Fears for Buddha's branch of faith

The Dali Lama is supposedly the 69th (or so) reincarnation of Buddha.

Respectfully, that is not true. The Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation of ... some lama (I forget who) but the Buddha Shakyamuni reached parinirvana and has not and will not reincarnate.

In fact, the Dalai Lama (HH14) once said Tibetan Buddhism is Buddhism + Tibetan culture, and that westerners who are studying Tibetan Buddhism should watch out for this and feel free to replace the Tibetan part with their own cultural inventions rather than merely copying Tibetan traditions.

I would say that is only partially true. Tibetan Buddhism, of which there are four major schools, are all more precisely classified as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism which are far different than other types of Buddhist practices completely apart from cultural influences. There is also the Bon religion of Tibet sometimes called the fifth major school although it is not really Buddhist. But Bon does employ the Tantric methods of Vajrayana practice and follows the precepts of Mahayana Buddhism to train the mind to be able to. Mongolia also has its own strain of Tantric Buddhism as does Japan and a few other places.

It is difficult for Westerners to separate tantric ritual practices from cultural affectations even after years of study and practice. But there is a difference.

I would also say that the Dalai Lama says some really strange things sometimes.

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