Wisdom of Happiness

> ***“For infinite love and compassion to minimize destructive emotions you need tremendous determination or willpower. For that you need self-confidence. You need a strong sense of self: I can do! I can change my mind! I can reduce anger, hatred, these destructive emotions. Everything depends on our own sincere, compassionate motivation.”*** There's a veritable goldmine of extraordinary insights and words to live by in this wonderful, down-to-earth documentary featuring His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. At over 90 years of age, His Holiness imparts advice to a troubling and darkening world, culled from his exemplary life and delivered with refreshing optimism. His Holiness reflects in his own voice on his remarkable life growing up in Tibet and the subsequent violent Chinese takeover in 1959 that led to his exile in neighboring India, where he has lived in Dharamshala for more than six decades — events that could easily have hardened anyone with cynicism and outrage. Featuring rare archival footage of His Holiness as a boy, young man and eventually the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the documentary also serves as an intimate introduction for viewers who may know little about the man beyond his familiar public image. Instead of surrendering to bitterness, His Holiness chose to embrace inner peace, settling the tempests in his mind, confronting his anger and learning to live more joyfully. And much of the power of **WISDOM OF HAPPINESS** comes from how remarkably practical his philosophy sounds. > ***“First, love oneself. That is very essential. If you have some self-hatred, impossible to develop compassion towards others. So first, maximum care for oneself.”*** This is a deceptively simple idea, but one that becomes the foundation for much of what follows. Compassion for others, he argues, cannot flourish without compassion for oneself. From there, he turns his attention toward the emotions we allow to govern our lives:  > ***“Analyze, thinking, thinking, analyze: what kind of emotion is useful? What kind of emotion harmful? Anger is destructive. Compassion is constructive. Anger and compassion cannot go together.”*** What makes these observations so affecting is that they aren't coming from someone who has lived a life untouched by suffering. They come from a man who has experienced upheaval, exile and the loss of his homeland, yet still insists that we retain some authority over what those experiences ultimately make of us. This point is underscored by his observation, "\[...\] on a deeper level, all destructive emotions are not based on reality. Reality: 90% of negativeness \[sic\] is mental projection. So, the destroyer of inner peace is not external enemy but our own internal enemy." His prescription is not complicated: >  “***Our peaceful mind is something like inner temple. Most important is: your mind must be very calm.”*** Produced by Richard Gere and directed by Barbara Miller and Philip Delaquis, **WISDOM OF HAPPINESS** is more than just a documentary about one of the most fascinating religious leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries — it's a viewing experience that could change your life. The Dalai Lama isn't offering a secret here to avoiding suffering. Instead, **WISDOM OF HAPPINESS** asks us to consider what we allow suffering to make of us, reminding one and all that the power to change ourselves inwardly is always within our grasp.