On the one hand, we should accept responsibility; on the other, we shouldn’t take things too seriously. How do these points fit together?”

Lama Ole’s answer:

You can take responsibility without becoming deadly serious. Take it with a bit of humor and farsightedness. If you have a sense of humor and see things in a beyond-personal way, then problems do not arise. But you can’t run like an engine without oil. I have maybe 100,000 students and people I have a connection to around the world. I take that seriously. I give 24 hours a day—but in a good mood, not a bad one. Do what is necessary, but don’t make a big deal out of it.