Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit – such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony - which brings happiness to both self and others. The unifying characteristic of the qualities I have described as “spiritual” may be said to be some level of concern for others’ well-being. In Tibetan, we speak of shen pen kyi sem meaning “the thought to be of help to others.” And when we think about them, we see that each of the qualities noted is defined by an implicit concern for other’s well-being. Moreover, the one who is compassionate, loving, patient, tolerant, forgiving, and so on to some extent recognizes the potential impact of their actions on others and orders their conduct accordingly. Thus spiritual practice according to this description involves, on the one hand, acting out of concern for other’s well-being. On the other, it entails transforming ourselves so that we become more readily disposed to do so. ~HH Dalai Lama
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 08:07:15 +0000
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