The logic of the Dalai Lama is a concept passed down for many generations. Being a line of reincarnations, morals have very rarely deviated from those of the original Dalai Lama. Saying he embodies compassion, the Dalai Lama defined his duty as serving humanity. In the Dalai Lama's Ethics for the New Millennium, compassion is not the only thing emphasized, but also highlights the ethics of every other virtue. Focusing on compassion, however, the Dalai Lama believed that the best way to achieve it was to connect with those who suffer. His main argument is that by doing so, an individual is more likely to feel an obligation to help those in need. The Dalai Lama's ultimate goal throughout his position is to achieve nying je chenmo or great compassion, which includes accentuating the aspiration to develop nying he chenmo to serve as a lifelong inspiration and making it a common goal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Dalai Lama states that he does not expect any individual to achieve the highest spiritual development, to which he has dedicated his life, in order to live a meaningful and virtuous life. As stated previously, the Dalai Lama preaches that he wants people to be inspired by learning how to “develop nying je chenmo… as an ideal” that “will naturally have a significant impact on our perspective” (Dalai Lama 124). By making this a lifestyle choice, he believes that people will find a greater purpose in their lives and, in return, will evoke the same choice on others and spread the same principles. Although it is most likely impossible to achieve the spiritual development for which the Dalai Lama has been divinely recognized, it is right that he admits impassable boundaries. It provides a practical concept, which motivates the individual to engage in virtuous acts and spread their morals to other people. When choosing a virtuous lifestyle, a virtuous person is said to be spiritually strong and possess “patience” and “endurance.” Known as so pa, which is developed through the practice of spiritual and moralistic discipline, they are “endowed with the strength to resist suffering and are protected from the loss of compassion even for those who would harm us” (Dalai Lama 102). With this in mind, a virtuous person is able to respond to difficulties with a meditative rather than impulsive response. This deliberate action entails the benefits and consequences of each situation and its effects on the wrongdoer and the victim, thus invoking a compassionate response. The nature of reality, as the Dalai Lama argues, refers to the connection between how we perceive ourselves and reactive behavior. (Dalai Lama 36). Considered of crucial importance, the danger of misunderstanding leads to harm to others as well as ourselves. The Dalai Lama describes an ethical act “one in which we refrain from causing harm to the experience or expectation of happiness of others” (Dalai Lama 61). Compassion is once again brought forward. Seeking not to cause harm to others, most spiritual acts, including but not limited to "love, compassion, patience, forgiveness, humility, and tolerance, presuppose some level of concern for the well-being of others." By appealing to strong feelings of empathy, “the spiritual actions we take, which are motivated not by narrow self-interest but by concern for others, actually benefit ourselves” (Dalai Lama 61) and bring us closer to a more meaningful life . Concern for others implies thatit is necessary to exercise internal discipline. The lack of inner moderation is the basis, which inhibits a compassionate life and is identified as “the source of all unethical conduct” (Dalai Lama 81). When we change our old habits and dispositions, it becomes much easier to create a general state of kun long, or general state of heart and mind, than to generate our actions. The Dalai Lama emphasizes how fundamental it is not to let emotions be at the center of our actions. For example, when we are overwhelmed by indignation, we are very likely to lash out at people and cause both external and internal suffering (Dalai Lama 85). He says that “negative thoughts and emotions are what hinder our most basic aspiration: to be happy and avoid suffering” (Dalai Lama 87), which shows that inner control is an important factor in leading a compassionate and vital life for his thesis of suffering and the importance of compassion. By learning how to cope with suffering and the destructive properties of distressed emotions, we are able to “discriminate between temporary and long-term benefits… and the degree of ethical suitability of different courses of action available… and to access the probable outcomes of our actions, that sets aside lesser goals to achieve greater ones” (Dalai Lama 149). These skills highlight the need for discernment and enable us to take part in ethical practice. Compassionate response leads to a meaningful life. While reading Ethics for the New Millennium, the most appropriate text, which reminded me greatly of the ideals of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, was Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Their views on happiness and achieving a meaningful life were very similar, especially in the areas of compassion and virtue ethics. Both preach the importance of compassion in living a peaceful and happy life – a nice theory. Being from different time periods and different parts of the world, it is interesting to see how these two philosophical figures can uphold the same ideals despite time distance and geographic location. As I said before, the Dalai Lama succession has existed for many generations, which explains why the importance of virtue has existed for so long. Another philosophical figure that comes to mind is Mahatma Gandhi and his Selected Political Writings. Gandhi emphasizes his support for moderation and self-discipline, which is an ethic to which the Dalai Lama dedicates an entire chapter. Referring to the Ethics for the New Millennium, the Nicomachean Ethics, and the Selected Political Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, I will point out the similarities in their arguments and explain why they are more palatable. The Dalai Lama begins Ethics for the New Millennium with “the pursuit of human happiness.” He analyzes how modern society finds happiness and why relying on religion is not enough. Our society is “dedicated to material progress” because it offers “immediate satisfaction” (Dalai Lama 9). Seeing the results of religion and prayer can often be a long progress, and the Dalai Lama even states that “the results are invisible for the most part” (Dalai Lama 10). is slowly losing its influence in our society because science is believed to have “disproved religion”; the Dalai Lama recognizes this event and emphasizes that this is the time when “morality itself must be a matter of individual preference” ( Dalai Lama 10) Gandhi mentions in his Selected Political Writings “only God is always the same in all times” (Gandhi 36). Similarly to Aristotle, the Dalai.
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