Letters to the Editor
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my sympathies to you, Mr Bayard
While no writer can be expected to know everything,
it would be wise to choose topics with which
one has a high degree of knowledge and familiarity.
You show by your comments that you have little
knowledge about the basis on which the Dalai Lama
rests his stances and his comments: the Buddhist understanding of reality, a profound, vast and subtle understanding of the way in which phenomena do exist, as well as the ways in which they appear to us, tweaked by our habitual, personal patterns of perception.
So, by not placing a solid context of knowledge
under your story, your piece is simply an explanation of why you think your opinions are right, while those of a person who has won respect throughout the world, who is known for kindness and authenticity, who is humble and honest, who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, are wrong.
I do not intend any personal disrespect to you,
but I certainly know whose opinions I feel more comfortable in
trusting.
This is not the forum to go into a scholarly analysis relating the points you make to that sub-structure
of philosophy and refuting your shaky conclusions, (another whole article at least. I want to, however,stand up and be counted as a free-thinking, non-groupie, intelligent and informed person who finds your piece a sad projection of a mind
that has confused cynicism with intelligence.
Were there values worth allowing oneself to be seduced,
would they not be those espoused by the Dalai Lama? humility,
ethical behavior, compassion, wisdom and an understanding of
the way our behaviors affect one another. I opt for a world created by those values and commit myself to contributing to it, rather than staying on the sidelines making skeptical observations.
Thank you.
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Bokononism is strength
It is their culture, their religion. Perhaps it shares culpability, together with geographical misfortune, for bringing the Tibetan people to the brink of the abyss. But calling it horseshit, or feeling sorry for the boy or elderly Chief Lama doesn't much compute to me. Tibetan Buddhists believe the individual is empowered to transcend the slings and arrows of daily life, to include brutal victimization at the hands of others, through enlightenment. It is not horseshit to believe that, and not less so than to believe in the ability of people to transcend anything. I for one can't sense much of a difference between it and, "Your son is with God now". "Love your enemies". "Turn the other cheek". You know, priest and prophet horseshit.
As for hinting that he may be the last of his reincarnated line, well, as I would expect the author knows, that has nothing to do with weariness on the part of the Dali Lama. That has more to do with the Chinese decision to abduct the chosen Panchen Lama 13 years ago at the tender age of 6, never to be seen again, and appoint their own. It is laying the ground for defiance, the opposite of giving in. Speaking of which, is it any surprise that the world has allowed Tibet to be swallowed whole like a cartoon fish when they can't even get it together to condemn a government sponsored abduction of a child? Never mind the abduction of a religion. If the Dali Lama cannot get any sympathy from the world powers from that disgraceful display, it seems rather heroic to assume that anything he could've done, short of parting the Himalayas, would've made much of a difference.
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Disappointing look at Buddhism & His Holiness
The Dalai Lama is a man, not a god. He is a boddhisatva -- one who has forsaken enlightenment in order to guide others in their paths to enlightenment. He is firmly committed to non-violence, a value in very short supply in our world. He should be commended for this and his many other qualities rather than criticized for his inablity to meet misguided and non-Buddhist standards for how he should or should not conduct himself. The Dalia Lama may not be the political leader Tibet wants but he is most certainly the leader Tibet needs.
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And Why Is That?
Why is it that not one country in the world recognizes Tibet? Could it be those governments, immersed in their own ambitions of greed and capitalistic crap, decided a long time ago that unless they were drawn into the situation, they would not get involved?
China's government's behavior has been damnable and barbaric toward Tibet. I'm not proud that our government has even so much as registered a blip on the radar screen about it.
But, hey, build a few sky scrappers and implement a socialist form of capitalism and the world can't wait to sell out to you, can it? The United States is a chicken shit version of it's self with wall-to-wall Dollar Stores and it's Wal-Mart economy.
Why should we expect one man to be able to stop an entire country of bilions while the rest of us just sit here and soak up space?
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puffball
When one tries to eliminate an obnoxious fungus like a puffball which has sprouted up and is ruining your lawn, one steps on it and out from the puffball shoots a million spores which imperceptibly settle and spread the puffballs existence.
The analogy of evil being spread like a fungus is not all that uncommon, but in this case it seems to be not about evil and we see that if in fact the Chinese wished to eradicate the Tibetans they have succeeded in the opposite.
I hope they enjoy their Olympics...alone.
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Mandelbrott
Maybe they should take Gandhi's advice to the Jews in WW2: commit collective mass suicide as an act of protest.
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"pong"
Maybe they should take Gandhi's advice to the Jews in WW2: commit collective mass suicide as an act of protest.
I think the "middle way" will get the best result though that is far from satisfactory for many.
Suicide would obviously give the Chinese just what they want, the genocide of the Tibetan natives, and as the Chinese Communists are not averse to blacking out news from areas they are "cleansing" it is a wonder there are any Tibetans left in Lhasa.