Happiness can be external or internal. If the happiness is external, it can easily be lost when the person or object that is producing the happiness is not available. A more stable level of happiness comes from inside of ourselves. He said internal happiness comes from having a calm mind, and practicing love toward our self, and toward others. Being genuinely concerned about the well being of others is very important because we see that they are the same as us.

He touched upon the negative energies that will interfere with achieving happiness. He indicated that an agitated mind, a possessive mind or a mind filled with fear, or anger cannot be calm.

He feels that most of the people who are making problems today have not received love and affection from their mother. Affection is very important to achieve happiness. If we are affectionate and receive affection we will be physically healthier. He indicated that the link between affection and happiness has been verified in various scientific studies. Lack of affection, possessiveness, fear, anger all work toward destroying happiness. They also destroy our health.

He indicated that our educational system has to help people achieve not just business success but happiness and peace. Peace starts with internal calmness, which leads to happiness and to compassion. 

His Holiness finished by indicating, happiness, peace of mind, compassion combined with knowledge of human psychology can lead to meaningful dialogue. He is hopeful that the 21^st Century will continue to make progress toward a more peaceful world.

If you have the chance to see his Holiness or read any of his books, I strongly encourage you to do so. You will enjoy what he shares and the way he shares.