# The Dalai Lama



## Smallfry (Oct 11, 2004)

The teachings of the Dalai Lama and Buddhism have helped me cope with SA and so i thought it would be helpful if i share some of this with you..

LOVE IS THE CENTRE OF HUMAN LIFE
love and compassion...are the ultimate source of human happiness, and our need for them lie at the very core of our being

COMPASSION IS A SIGN OF INNER STRENGTH
compassion is by nature, peaceful and gentle, but it is also very powerful

COMPASSION BUILDS TRUST
it is compassion that creates the sense of trust that allows us to open up to others and reveal our problems, doubts and uncertainties

TRUE COMPASSION
comes from seeing the suffering of others. you feel a sense of responsibility and you want to do something for them

SUFFERING
Suffering increases your inner strength. Also, wishing for suffering makes the suffering disappear

HAPPINESS 
compassion and loving kindness are the hallmarks of achievement and happiness


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## AlternativeP (Nov 10, 2003)

thats awesome and totally true.. thanks for sharing, we must all allow compassion into our lives


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## Strength (Aug 12, 2006)

I should definetly be more compassionate. I think getting hurt by others made me generally more bitter in life, and now that I think of it, that's sort of giving them the victory.


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## Halcyon (Nov 24, 2003)

Smallfry said:


> SUFFERING
> Suffering increases your inner strength. Also, wishing for suffering makes the suffering disappear


Thats some beautiful stuff i question suffering tho

How do you guys define this? What is Suffering?

Why is suffering GOOD? I've also heard christian teachings/Jesus I think regard suffering as something good for us, why is that?

I've suffered for the past 6-9 years with social anxiety disorder, has it increased my inner strength? Maybe, i believe i've become more aware of things and been able to deal with more things however I feel very coarse as a human being now, i lack the colour, innocence and compassion i used to have...or maybe its still there...i don't know

As i've grown older my heart seems to be going also...kinda sad


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## Qolselanu (Feb 15, 2006)

Halcyon said:


> Smallfry said:
> 
> 
> > SUFFERING
> ...


Yeah I really don't get the appeal of suffering either.


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## Halcyon (Nov 24, 2003)

Qolselanu said:


> Yeah I really don't get the appeal of suffering either.


Found this

http://domanassa.org/blog/talking-about-suffering/

haven't read through it all yet but it seems interesting


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## Softy785 (Apr 16, 2006)

I think compassion is beneficial for social anxiety because it gets the focus off of ourselves and on to other people. When we allow ourselves to feel other people's pain and sufferings, our anxiety becomes pretty insignificant.

As for the suffering, I think that God uses it to refine us as humans and to make us stronger. Think of it this way: in order for the beautiful grass and flowers to grow, they must first endure through the storm. We all need a little rain in our lives.


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## justaphishin (Nov 15, 2003)

One of the core teachings in Buddhism is basically that life is suffering. To someone who doesn't know much about the religion this seems like a rather pessimistic view of life but really it's not. Buddhists believe that there is no such thing as an ego or "self" because everything is constantly changing. Therefore our attachment to things and ideas that are constantly in flux will always end in disappointment and inevitably suffering. The Buddha once said that he only taught about suffering and the cessation of suffering. The only way to alleviate suffering is to leave samsara (the conditioned world) and reach enlightenment. This is a very basic explanation of Buddhist principles but I just wanted to clear up the connection to suffering. 

Buddhism has been pivotal in my continuing journey to overcome SA.

Bill


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