We are, after all, social animals.  Without human friendship, without the human smile, our lives become miserable.  The loneliness becomes unbearable.  Such human  interdependence is a natural law- that is to say, according to natural law, we depend on others to live.  

Genuine human friendship is on the basis of human affection, irrespective of your position.  Therefore, the more you show concern about the welfare and rights of others, the more you are a genuine friend.  The more you remain open and sincere, then ultimately more benefits will come to you.  If you forgot or do not bother about others, then eventually you will lose your own benefits.  

~ The Dalai Lama

From - His Essential Wisdom - pg 30

Dalai Lama

The Compassionate Life

Some of my friends have told me that while love and compassion are

marvelous and good, they are not really very relevant. Our world, they

say, is not a place where such virtues have much influence or power.

They claim that anger and hatred are so much a part of human nature

that humanity will always be dominated by them. I do not agree.

We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred

thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had

been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our population would

have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the

human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me

that while anger and aggression are surely present, love and

compassion predominate in the world. This is why what we call "news"

is composed of mostly unpleasant or tragic events; compassionate

activities are so much a part of daily life that they are taken for

granted and therefore are largely ignored.

...We are, after all, social animals. Without human friendship,

without the human smile, our lives become miserable. The loneliness

becomes unbearable. Such human interdependence is a natural law--that

is to say, according to natural law, we depend on others to live. If,

under certain circumstances, because something is wrong inside us,

our attitude toward our fellow human beings on whom we depend becomes

hostile, how can we hope to attain peace of mind or a happy life?

According to basic human nature or natural law,

interdependence--giving and receiving affection--is the key to happiness.

--from The Compassionate Life by Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

"It is vital to leave a lot of room for change in one's relations to

another person. Change comes about in times of transition, allowing

love actually to ripen and expand. Then one is able to really know the

other one--to see that person with their faults and weaknesses and

going through change, a human being like oneself. Only at this stage

can there be true love."

~ The Dalai Lama

"The foundation of all spiritual practice is love.  That

you practice this well is my only request.  Of course,

to be able to do so in all situations will take time, but

you should not lose courage.  If we wish happiness

for mankind, love is the only way."

The Dalai Lama

His Essential Wisdom - pg 24

Love based on attachment is limited and precarious.

It mainly involves projection.  Imagine, for example

that a very attractive person appears and you are

immediately drawn to them.  Today you are in love,

but tomorrow it is quite possible that your feelings

will turn hostile.  Love base on attachment is of no

real help.  What does it bring us, if not irritation and

annoyance.    We believe that true compassion is

free of attachment.  This compassion is expressed

spontaneously and unconditionally, like that of a

mother who expects nothing from her child in return.

It is such a demanding form of love that it gives birth

to an indomitable desire to make all beings happy.

The Dalai Lama

From:  His Essential Wisdom

Edited by Carol Kelly-Gangi

"It is vital to leave a lot of room for change in one's relations to

another person. Change comes about in times of transition, allowing

love actually to ripen and expand. Then one is able to really know the

other one--to see that person with their faults and weaknesses and

going through change, a human being like oneself. Only at this stage

can there be true love."—

The Dalai Lama

--from Impermanence: Embracing Change by David Hodge and Hi-Jin Kang

Hodge, published by Snow Lion Publications

"Naturally most of us would like to die a peaceful death, but it is also clear that we cannot hope to die peacefully if our lives have been full of violence, or if our minds have mostly been agitated by emotions like anger, attachment, or fear.  So if we wish to die well, we must learn to live well."

--The Fourteenth Dalai Lama

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”

~ His Holiness The Dalai Lama

“True compassion is not just an emotional response, but a firm commitment founded on reason. Therefore, a truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change, even if they behave negatively. Through universal altruism, you develop a feeling of responsibility for others: the wish to help them actively overcome their problems.”

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama