Yes, I am aware that it is nearly Tuesday and I am therefore rather late in writing my Monday Miracle post.  This Wednesday, I will be one of the fortunate people to be in the presence of his Holiness, the Dalai Lama.  (If you would like to watch a simulcast of the lecture, you can find more information here.)

His Holiness is world-renown for his dedication to his people and to spreading his message of love and peace, despite his lifelong persecution by the Chinese Government.  His determination has always given me hope: hope that there are people who believe in change as I do and will continue to believe in it, and hope that I, too, have reserves of strength to persevere through the difficulties I face in my own life.

In a world which says “No, you can’t”, or “No, we can’t”, the Dalai Lama tells us to treat everyone and everything with continued compassion.

Be kind whenever possible…It is always possible.

His Holiness is one of the few prominent religious leaders who preaches this kindness with such consistency, irregardless of religion, race or personal creed.  He believes that not only should we show compassion towards each other, we also must treat the earth with love because it is our home and sustainability is our only option for survival.

These pillars of his message move me more than most because they transcend the condescension often found in religious teachings.  One does not have to follow His way to be “right” or “good” or “saved”.  There are many paths in his Holiness’ view.   He is rather forward about his thoughts on religion and the part it should play in our modern world.  Take for example, his idea of science and Buddhism:

My confidence in venturing into science lies in my basic belief that as in science so in Buddhism, understanding the nature of reality is pursued by means of critical investigation: if scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.

Now, I grew up in a religious family where science was well-respected.  But never did my grandfather, who is very reasonable, intellectual pastor, discuss the possibility of his religion changing because of science.

I’m going to keep this Monday Miracle post short this week and I hope that if you are unfamiliar with the Dalai Lama, you will seek out his teachings.  And never forget how powerful your words and actions can be to another human being: they matter.

Be well, do good and spread the love.