… Despite all the diversity and the doctrinal beliefs and the metaphysical ideas, theories, underpinning those doctrinal beliefs, when it comes to the prescription of how to lead a good life, an ethical life, there is a tremendous convergence across all the major traditions and these traditions were divided across time, across geography, across culture, across language, and all of these prescriptions in the end comes down to compassion.

Compassion is the foundation of moral teachings for all the world religions.

… This is a powerful message that people in the religious world, as well as the secularist, need to heed because, if this is true and if we can convince ourselves that this is the foundation of all of our value system and compassionate nature is a key aspect of who we are, then we will tell ourselves a different story.

 Thupten Jinpa, about the Dalai Lama’s new book.

Geshe Thupten Jinpa is the Dalai Lama’s principal English translator and president of the Institute of Tibetan Classics in Montreal, Canada. He is also a participating scholar and executive committee member of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.