The Tentra Nepalese Totem, presented here, was in circulation in one form or another for years. During the summer of 2002, it was being sent as a chain email with promises of good luck to all who passed it on. At the time, it was said to have been written by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.
Learn by heart your favorite song.
Memorize your favorite poem.
Don’t believe all you hear.
Believe in love at first sight.
When you say “I love you,” say it truthfully.
When you say “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.
Never mock another’s dreams.
Do not sleep as much as you would like.
Live a good, honorable life.
Later, when you grow old and remember the past, you will enjoy it once again.
Remember that the greatest love and the greatest success also hold the greatest risks.
Do not judge others by their relatives.
Pray. It has immeasurable power.
In disagreements, fight fairly and do not offend.
Love deeply and passionately.
You may get hurt, but this is the only way to live life to the fullest.
Spend some time alone.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Read in between the lines.
Never interrupt someone who flatters you.
Talk slow, think fast.
When someone asks you a question you do not want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
Do all you can to create a calm home full of love.
Painting by Laivi Põder
Respect yourself. Respect others.
Take responsibility for your actions.
Do not allow a small disagreement to hurt a great friendship.
When you realize that you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Marry (or be with) the person you love talking to the most.
When you get old, conversation will be more important than anything else.
Remember that the greatest relationships are the ones in which the love between two people is greater than the need one has of the other.
Accept change with open arms, but do not give up your values.
When you lose, do not lose the lesson.
Smile when you answer the phone. Those who call can “hear” the smile in your voice.
Do not bring back the past.
Be gentle with our planet Earth.
“Inner Workings” by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law, watercolor, 2011
Share your knowledge. It is the way to live forever.
Read books more and watch television less.
Bless a person who has just sneezed.
Believe and trust in God, but lock your car.
Mind your own business.
Once a year, visit a place you have never seen before.
If you make a lot of money, channel it so as to help others while you are alive.
This is the greatest satisfaction wealth can bring.
Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a stroke of luck.
Do not trust a man or woman who does not close their eyes when you kiss them.
An engagement period of six months is crucial before marriage.
Give people more than they expect, and do it cheerfully.
Learn all the rules, and then break some.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
Remember that your character is your destiny.
As easy as it is to believe that the Dalai Lama, with his wisdom and insight, outlined these “Instructions for Life,” the list is actually a truncated version of Life’s Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life, written in 1995 by Jackson Brown and H. Jackson Brown, Jr. BUY THE BOOK