Dahli Lama Quotes

Dahli Lama quotes from The Art of Happiness by HH Dahli Lama and Howard C Cutler.

"I think that in modern Western society there seems to be a powerful cultural conditioning that is based on science... you have the constraints of the idea that everything can be explained within...a single lifetime, and you combine this with the notion that everything can and must be explained or accounted for, there's a kind of tension created; it's almost a feeling of agony." (His Holiness Dalai Lama p. xv.)

"I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness" (HH Dahli Lama p.3)

"I believe that  happiness can be achieved through training the mind." (HH Dahli Lama p.3)

"One begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness and those factors which lead to suffering. Having done this, one sets about gradually elimininating those factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to happiness." (HH Dahli Lama p.4)

"Happiness is determined more by one's state of mind than by external events. Success may result in a temporary feeling of elation or tragedy may send us into a period of depression, but sooner or later our overall level of happiness tends to migrate back to a certain baseline. (Howard C Cutler p.10)

"Whether we are feeling happy or unhappy at any given moment often has very little to do with our absolute conditions, but rather, it is a function of how we perceive our situation, how satisfied we are with what we have." (Howard C Cutler p.11)

"Our feelings of contentment are strongly influenced by our tendency to compare." (Howard C Cutler p.11)

"Constant comparison with those who are smarter, more beautiful, or more successful .... tends to breed envy, frustration, and unhappiness." (Howard C Cutler p.12)