Many people believe you don't need religion to have guiding principles and live a moral and productive life. Practicing compassion with the Dalai Lama doesn't require you to join a religion or believe in religious dogma. With 18 daily empowering mindset exercises, he covers everything for modern living and wellness. It is far shorter than any of the sacred texts used by the major religions. Let's start with a quote from another respected thinker, Albert Einstein, to put things into perspective. Einstein defines what he believes is a modern, practical religious philosophy. "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both the natural and the spiritual, we should base it on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description." — Albert Einstein Transcending your personal God is another way of saying living life without a God, without an imaginary friend in the sky. The Dalai Lama (1) shows how it is possible to live a spiritual life without religion or belief in an imaginary friend. Purposeful Living According to the Dalai Lama Living on purpose means being aware and present, making choices that align with your values and goals. When you act with intent and purpose, you get the important things done. Daily empowering mindset exercises set the stage to engage in purposeful living. The 18 excellent rules for living cover everything you need. These principles help you be authentic, present, and aware, which are important qualities of a healthy mindset. What is interesting is that they are absent any religious dogma and talk about imaginary friends and enemies. You don't need to do them all every day, just one of the eighteen is enough to sustain positive growth. But, the more you do, the quicker you grow. When he speaks about values, he uses a universal perspective, caring for the well-being of others, animals, and the environment. He omits sectarian religious beliefs or preferential treatment. Assessing the risk of love is another way of saying you understand the cost of living with courage. We see many world leaders who refuse to accept responsibility for their decisions. We need to see leaders show consistency by living honorably. Wow! It's a massive contrast from what we see from some political leaders on the world stage.
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