Dalai Lama: Don’t Pray For Paris. ‘God Would Say Solve It Yourself, Because You Created It’
The Dalai Lama says praying for Paris will do no good, since the problem won’t be solved by prayer or God.
“We cannot solve this problem only through prayers,” the spiritual leader said. “I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve it yourself because you created it in the first place.”
He added his hopes that the record violence of the 20th Century doesn’t continue to bleed into the current one.
“We need a systematic approach to foster humanistic values, of oneness and harmony,” he said. “If we start doing it now, there is hope that this century will be different from the previous one. It is in everybody’s interest. So let us work for peace within our families and society, and not expect help from God, Buddha or the governments.”
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
12 responses to Dalai Lama: Don’t Pray For Paris. ‘God Would Say Solve It Yourself, Because You Created It’
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Budda November 17th, 2015 at 13:05
Evangelicals won’t be able to understand this logic…
tracey marie November 17th, 2015 at 13:14
true, they believe god cares about football games
Boltorama November 17th, 2015 at 13:43
God is too busy helping football teams who pray the loudest win :p
Gina Bousquet November 17th, 2015 at 13:08
Very good advice, difficult to follow if one thinks of the circumstances
anothertoothpick November 17th, 2015 at 13:19
So….we got that going for us.
Boltorama November 17th, 2015 at 13:45
Now if only the dolts in Washington could understand this.
allison1050 November 17th, 2015 at 13:57
He’s so right.
Robert M. Snyder November 17th, 2015 at 15:27
“humans have created this problem”
When the Dalai Lama says that humans have created this problem, he is reinforcing the notion that humans have control over these things. I happen to think that we have very little control. I believe that the capacity for violence is an intrinsic part of human nature.
When you suddenly introduce an adult cat into another adult cat’s territory, you can expect the fur to fly. Some cats will eventually learn to live with one another. Sometimes they will remain mortal enemies. Nobody teaches cats to behave in this way. When a cat feels threatened, it often lashes out. It is a part of their nature.
Humans and the human brain were shaped by evolution. Humans have been fighting with one another throughout recorded history. Anyone visiting from another planet would logically conclude that this behavior is a part of human nature. When humans feel threatened, they instinctively respond in ways that may have provided a survival advantage in primitive times. I believe that this is completely natural. It is no different than what happens when two adult cats are suddenly introduced. While human culture may have evolved by leaps and bounds, human instincts have not.
Unlike many people, I do not equate “natural” with “good”. Nature does not know anything about morality and goodness. Nature only knows about survival. We don’t usually accuse animals or small children of being “bad” or “immoral”, because we think that animals and small children are not capable of understanding the consequences of their actions. In order for a person to be good or bad, they must have the capacity to understand the consequences of their actions.
But no matter how much we try to be good, we are still saddled with a reptilian brainstem that causes us to feel all sorts of emotions. The challenge for each person is to channel those emotions in ways that are productive in the context of society. I think that’s what the Dalai Lama and many other religious leaders are trying to teach people. And I applaud their efforts.
But I do not think it is helpful to say that “humans have created this problem”, because it creates a false perception that humans have control over one another. If you’re a Christian, you’ve got to admit that Jesus didn’t fix everything during His 30+ years on earth. If He couldn’t fix everything, what makes us think that we can? I’m not saying we shouldn’t try. But I don’t think we should blame ourselves for the fact that hatred and violence exist in the world.
If you have ever felt hatred toward another person or contemplated an act of violence toward another, then you must realize that the only thing standing between good and evil is self control.
Humans haven’t created the problem. Humans are the problem. Physician heal thyself.
granpa.usthai November 17th, 2015 at 18:48
spoken exactly as Adolf would have wanted! very good robbie – now if you could only read what you have written and compare that to the wisdom of His HOLINESS.
“if you have ever felt hatred toward another person or contemplated an act of violence toward another, then you must realize that the only thing standing between good and evil is
SELF CONTROL.
and who IS responsible for SELF CONTROL?
who has the ability to control SELF CONTROL?
who ‘creates’ their SELF CONTROL?
Robert M. Snyder November 17th, 2015 at 19:01
Good questions to ponder! I read this book a few years ago, and it delves into the whole issue of what science can tell us about our conscious and unconscious selves. Highly recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/The-User-Illusion-Cutting-Consciousness/dp/0140230122
In ”The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size,” the Danish science writer Tor Norretranders uses the story to launch an all-out assault on the worshipful place so often awarded to human awareness. Consciousness is not only powerless to overcome the entropic slide, he says, but incapable of giving more than the roughest sense of what is going on around us. The world as it appears is a paltry simulation. And the biggest illusion is that we trick ourselves into believing we experience the world’s full glory.”
https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/05/03/reviews/980503.03johnst.html
fahvel November 18th, 2015 at 03:36
never thought I’d agree with you but just this one time my reptilian brain is in accord.
bpollen November 18th, 2015 at 06:56
I like this guy…