his holiness

The very first day I ever spent in India, I spent with the Dalai Lama. He truly is as awe-inspiring as they say - and all from incredible humility.

A colleague of mine attended a Perth business lunch last week at which the Dalai Lama was speaking and the lunch discussion topic was titled: "The Heart of Leadership and Corporate Well-being". All those who attended were fascinated to hear the Dalai Lama speak about imbedding the concepts of warm-heartedness, human values and religious harmony in everything we do. He also spoke about world environment issues and more broadly about ethics in another session later in the day that was titled: "Ethics of the New Millennium". The following is an extract that summarises part of the Dalai Lama's address:

"In essence, we are all the same. We are all human beings. We all have the capacity for compassion and happiness in life. Unfortunately, modernity has made life stressful due to the emphasis on the 'material'. No supermarket sells happiness; no machine can make it; and no 'happy' injection can be given. We have to find happiness from within us. To eliminate poverty, the poor must 'do more' and take action to help their own situation. The rich must invest their wealth in education, resources and equipment for the less fortunate. Together, the two extremes of the economic scale must give and receive compassion. From this, happiness and peace can be found".

Amen.