Albert Einstein and the Dalai Lama – kindred souls

Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his THEORY OF PHOTOELECTRICITY, and of course his THEORY OF RELATIVITY is known throughout the world.

His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, is the head of state and also the spiritual leader of Tibet.

In every other area of life and living, apart from physics, these two men were truly kindred souls with shared views on almost every subject identical.

The Dalai Lama said, “I am NOT a Buddhist. I live by the principles found in many of the great spiritual traditions” and “We can live without religion and meditation. This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy or theology. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple.”

Albert Einstein said the same thing in these words, “Teachers of religion must have the stature and integrity to give up the archaic and superstitious concept of a ‘personal’ God that has brought fear and monumental harm to individual human beings.” “I believe in a ‘cosmic’ religion that has no creeds, dogmas, doctrines or churches.”

Both men put “compassion” and “love” at the center of their belief system, a guide to the living of their days, a guide that brought happiness into their lives.

“Man’s ethical behavior should be effectively grounded on compassion, nurture and social bonds. What is moral is not divine, but a purely human matter.” Einstein

“Love and compassion are the true religions to me. But to develop this we DO NOT NEED TO BELIEVE IN ANY RELIGION.” The Dali Lama

“The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be. We can live without religion and meditation, but not without love.” The Dali Lama

With both men, these kindred souls, it was the compassion of their hearts that made them such monumental giants in touching the lives of human beings.

A friend recently reminded me to compare the compassion and love of these two kindred souls, with the life of another creative man, whose motives were suspect. Steve Jobs, of Apple Computers, vowed to his dying breath never to allow cooperation with the Microsoft platform invented by Bill Gates, whose heartfelt compassion formed the Gates Foundation. Even Warren Buffet committed his complete charitable portfolio to the Gates Foundation, a foundation formed from the compassion of a heart.

With both Einstein and the Dali Lama, emphasis was always on listening to your heart, to look within to your own heart and soul and not to any of all the voices pouring into your head from “outside authorities.” “Your own heart is the only oracle given to you by God.” wrote Thomas Jefferson to his nephew. Einstein wrote, “I am a lone traveler and have never belonged to any country, or to my friends or family. I am my own authority.”

The Dali Lama used almost the same words in writing about guides to his own life. “There is one very important point you must always keep in your mind. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. KEEP TO THIS TRUTH. How do you want to live? We live and we die. No other person can help us. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life.”

It has been a very special path for me lately in reading through volumes of material on these two kindred souls, Einstein and the Dali Lama, and the true path of life they shared together with ideas so similar it was almost mysterious to me, how in harmony they were. Love and compassion with profound wisdom filled the days of their lives.

Like a pebble dropped in a pond, the ripple goes out far and wide… the wake behind their lives will produce an immortality that will live as long as there are human beings surviving.