Soul

Dahlia Lama, revisited

Written by Sven Eberlein

Two years ago today, I posted my first Dahlia Lama photo essay, after Deb and I returned from our annual visit to the Dahlia Garden in Golden Gate Park.

This year the dahlias seemed even more magical and divine than usual that I couldn’t help but take a few more shots and let my soul be tickled with some juicy quotes from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

Enjoy!

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At daybreak if the weather is fine, I go into the garden. This time of day is very special to me. The sky is clear, I see the stars, and I have this special feeling of my insignificance in the cosmos, the realization of what we Buddhists call impermanence.

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From a believer’s point of view I do have some special relationship with some higher beings. But in my own mind I am still an ordinary Buddhist monk.


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I believe that the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. That is clear. Whether one believes in religion or not, whether one believes in this religion or that religion, we all are seeking something better in life. So, I think, the very motion of our life is toward happiness.

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The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open.

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If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then also there is no need to worry.

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It looks like there is awful lot of work to do. If you had to analyze all your dreams there would be no time left to dream.

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A Tibetan wanderer would regard a jumbo jet – or television – to be a miracle. But to a scientist who knows how they work they’re not. Similarly, there are certain things that can be done through mental training. To those who have developed skills it’s nothing special.

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Given human beings’ love for truth, justice, peace, and freedom, creating a better, more compassionate world is a genuine possibility. The potential is there.

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If anything I’ve said seems useful to you, I’m glad. If not, don’t worry. Just forget about it.

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Every human being should realize that the future of humanity is dependent on their present actions and thinking.

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A simple smile. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.

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The training of the mind is an art. If this can be considered as art, one’s life is art. I am not interested in the physical aspect of art. I simply meditate and train my mind. And as far as external appearance is concerned, nature in it pristine form is also art.

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Because we all share this small planet Earth, we have to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. That is not just a dream, but a necessity.

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Through these decades, the most important factor for sustaining my peace of mind is compassion.

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Sven Eberlein

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