“I believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. From the moment of birth, every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering.
"Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affect this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment.
"I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.” -Dalai Lama
In the heart of Australia stands a most magnificent piece of natural sculpture, a spiritual place, and something that cannot be comprehended from simply looking at a picture, it is called Uluru.
Our family and a few fellow islanders recently took a journey of a lifetime to see this sacred place and were blessed to be there during the Dalai Lamas visit to the area. To listen to one of the spiritual leaders of our time in this very special place was ... well nothing I can think to say would quite describe it.
His address to those gathered in front of him was a lovely reminder to stay in touch with “self”, and to not be caught up in the busy bustle of life driven by money and technology. He showed great respect to the local Anungu people and for people around the world who are connected to the land and nature. He implored that everyone sitting in front of him does their bit to support a positive environmental future.
It was a wonderful reminder to step gently on the earth, and to support all things which in turn support rather than disrespect her.
There is a greater reason to why we promote chemical free food, it is of course the best choice for our bodies, but it also is the best way to support the health of soil, waterways and animals. We cannot continue poisoning and polluting without consequences... many which are now being felt by populations around the globe.
“Our planet is our house, and we must keep it in order and take care of it if we are genuinely concerned about happiness for ourselves, our children, our friends, and other sentient beings who share this great house with us. If we think of the planet as our house or' as "our mother - Mother Earth - we automatically feel concern for our environment. Today we understand that the future of humanity very much depends on our planet, and that the future of the planet very much depends on humanity. But this has not always been so clear to us. Until now, you see, Mother Earth has somehow tolerated sloppy house habits. But now human use, population, and technology have reached that certain stage 'where Mother Earth no longer accepts our presence with silence. In many ways she is now telling us, "My children are behaving badly," she is warning us that there are limits to our actions. The Tibetan Buddhist attitude is one of contentment, and there may be some connection here with our attitude toward the environment. We don't indiscriminately consume. We put a limit on our consumption. We admire simply living and individual responsibility. We have always considered ourselves as part of our environment, but not just any part. Our ancient scriptures speak of the container and the contained. The world is the container - our house and we are the contained- the contents of the container.” Dalai Lama