Maybe. But the author isn't making grand statements about Buddhism, he's writing about specific sayings of Dalai Lama and the reactions to these sayings in the West. Chauncey Gardiner in Jerzy Kosinski's Being There (played by Peter Sellers in the movie of the same name) comes again to mind. Idiot savant as guru!
He's mocking the Forrest Gumping of the Dali Lama.