Wisdom of Dalai Lama on Health and Immunity

As the pandemic rages on around us, and we hole up in our homes, all of us are thinking about our health and immunity. We put our health on the back burner so far with very good excuses to support it. We'd shoved the conversation about our health under the carpet and out of sight. Just so we don't have to deal with the uncomfortable realities about our minds and about our bodies. It was something we were all going to look into at some point. You know, after that project is over, once we get that promotion, when we can afford a personal trainer, or even after kids graduate.

But suddenly, we are forced to face the reality. To take a close look at our health in a rather alarming and jarring awakening. We are all asking ourselves what good health looks like. While the definition of good health differs widely for all of us, we are questioning our lifestyles in some ways. The stress, anxiety, over time, eating out, etc. was taking a toll on us, slowly but surely.

But is health only about eating right and working out? Isn't our health and vitality a delicate balance between a number of different things? Haven’t the recent scientific studies shown us otherwise?

So then it begs the big question – what is our health philosophy? That one idea that strings the actions we take on a daily basis? What governs our health decisions?

When we are contemplating such a deep question, His Holiness the Dalai Lama comes to mind. There aren't many quotes of Dalai Lama on Health, but the ones that exist are simple and profound. Let’s start with a short video and hear The Dalai Lama explain his philosophy:

In simple words, a healthy mind for a healthy body. We love this quote from the video above and think it's worth mentioning it here again, “Scientists have shown that where constant anger and hatred undermine our immune systems, compassion strengthens our general well-being. To live more peacefully and joyfully in our day-to-day lives, we need a warm heart.”

We are always in a hurry. To make it on time to work, make it home on time to make dinner, to drop off the kids, to reach that meeting, and our hurry in life is adding to our worry. Slowing down can make our lives more peaceful and give our bodies time to heal and recover.

Making a choice to slow down is not easy especially if you are used to living on the edge of chaos. Slowing down requires us to give up on a few things. To prioritize just the 20% of tasks that give us the 80% of results. By doing this, you also prioritize your health, more than anything else.

Slowing down our lives will help all of us immensely. But practicing mindfulness daily will take us one step further. Taking the time to bring calm to the day will reduce mood swings and negative thoughts, which will help both, emotional and physical health. 

We are all living in a pinch or experiencing the crunch. Financially, we are stressed. We believe that we must meet an unrealistic goal of wealth by a certain age. But we give up so much in return. We give up on one of our most valuable assets in the process – our health.

Calming ourselves makes us more mindful. While none of Dalai Lama’s quotes on health are about what to eat, a calm mind is more conscious and mindful of the food that is being consumed. Our minds and our bodies are interconnected in a myriad of intricate ways. Changing the way we think and feel can literally change our physical body.

And Dalai Lama is not the only person to make this assumption. Many well-known healers and visionaries have come to the same conclusion. That there is a deep connection between our mind and our bodies. That all dis-ease starts in our minds and hearts and manifests in our physical bodies.

Read the article above on the life and teaching of Louise Hay. It is one of our most popular articles here at Lifeism and for good reason. She spent her entire life teaching this philosophy to millions. And ended up healing not only herself but also countless others with her affirmations.

If this philosophy of health is too simplistic for you, hear us out. We know that this is a philosophy that is simple, yes, but also quite sound. Even if we don't believe in our thoughts affecting our bodies, it still makes sense. Forget about the idea that thinking good means good health for a second. But think about this. If you are not able to make logical decisions because you are stressed, won't you pick up that muffin instead of the oatmeal? Haven't you observed that we make bad choices when we are not thinking clearly? No matter what you believe, a calm and healthy mind is important to a healthy body.

To wrap up, there is another wonderful video of His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving a speech on World Health Day 2020. While the video is not in English, it has English subtitles and is worth taking the time to watch it.

The Dalai Lama’s philosophy on health has less to do with the body and more to do with the mind. As life forces us to slow down, let us take tiny steps to a better mind and a better body. Let's give our bodies the respect and the time it deserves from us. Let's invest our time and efforts towards the only permanent address we have in our lifetime -- our mind and our body.

Let us know in the comments section what steps are you taking to a better mind. We would love to hear from you.