“The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.”
The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to Peace (1988) by Jeffrey Hopkins.
Context: What is the Great Vehicle? What is the mode of procedure of the Bodhisattva path? We begin with the topic of the altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment in which one values others more than oneself. The Great Vehicle path requires the vast motivation of a Bodhisattva, who, not seeking just his or her welfare, takes on the burden of bringing about the welfare of all sentient beings. When a person generate this attitude, they enter within the Great Vehicle, and as long as it has not been generated, one cannot be counted among those of the Great Vehicle. This attitude really has great power; it, of course, is helpful for people practicing religion, but it also is helpful for those who are just concerned with the affairs of this lifetime. The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.
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Tenzin Gyatso 112
spiritual leader of Tibet 1935Related quotes
"Egoism and Altruism", pp. 251–252
The Universal Kinship (1906), The Ethical Kinship
“Righteousness is the root of happiness.”
Maxims of Chanakya
As quoted in A Dictionary of Thoughts : Being a Cyclopedia of Laconic Quotations from the Best Authors, Both Ancient and Modern (1891) edited by Tryon Edwards.
Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 537.
“Contentment is...the root of all happiness.”
The Hindu Way ( Page 70 )
Source: Philosophy: Who Needs It (1982), p. 84.
Source: 1990s, Screening History (1992), Ch. 1: The Prince and the Pauper, p. 24
Context: Apparently, a concern for others is self-love at its least attractive, while greed is now a sign of the higher altruism. But then to reverse, periodically, the meanings of words is a very small price to pay for the freedom not only to conform but to consume.
