Platitudes of the Dalai Lama (he's as enlightening as Lisa Simpson)

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | May 28 2002 | Chris McGillion

[Prodigal Daughter]

I don't have much of a problem that he once embraced Communism. Lots of people have been duped by it.

I'm shocked that he would have anything positive to say about Communism and Mao, but on the same page he says the earth is our "Mother" and, (I'm paraphrasing), "she's pretty mad at us", so I'd expect that he would be all for socialist environmentalism.

HOWEVER, THAT REMARK ABOUT US BEING PARTLY TO BLAME FOR COMMUNIST BRUTALITIES AND MURDERS BECAUSE WE WERE HYPER-SUSPICIOUS: I FIND THAT REMARK DISGUSTING AND OFFENSIVE!!!

[LarryLied]

Consider the circumstances. We betrayed him. His troops were slaughtered because we didn't do what we said we would do. His government in exile is in India because we set it up there. He can't go mouthing off about China, he has his people in India and in Tibet to worry about. The Dalai Lama pushes it as far as he can. Some people are still getting out. Tibetans are guests are in India and Nepal. They start causing trouble with China and they are in a precarious position.

[Aquinasfan]

"Is there really an illusion and a hidden reality," let's re-state this slightly, "Is there really samsara and nirvana, or is everything One?" The realization that samsara is nirvana, is enlightenment.

What's "samsara"?

How would you explain the central doctrines of Buddhism? What beliefs must a person hold to be considered a true Buddhist?

[Eugene Tackleberry]

I don't think you read the quotes carefully enough before you concluded that the Dalai Lama is a Marxist and not too bright:

and I do not deny that I myself was very impressed with its ideology at first. The trouble was, as I soon discovered, that although Commmunism claims to serve 'the people'--for whom there are 'people's hotels', 'people's hospitals,', 'people's armies' and so on--'the people' does not mean everyone, only those who hold views that are held by a minority to be 'the people's views'.

[gd124]

Buddhism, the religion of peace (TM)