Unlike knowledge, wisdom doesn’t need to be learned; it is inherent. Inherently, humans understand that contact and exchange is good, and therefore that humanity is good.

In a short meditation, bring someone you love to mind and say the words “I want you to be happy.” How does this feel? Now try it with someone toward whom you feel neutral, then someone you don’t like at all, even an enemy. Does the wish feel different according to whom you’re wishing it for? Can you generate the wish for all beings to be happy?

In relationships, we cannot say, “I love you” all day long. But by talking about how another person is doing, having tea, having dinner, or going for a walk, we can sustain the feeling of kindness.

Identify patterns in your own being that habitually keep you from being present: getting lost in the past or the future, becoming entangled in extreme emotions, constantly being distracted, always putting yourself first, and so on. Make a list of these patterns. Then, each day decide on one pattern to notice. What happens when you’re more aware?

Even though we may have spoken the same words again and again, each time we speak them, we are expressing them in the now. In this way, we could say that in all time and space, there has only ever been one conversation. Past and future conversations are not occurring; there is only the conversation that is happening now.

To get back to basics we need to be aware of suffering, foster the feeling of empathy, and care for others.

Compassion is the bonding agent, the ability to be open to the trials and tribulations of another, the simple and profound ability to feel another’s pain.

Some people feel that conversation has nothing to offer. That’s because when we have conversation without curiosity, an essential element is missing, and we fail to engage our intelligence. Lack of curiosity is often responsible for a boring or limited conversation. Pride is often the cause of failure when individuals engage in conversation. Just

In Tibetan, the word for “auspicious” is tashi.