Letters to the Editor
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It's not the first time.
It's not the first time that a religious leader has faced an occupation by an imperial army.
Jesus lived under a brutal Roman occupation, and the best he could come up with was "turn the other cheek," even as the occupying power killed him. The gospels and the rest of the New Testament contain scarcely a word of criticism of Rome.
But really, what do we want from our spiritual beings? What we want is spiritual transcendence, a window into an ideal world, an idea that the defective material world is not all there is.
In other words we want them to articulate an inspirational vision of an alternative world in which love and forgiveness prevail, something very different from the world in which we live.
The Dalai Lama has been forced to assume the role of "politician." In that role he is a fish out of water. It's a role forced him by circumstances, but it's a role that doesn't play to his strengths. I say we cut him some slack.