kindness, compassion...

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is currently visiting Australia. Hundreds of thousands of Australians will be hearing him speak.

He gave a talk in Melbourne recently. As reported by The Age -

Kindness, compassion break out at Princes Park
Michael Lallo
June 10, 2007

JUDGING by the hushed awe, the crowd of 20,000 expected a profound utterance from the Dalai Lama.

Instead, the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader of Tibet tweaked his nipples.

"What do you call these things where milk comes out of?" he asked, trying to illustrate the bond between mother and child.

But his cheeky grin suggested he already knew the answer.

Indeed, it was a playful mood that dominated the Dalai Lama's free public lecture yesterday at Princes Park.

If he was annoyed at having being snubbed by Melbourne Lord Mayor John So, who refused to meet him yesterday morning, he did not show it.

After an effusive introduction from actress Kerrie Armstrong, His Holiness — who claims to be the 14th reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion — took his seat. Barely a minute later, he was back on his feet, preferring to stand.

He pointedly avoided issuing specific instructions, instead urging the world's 6 billion people to adopt an attitude of "unbiased compassion".

"Limited compassion is based on others' attitudes towards you," he explained. "As soon as their attitude changes, hatred will come."

There were few surprises throughout the lecture, with the religious leader sticking to his usual themes of tolerance, kindness and compassion, and with an environmental focus. But his response to written questions raised a few eyebrows, as he appeared to advocate euthanasia in certain circumstances.

"If a human has no hope of recovery and is in a coma, it can be very expensive, and the rest of their family can suffer immensely," he said.

But sick pets, he said, must never be put down. "The suffering of the animal is due to previous karma. They have to experience their suffering, so they can live out their karma."

I find the last two points confusing. I could never let any living being suffer whether they deserve it or not.

I would like to believe that living beings live out their karma during their entire (current) lifetime.

If Keiser and Fatty were living out their karma, then they must have been rewarded as there was no better life than sharing their lives as cats with me. They had all the comforts - great food, warmth, attention, and love.

*********************
I wasn't that lazy today. First the laundry, then cleaning including mopping the floor. I just need to do some more tidying up.