We must cultivate a universal responsibility toward each other and extend it to the planet that we have to share

You have to start giving first and expect absolutely nothing.

No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have the same basic human needs and concerns. All of us human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and as peoples. That is human nature.

When, from the depths of your heart, you spontaneously wish all beings to find true, lasting happiness, this is great love.

The problem isn't materialism as such. Rather it is the underlying assumption that full satisfaction can arise from gratifying the senses alone. Unlike animals whose quest for happiness is restricted to survival and to the immediate gratification of sensory desires, we human beings have the capacity to experience happiness at a deeper level which, when achieved, can overwhelm unhappy experiences.

Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internal transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way.

It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.