Nobel Peace Prize winner

[Vajradhara]

Namaste Leo,

Thank you for the post.

Originally Posted by LeoSalinas22

i am sorry to anyone who gets offended, but what is so great about this dude?

a fair question. i would submit that there is nothing great about anybody except by way of comparison to another and such methods are not very useful to determine the content of ones being, in my view.

nevertheless, from a political stand point, he is the leader of the Tibetan government in Exile though if Tibet regains its independence he's insisted that there will be democratic elections for the next head of state.

from a religious point of view, he is the head of one of the Vajrayana lineages of Buddha Dharma as found in Tibet. in this aspect he holds a very important position to beings whom put that practice into action.

if he is so great, then why is the world still in such a bad state?

Buddhism does not share many of the same views regarding things that one may find in other religions or philosophical points of view... one such being that there is any sort of magic being that can "make everything better", as it were. that the world is in a "bad" state is, i submit, ones point of view.

i mean from what i understand, he is human just like the rest of us, no?

i suppose that it sort of depends. in a biological sense, that is correct. in a religious context, however, that is not correct. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is considered an embodiment of Chenrezig (Tib.)/Avelokiteshavara (Skt.) an analog would be somewhat akin to a Pope in the Christian tradition... in the narrow sense that Dalai Lamas hold a speical place within the religious hierarchy and are ascribed with certain exclusive abilities.

in any event, one need not give this aspect any consideration in the discussion regarding wishing His Holiness the Dalai Lama a happy birth day

metta,

~v

[Snoopy]

"The Dalai Lama has been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal - the top US civilian honour - in a move that has infuriated China."

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Tibet leader awarded top US medal

Good!

s.

[Pathless]

Is it good, or is it politics?

[wil]

Originally Posted by Pathless

Is it good, or is it politics?

Good politics...yet again the Dalai Lama is getting played a pawn in a game of international intrigue and control.

But I believe he believes pawns are necessary and powerful albeit expendable...and that he feels that is ok too.

[seattlegal]

I found this in today's Washington Post. I hope ya'll don't mind me posting the whole thing, instead of just a link...

My Vision of a Compassionate Future
By The Dalai Lama

Sunday, October 21, 2007; Page B01

Brute force can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom. The thousands of people who marched in the cities of Eastern Europe in recent decades, the unwavering determination of the people in my homeland of Tibet and the recent demonstrations in Burma are powerful reminders of this truth. Freedom is the very source of creativity and human development. It is not enough, as communist systems assumed, to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. If we have these things but lack the precious air of liberty to sustain our deeper nature, we remain only half human.

In the past, oppressed peoples often resorted to violence in their struggle to be free. But visionaries such as Mahatma Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. have shown us that successful changes can be brought about nonviolently. I believe that, at the basic human level, most of us wish to be peaceful. Deep down, we desire constructive, fruitful growth and dislike destruction.

Many people today agree that we need to reduce violence in our society. If we are truly serious about this, we must deal with the roots of violence, particularly those that exist within each of us. We need to embrace "inner disarmament," reducing our own emotions of suspicion, hatred and hostility toward our brothers and sisters.

Furthermore, we must reexamine how we relate to the very question of the use of violence in today's profoundly interconnected world. One may sometimes feel that one can solve a problem quickly with force, but such success is often achieved at the expense of the rights and welfare of others. One problem may have been solved, but the seed of another is planted, thus opening a new chapter in a cycle of violence and counter-violence.

From the Velvet Revolution in the former Czechoslovakia to the popular pro-democracy movement in the Philippines, the world has seen how a nonviolent approach can lead to positive political changes. But the genuine practice of nonviolence is still at an experimental stage. If this experiment succeeds, it can open the way to a far more peaceful world. We need to embrace a more realistic approach to dealing with human conflicts, an approach that is in tune with a new reality of heavy interdependence in which the old concepts of "we" and "they" are no longer relevant. The very idea of total victory for one's own side and the total defeat of one's enemy is untenable. In violent conflicts, the innocent are often the first casualties, as the war in Iraq and Sudan's Darfur crisis painfully remind us. Today, the only viable solution to human conflicts will come through dialogue and reconciliation based on the spirit of compromise.

Many of the problems we confront today are our own creation. I believe that one of the root causes of these manmade problems is the inability of humans to control their agitated minds and hearts -- an area in which the teachings of the world's great religions have much to offer.

A scientist from Chile once told me that it is inappropriate for a scientist to be attached to his particular field of study, because that would undermine his objectivity. I am a Buddhist practitioner, but if I mix up my devotion for Buddhism with an attachment to it, my mind will be biased toward it. A biased mind never sees the complete picture, and any action that results will not be in tune with reality. If religious practitioners can heed this scientist's advice and refrain from being attached to their own faith traditions, it could prevent the growth of fundamentalism. It also could enable such followers to genuinely respect faith traditions other than their own. I often say that while one can adhere to the principle of "one truth, one religion" at the level of one's personal faith, we should embrace at the same time the principle of "many truths, many religions" in the context of wider society. I see no contradiction between these two.

I do not mean to suggest that religion is indispensable to a sound ethical way of life, or for that matter to genuine happiness. In the end, whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever, what matters is that one be a good, kind and warmhearted person. A deep sense of caring for others, based on a profound sense of interconnection, is the essence of the teachings of all great religions of the world. In my travels, I always consider my foremost mission to be the promotion of basic human qualities of goodness -- the need for and appreciation of the value of love, our natural capacity for compassion and the need for genuine fellow feeling. No matter how new the face or how different the dress and behavior, there is no significant division between us and other people.

When I first saw a photograph of Earth taken from outer space, it powerfully brought home to me how small and fragile the planet is and how petty our squabbles are. Amid our perceived differences, we tend to forget how the world's different religions, ideologies and political systems were meant to serve humans, not destroy them. When I traveled to the former Soviet Union in the late 1970s, I encountered widespread paranoia, even among ordinary people who feared that the West hated them so much that it was ready to invade their country. Of course, I knew this was mere projection.

Today, more than ever, we need to make this fundamental recognition of the basic oneness of humanity the foundation of our perspective on the world and its challenges. From the dangerous rate of global warming to the widening gap between rich and poor, from the rise of global terrorism to regional conflicts, we need a fundamental shift in our attitudes and our consciousness -- a wider, more holistic outlook.

As a society, we need to shift our basic attitude about how we educate our younger generation. Something is fundamentally lacking in our modern education when it comes to educating the human heart. As people begin to explore this important question, it is my hope that we will be able to redress the current imbalance between the development of our brains and the development of our hearts.

To promote greater compassion, we must pay special attention to the role of women. Given that mothers carry the fetus for months within their own bodies, from a biological point of view women in general may possess greater sensitivity of heart and capacity for empathy. My first teacher of love and compassion was my own mother, who provided me with maximum love. I do not mean to reinforce in any way the traditional view that a woman's place is confined to the home. I believe that the time has come for women to take more active roles in all domains of human society, in an age in which education and the capacities of the mind, not physical strength, define leadership. This could help create a more equitable and compassionate society.

In general, I feel optimistic about the future. As late as the 1950s and '60s, people believed that war was an inevitable condition of mankind and that conflicts must be solved through the use of force. Today, despite ongoing conflicts and the threat of terrorism, most people are genuinely concerned about world peace, far less interested in propounding ideology and far more committed to coexistence.

The rapid changes in our attitude toward the Earth are also a source of hope. Until recently, we thoughtlessly consumed its resources as if there were no end to them. Now not only individuals but also governments are seeking a new ecological order. I often joke that the moon and stars look beautiful, but if any of us tried to live on them, we would be miserable. This blue planet of ours is the most delightful habitat we know. Its life is our life, its future our future. Now Mother Nature is telling us to cooperate. In the face of such global problems as the greenhouse effect and the deterioration of the ozone layer, individual organizations and single nations are helpless. Our mother is teaching us a lesson in universal responsibility.

The 20th century became a century of bloodshed; despite its faltering start, the 21st century could become one of dialogue, one in which compassion, the seed of nonviolence, will be able to flourish. But good wishes are not enough. We must seriously address the urgent question of the proliferation of weapons and make worldwide efforts toward greater external disarmament.

Large human movements spring from individual human initiatives. If you feel that you cannot have much of an effect, the next person may also become discouraged, and a great opportunity will have been lost. On the other hand, each of us can inspire others simply by working to develop our own altruistic motivations -- and engaging the world with a compassion-tempered heart and mind.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of Tibet. Since 1959, he has been living in Dharamsala, in northern India, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile.

[flowperson]

Hi SG...Thank y'all for posting that. Truer words were never spoken or written. If y'all don't mind I'm going to paste it to another site I frequent.

You know, we're both in violation of copyright laws. Let's get our alibis straight right now...fair use !...fair use !...fair use ! There, everything will be ok now.

flow....

[Caimanson]

Sorry for being cynical, but isn't he a pawn used by the west in the political game to undermine China?

According to Chinese propaganda and other sources, it is claimed that the Tibetan religious hierarchy ran an oppressive regime over the country, the majority of the people were serfs or slaves with no rights of any kind.
As far as I know this has not been denied.
(Not that the Chinese government is pure)

Green Left - Features: The Dalai Lama's hidden past

Just got the feeling that anybody out there in the limelight presenting itself as a great holy person cannot be.

[Pathless]

Originally Posted by wil

Good politics...

There's no such thing.

[Vajradhara]

Namaste all,

with regards to the fuedal system of Tibet... that was, in fact, how the country was governed until this Dalai Lama arose. traditionally, the Dalai Lamas did not assume political leadership of the nation until they turned 18 but this tradition was not able to continue when the Red Chinese invaded.

His Holiness has specifically stated that it was his aim to reform the government and institute a democratic electoral process when he had the poltical authority to do so and it is still the position that he adovcates today. strangely, to many of us, a great deal of the Tibetan people do not want this system to be altered... they still want a Dalai Lama to lead the governement and, to this extent, the government in exile is titularly headed by the Dalai Lama.. of course there is a Prime Minister and a congress now.

the Red Chinese are, of course, correct that feudal systems are not how modern nations are goverened. at the same time that does not give one leave to invade another nation to force this political change. though, in truth, Red China is not a democratically elected government either and on the face of it it seems nothing more than gerrymandering to pursade the international community of the righteousness of their invastion.

metta,

~v

[Eclectic Mystic]

I thought it was just the opposite; sticking up a middle finger at the international community while blatantly doing what's denounced.

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by Eclectic Mystic

the international community

I always wonder about this term. Who is in this community? Who isn't? What / whose criteria for membership / non-membership?

Aside from that, who is sticking up the middle finger, the Dalai Lama for receiving or the US for giving?

s.

[Eclectic Mystic]

Ask the guy who brought it up.

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by Snoopy

I always wonder about this term. Who is in this community? Who isn't? What / whose criteria for membership / non-membership?

Aside from that, who is sticking up the middle finger, the Dalai Lama for receiving or the US for giving?

s.

I thought it was China sticking up the middle finger while invading Tibet.

{You know, the ones who have declared that the Lamas cannot reincarnate without the permission of the Chinese government?}

[17th Angel]

What a hero...

--edit--

Originally Posted by LeoSalinas22

i am sorry to anyone who gets offended, but what is so great about this dude? if he is so great, then why is the world still in such a bad state? i mean, i know i can easily look him up on the net, but i want to know what this guy has contributed to mankind from your point of view. i mean from what i understand, he is human just like the rest of us, no?

I hear you.