“All of the different religious communities accept that there is another force beyond the reach of our ordinary senses. When we pray together, I feel something, I do not know what the exact word is whether you would call it blessings, or grace—but in any case there is a certain feeling that we can experience. If we utilize it properly, that feeling is helpful for inner strength.”

“I love friends, I want more friends. I love smiles. That is a fact. How to develop smiles? There are a variety of smiles. Some smiles are sarcastic. Some smiles are artificial—diplomatic smiles. These smiles do not produce satisfaction, but rather fear or suspicion. But a genuine smile gives us hope, freshness. If we want a genuine smile, then first we must produce the basis for a smile to come. On every level of human life, compassion is the key thing.”

Images and text excerpted from “His Holiness the Dalai Lama” ©2009 by Don Farber. Reprinted with permission of teNeues Publishing Company.

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