Equal Opportunity for Enlightenment

 His Holiness the Dalai Lama 

We must think of ourselves as human beings first and forget the distinctions that in our imagination divide us. In this era of great change and upheaval, we must work urgently and diligently to ensure that everyone has the basic necessities for life, to ensure that everyone has political and religious freedom, and to protect the earth from environmental exploitation and devastation. 

As human beings, we all want happiness, peace, and release from suffering. We often think that the enlightened ones are somehow special, different from us, with a state of mind that is unattainable to an ordinary person. And yet, each person has an equal opportunity to attain wisdom, happiness, and enlightenment by cultivating a correct motivation -- a sincere aspiration to benefit all sentient beings -- and engaging in diligent practice.  

Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages: Stories of Enlightenment