The Dalai Lama's Cat

by David Michie

just because an idea is simple, it isn’t necessarily easy to follow.

‘Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment deliberately and non-judgmentally.’

Two main true causes of happiness: first, the wish to give happiness to others, which Buddhists define as love, and second, the wish to help free others from dissatisfaction or suffering, which we define as compassion.

“The main shift, you see, is from placing self at the center of our thoughts to putting others there. It is—what do you say?—a paradox that the more we can focus our thoughts on the well-being of others, the happier we become. The first one to benefit is oneself. I call this being wisely selfish.”

Have always believed in this philosophy. happiness is internal but can be infused from outside.

the more ‘other-centric’ we are, the happier we can be.”

When people allow the well-being of others to become their motivation, the results are simply …” “Immeasurable?”

immense benevolence. “Generosity,” he answered. “The success you currently enjoy arises from your past generosity. And the generosity you are practicing now means that you will enjoy more success in the future.”

The law of cause and effect is the assumed basis of all Western technology. Nothing is causeless; everything occurs as the result of something else. But as soon as one ventures beyond the immediate, material realm, Westerners talk about luck, fate, or divine intervention.”

whatever wealth or success one enjoys in the present moment arises from previous generosity, not from hard work, or taking risks, or pursuing opportunities that are conditions rather than causes.”

There’s nothing like a good, long sleep to allow unpleasantness to recede into the past.

“When our understanding of something deepens to the point that it changes our behavior, in the Dharma we call this a realization. Perhaps today you have made a realization?”

When crows encounter a dying snake, / They will act as though they were eagles. / Likewise, if my self-confidence is weak, / I shall be injured by the slightest downfall.’

I must feel the fear,” Raj Goel declared with fervor, “and do it anyway!”

I am not that kind of cat. This is not that kind of book. And you are most certainly not that kind of reader!

‘I alone shall do it.’

a lack of self-confidence was considered, in Buddhism, to be a form of laziness,

When it comes to sudden shifts in gear, I am that kind of cat. This is just such a book. And, having come this far with me, like it or not, my friend, you are most certainly that type of reader!

‘Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.’