Liza Shashenkova’s Reviews > Ancient Wisdom, Modern World: Ethics for a New Millennium > Status Update

Going to be super frank with this one. As much as I love the golden nuggets of wisdom from His Holiness and the reminder that happiness comes from a peaceful mind rather than external circumstances, am I the only one who finds the language quite exhausting to read? You know those books where the author is clearly brilliant, but you end up rereading certain passages just to fully grasp the point?

Beautiful Buddhist wisdom: Have you ever hated someone with all your being? Hatred narrows our view of a person until we forget they also have qualities that are not so repulsive. It helps to remember that everyone is simply trying to avoid suffering and find happiness. The same happens with infatuation. We turn someone into this godly beacon of perfection until their flaws inevitably appear.

Oldie and a goodie that anyone can remind themselves of: how our lives unfold is shaped by our intentions. If we view the world through a lens of fear, we will become less approachable. But if we approach others with curiosity, compassion, and kindness, we will often find those qualities reflected back to us. And even when they aren’t, we will have behaved in a way that’s more likely to bring us peace of mind.

Interdependent origination: an idea that nothing exists independently. Everything arises through causes, conditions, relationships with other things. The Dalai Lama applies this to people. Our identity, opportunities, and wellbeing are shaped by countless influences around us rather than by a completely separate, fixed self. Understanding this can reduce selfishness whilst encouraging compassion and sense of peace.

Someone has to say it: Tibetan Buddhist ideas are fascinating, but they can feel like mental gymnastics at full stretch. I often find myself stuck on these pages, trying to simplify His Holiness’ explanation of events and perception to the point my brain is fried.