Quotes of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Loving others does not mean forgetting about yourself; when I say that we should show compassion, it does not mean helping others at the expense of ourselves. Not at all. Sometimes I say that buddhas and bodhisattvas are the most selfish beings of all. Why? Because through altruism they have attained the highest happiness. We, on the other hand, are foolish and limited in our self-love. What do we do? We create ever more suffering for ourselves. The self-love of buddhas and bodhisattvas brings benefit and produces an effect; thanks to it they not only attain the state of awakening but also acquire the ability to help others. That is what is worth spending one’s efforts on. In my opinion, this proves that in order to attain the highest happiness a person must cultivate a feeling of compassion within themselves. This is Buddhist logic.