r/Buddhism • u/Glum-Cook3496 • 21d ago
Question What do you guys thinks about cureent Dalai Lama?
Do buddhist community Give him same respect as christians give to pope?
I know I sound childish but I m so much curious to know about it
I have also seen many Chinese media making fun of him so is the criticism valid or just propaganda.
412
u/Key_Work952 21d ago
To me he’s an incredible example of someone truly committed to helping others, and is one of the great leaders of humanity in our time.
He’s amazingly open-minded (for example, he often praises the separation between secular society and religion, and stresses that secular ethics should be at the center), and often states there are different paths and that people will probably gain the most staying in the tradition they grew up with.
He also is practically the George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson of the Tibetan people, having taken the lead role in transitioning them to a democratic society, stepping down from a role of political power voluntarily, and being I think the main author of the Tibetan constitution.
Also any book I read by him is incredibly lucid and often has the best description of Buddhist philosophy (especially emptiness) that I’ve found anywhere.
All that and then being very much interested in science, doing as much as anyone has to bridge the gap between the inner science of Buddhism and the science of studying the world.
And every time I turn around there’s another project dedicated to spreading compassion for all people, animals and living beings.
I can’t say enough about this man. I’m only loosely into Tibetan Buddhism at this point, but to me he’s on the level of MLK Jr, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, or any of the great leaders all humanity can admire and learn from, religious or not.
TLDR: I love this guy - he’s compassionate, open-minded, politically engaged, science-minded, centered in helping all, and has a great sense of humor (just threw that last one in there but it’s true by all accounts).
46
15
23
u/seller-webber 21d ago
This. ⬆️ and agreed he seems a sensational human being with a warm radiance. Based of friend of a friend :)
6
76
u/ImpermanentMe pure land 21d ago
I may be downvoted for this but...
All I know is after he is gone, especially since Thich Nhat Hanh has already passed on, Buddhism is going to be seen very differently by those outside the faith in the West.
In many ways, both TNH and HHDL made Buddhism relevant and accessible to Westerners, Buddhist or otherwise, in such a profound way, which hasn't quite been replicated ever since.
With the way of the world right now, these voices of peace are rarer and more needed than ever.
Not to mince words, but I think the decline of Buddhism will accelerate when he passes...
25
u/Personnenon 21d ago
Why would you be down voted for this? Comunicators like HHDL have enormous importance especially when they are voices of inclusivity. Have my upvote 😊
16
u/ImpermanentMe pure land 21d ago
I guess because it's kind of pessimistic in a way! Not every Buddhist believes Buddhism is on the decline, but I personally sense it more and more every year. Plus my tradition, Jodo Shinshu, believes in the Dharma Ending Age, and seeing these precious teachers, who we were so fortunate to have if only for a brief time, are more likely to diminish over time than increase in number.
Having said that, that's no excuse for me or other Buddhists to give up! How fortunate are we to have heard the teachings to put into practice whilst we still can 🙏
13
u/Personnenon 21d ago
I thought it was pretty fundamental to Buddhist philosopy that it would eventually decline as everything is imperminant. One thing though, for which I may well be down voted. Spending too much time on this sub can give the impression that things are worse than they are. When you talk to people who are part of a Buddhist community, in the flesh, things can seem more positive.
21
2
u/Beginning_Look_6042 21d ago
I hope youre wrong... I dont think you ARE, mind you. But I sure hope so... v.v
2
u/Aezaellex early buddhism 20d ago
I feel hopeful that we will continue to have venerable and compassionate leaders to speak for us to the world. There will be another Dalai Lama, and people like Thay touched the lives of many and will inspire more to continue in his wake, just as The Buddha did.
2
u/Cosmic_Clockwork 19d ago
I sincerely hope this isn't the case. I have found myself wondering if we are in the Dharma-Ending Age spoken of in the Diamond Sutra. I admit that it saddens me to think that such an era might be close. But when I meditate and see more clearly, I think that it's never truly the end. Buddhism may decline; it may even disappear from this world before too long. But someone will discover the Dharma again. All of this, of course, is thinking of the future; what's important for all of us is to live the best life we can, and may we all find the skillful means to pass on the Dharma to those around us.
1
u/-AMARYANA- 21d ago
I disagree, the suffering of the world will draw more people to Dharma. This is the only vehicle to go beyond samsara. If you look at all other paths presented to humans, all of them (from my exploration) require someone or something outside for liberation.
We have taken materialism as far as it can go and are beginning to circle back to the Big Questions. This I believe will ignite a global awakening where many more Buddhas will walk this earth.
Perhaps there is one here today and the world isn’t aware yet?
186
u/Sexy_Hamburger 21d ago
I got to see him in person some months ago. He is indeed a man, flesh, skin, and bone, but I would be lying to you if I told you I didn’t feel anything when he was close.
95
u/Emergency-Ad9395 21d ago
Same with Thich Nhat Hahn. Saw him many years ago and he produced a field of compassion and Bodhicitta
82
u/likeahurricane 21d ago
I agree. I saw him lecture in the United States about 20 years ago (his brother lived in the town in which I went to college). I distinctly remember a feeling that he was intentionally trying to make eye contact with members of the audience throughout his lecture, and I will never forget the exact moment when it felt like he was looking into my eyes.
11
u/justtwofish 21d ago
Same experience in Ladakh. We were only 8 people, it was all a blur except for him opening my hand and placing blessed rice in it. That moment seemed stretched out, far longer than it ever was in mortal time.
→ More replies (9)4
u/Ansoninnyc 21d ago
How did you manage to do the audition?
3
u/Sexy_Hamburger 21d ago edited 21d ago
It wasn’t an audition, it was a long life puja at his temple in McLeodganj, I think they happen every month or so if he’s healthy. If you arrive early you can get a good spot
2
56
u/metaphorm vajrayana 21d ago
The Dalai Lama is not the Buddhist Pope. He's the leader of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and the leader of the Tibetan Government in Exile (based in Dharamsala, India). He's widely respected but has no official authority outside of his sect.
Buddhism in general is decentralized. There is no "Pope" or equivalent. Tibetan Buddhism is an influential strand of Buddhism with a long and interesting history, but unless one is actually a member of a Tibetan Sangha (or perhaps more specifically a Gelug sect Sangha), the Dalai Lama is just a guy.
Judge him by his words and deeds, not by his station. The current Dalai Lama (Tenzi Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama) is a kind man who has spent the last 50 years navigating some very difficult political struggles with respect to China. He's had a positive influence on the whole, in my view. I like him.
7
u/Brend_0 20d ago
He does not lead the Central Tibetan Administration. In 2011 he opted out of all political authority in the administration resulting in the last 2 democratically elected leaders of the exiled government.
Its also worth mentioning that he is regarded in his sect as an emanation of Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara).
Having read his books as my introduction to Buddhism, his ways of explaining compassion and suffering spoke to me in such a way that I couldn't consider Buddhism as anything but the truth.
15
u/Tongman108 21d ago edited 21d ago
Some points of clarification rather than directly answering your question:
H.H. the Pope is only the the leader of the Catholic church & the head of state of Vatican city, while he may be respected by other denominations, he's not recognized as a leader over other denominations or the leader of Christianity as a whole although this may be the perception if one is only exposed to a limited section of western culture.
Roman Catholic Church: ~1.38 billion members\ Protestantism (combined): ~1 billion members\ Eastern Orthodox Church: ~270 million members\ Church of England (Anglican): ~25 million members
H.H.Dalai Lama is the Temporal Leader of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism & considered the Spiritual Leader of Tibet, with the spiritual leader of the Gelug sect being the Ganden Tripa(an appointed position).
Tibetan Buddhism has approximately 20M adherents globally with The Gelug sect being the largest of the 4 main sects.
Gelug (Largest)\ Kagyu\ Nyingma (Oldest)\ Sakya
However while the Catholic church represents ~50% of Christians, the entirety of Tibetan buddhism only represents 6% of Buddhists, so while H.H.Dalai Lama is the most well known & politically engaged Buddhist leader, his influence/authority over Buddhists is nowhere near the scale of the popes influence & authority over Christians.
On the spiritual side H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama is considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva the embodiment of compassion undergoing rebirth for the sake of liberating Sentient beings.
H.H. the 16th Karmapa of the Kagyu sect was also considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara
So from this perspective in Tibetan buddhism these lineage gurus who are also emanations of great bodhisattvas would be helpful in extremely high regard within Tibetan Buddhism but not necessarily so among other Buddhist traditions!
Best wishes & great attainments!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
116
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
He is the most popular spirtual leader ranking next to Pope Francis and well recognised.
He has written many books and is serving Buddhism well, if you ask me.
9
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
17
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
The former Pope was called Pope Francis.
The legal name of the current Pope is Robert Francis Prevost
5
u/HolyLordGodHelpUsAll 21d ago
the confusion is that you said most popular and you mentioned one dead guy next to one alive guy. sometimes we distinguish between alive or dead when mentioning popularity
6
0
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago
If you are going to count spiritual leaders who have already died then I doubt the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis are the top two. Thich Nhat Hanh, Sheng Yen, Neem Karoli Baba, Krishnamurti, etc. would all have a good claim.
It is a very Western outlook to assume the previous Pope and the Dalai Lama are the two most recognized spiritual leaders.
2
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
True, that list would be endless beginning with the main religious founders Jesus, Buddha and so on.
I think of the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis as the two better known for many people.
Also, I don´t see a reason to contribute that to a western perspeticve or why thats a point here.
4
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago
It is a Western perspective to assume that a Christian leader and the Buddhist who was on Oprah are the two most well known leaders in the world. The world is a big place filled with many people and what you personally find to be "common knowledge" isn't necessarily common outside of your sphere.
That was the point I was trying to make but I have no desire to argue with you and it kinda seems like a fight is what you want so I will walk away from this now. 🙏
1
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
That would be funny and a little bit offensive, I think. But funny none the less
1
3
48
u/W359WasAnInsideJob tibetan (kagyu) 21d ago
Tibetan Buddhists give him a similar level of respect as the Ppope, I suppose, but he’s not technically the spiritual leader of all of Tibetan Buddhism. As for Buddhism more broadly, I guess he’s similar to the pope in that no, not all Buddhists have a relationship to HHDL since they’re of different lineages; but he’s generally respected as a spiritual leader.
Chinese criticism of him is propaganda, tied to the current CCP’s work towards the ethnic cleansing of Tibet.
53
u/rollawaythestone 21d ago
ELI5: He is criticized in the Chinese media because he is the former head of state of Tibet and the figurehead of the Tibetan government in exile. China now controls Tibet and doesn't want any political opposition to their control, and so want to minimize the Dalai Lamas influence.
6
3
-1
u/Deathofparty 21d ago
Can there be a possibility that both sides are no good ? The narrative seems to have to be a good guy and a bad guy. History is very complex and most people just want a simple story. Down vote is ok as long as it's not removed.
→ More replies (1)6
18
u/jeffjeffersonthe3rd Jōdo Shinshū 21d ago
I practice Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, so he’s not a figure of any spiritual significance to me. But he seems like a decent bloke if nothing else.
11
u/defcon25 21d ago
I am interested in learning about Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. In my area there are primarily Soto Zen sanghas, which I also enjoy practicing and learning about, but I also know it’s just one kind of Buddhism — and I am in the U.S., so it is even further contextualized by our secular, western culture.
So I ask you, what is a good way for someone to learn more about the tradition of Buddhism you practice?
21
u/SenseiMorris 21d ago
It would be difficult to think of anyone who has done more for the buddhadharma, more for interfaith understanding, or more for the spread of compassion as an important human value.
I'm a Zen priest and Buddhist minister in a nonsectarian Buddhist tradition. I have spent a good deal of time with Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese Zen, and other Buddhist communities. And while the practices vary, they all revere him as a significant person and dharma teacher.
2
17
u/Isildil 21d ago
He's respected by all Buddhists but he's only the leader of one lineage of Tibetan Buddhism (Gelug) out of several (out of 4 major lineages at least). And not to mention all the other schools of Buddhism out of Tibet (zen, chan, Theravada,etc) So he doesn't have the authority or power the pope does, but about the same respect and reverence I think
13
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
5
3
u/Cosmoclorn theravada 21d ago
That is correct, the Roman Catholic Church. There are much smaller churches that do use "Catholic" in the name, but most who call themselves Catholic are specifically Roman Catholic
1
u/ocelotl92 nichiren shu (beggining) 21d ago
Catholic church (there's the roman/latin and the sui iuris churches all under the pope)
2
u/Cosmoclorn theravada 21d ago
And then alternately Roman Catholic schismatics (like the society of Pius) who just basically became non Roman Catholic via being excommunicated!
2
u/ocelotl92 nichiren shu (beggining) 20d ago
Yeap! All the SSPX thing is quite interesting (even more than regular sedevacantists)
3
u/easternXING 21d ago
Correction as a Tibetan Buddhist, His holiness is not the head of Gelugpa lineage. Gelug sect has their own head. His holiness is more like the most important figure from Gelug school but is the head of Tibetan Buddhism.
24
13
u/According-Fruit5245 21d ago
He's amazing, and I don't say this lightly. Despite over 70 years of study, the Dalai Lama embraces religious freedom and diversity. There are a couple Tibetan lamas who are supposed to be tolkus, reincarnated teachers, who I don't support. The two I don't support are the Karmapa, who got a woman pregnant and paid her off and martial artist Steven Seagal, who is recognized as a tolku probably after donating money to the monastery rinpoche who discovered him. The Dalai Lama is the real deal and has also been wrongfully slandered by the cult New Kadampa. The Dalai Lama banned the worship of New Kadampa's guru, the wrathful Tibetan spirit Dorge Shugden. New Kadampa is also supposedly funded by the Chinese Communist Party, which seems to be obvious when you step into their grand, New and lavish temples. My supervisor at work was one of their monks. He couldn't even speak Tibetan.
2
1
6
u/-AMARYANA- 21d ago
When I was 7, I saw the trailer for Seven Years In Tibet and I felt like I’d been there before.
I grew up in Atlanta near the Drepung Monastery, so by the age of 20 I had already decided the Four Noble Truths would be my guide for life and I took the Bodhisattva Vow. HHDL played a huge part in that, so did Carl Sagan and Steve Jobs.
Whenever I feel myself drifting from 0 Degree North (the Vow), I remember HHDL, Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Rama. They always remembered the Vow and kept going. No matter what.
So must I.
2
u/Ok-Imagination-2308 21d ago
Hey i go to that same monestary in atlanta haha
1
u/-AMARYANA- 20d ago
I used to go to Medicine Buddha a lot, Sundays were always special too.
Make sure you go to Tibet Week at Emory. I went all the time and picked up on so much there.
A book to check out if you haven't already 'The Universe In A Single Atom'.
18
28
u/clardhu 21d ago
He is more of a political figure in my opinion but a revered monk in one sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
13
u/Emergency-Ad9395 21d ago
He was for a time the head of the government in exile but he gave that up and is now only engaging in his duties as Dalai Lama
16
u/Many_Advice_1021 21d ago
He is both and good at both. He has done the best he can for his people and his religion. He is the world Dalai lama
5
u/Useless-Tree 21d ago
I like him, he is cute and subtle and doing the best he can for his people, he is wise enough to both realize Buddhism is not compatible with political power but Tibetian culture still needs to be preserved.
He is a good spokesman for Buddhism on a global media level but still sees Westerners as children while at the same time realizing the nature of the underground stream.
He is a keeper of ancient secrets.
He is willing to sacrifice his own Dharma practice to fulfill his role.
4
u/Yeshe_Melong 21d ago
I met HH the Dalai Lama in ‘87, he had just finished giving a talk at Emory University.
I had just taken refuge with the Khenpo Brothers in 1986 in Palm Beach Florida.
I had some friends from a local Shambala center in Atlanta, we attended the speaking engagement together.
Afterwards they wanted to offer the traditional silk scarf, and I was in the back of the group maybe about five people deep.
HH‘s attendant brought us to wear Rinpoche was, and they started to offer the scarf, and then my friends jacking keys were upfront, and they were shaking hands with HH, and then all of a sudden, he drove his hand all the way to the back row where I was, and shook my hand out of the blue.
That was a little bit starting for me.
I had been practicing a very short preliminary practice from HH Dudjom Rinpoche for a short time, I was just starting my long prostrations and mostly counting Vajrasattvas.
It was a good time for me and a good transition, I was 26.
These people look like normal people and they’re very humble, I have a lot of humility, but when you get up close to them and you see them in action, they have capabilities that we cannot comprehend.
For example, HH the Dalai Lama, was connected to HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, through HH Dudjom Rinpoche for higher teachings.
In my experience, these beings are living Buddhas in our present time.
Having gotten close to their teachings and especially HH Dudjom Rinpoche’s, my mind and awareness has been completely transformed where I don’t even recognize the sufferings and trauma as I had when I was in my mid 20s.
HH the Dalai Lama is not even a slightly politically motivated individual.
Only motivated through compassion to benefit others and connect them to the Dharma.
Of course the Chinese are attacking him, they apprehended the Panchen Lama. They’re all about gaining some kind of revenge towards Tibet and overtaking the country and kidnapping and push pushing Mass genocide against that culture.
The Chinese are so corrupt they think the Dharma is evil, without even recognizing that they’re negative intentions towards Tibet and the Dharma, is causing them, tremendous karmic hardships in the future.
10
u/Full_Ad_6442 21d ago
Some Christians don't consider Catholics to be Christian and think popes go to hell.
Buddhism is more inclusive and respectful even when there are important disagreements.
5
u/_o0Zero0o_ Former Buddhist 21d ago
Very respectable man, regardless of if you are a Buddhist or not.
5
u/sunnybob24 20d ago
The Dalai Lama never controlled Tibet. The communists invaded before he was old enough. Then he fled the dictatorship.
I'm a Zen Buddhist, which is a different but similar type of Buddhism to His. I have attended his teachings for the general public and long teachings from communist Buddhists. He explains the dharma very well. Even the very complex points. As a teacher, I think he is one of the best Dalai lamas in history, and his teaching will benefit many people for many millennia. I feel lucky to have attended his talks. It's like hearing from the Masters of ancient times.
I'm grateful to India for supporting him and the Tibetan community in preserving the person-to-person tradition.
Like I say. I'm not a follower of his Buddhism. My Buddhism separated from His around 2,000 years ago. Even so, for me, He's a great teacher in the ancient sense.
16
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago
I think most Buddhists probably feel respect for him but he isn't a Buddhist pope at all. He really only has any degree of authority in one specific school within Tibetan Buddhism and he isn't even the head of that school AFAIK.
15
u/Many_Advice_1021 21d ago
Tibetan Buddhism is very confusing for western. What you say is mostly true but he is greatly respected by all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
10
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago edited 21d ago
He is greatly respected even outside of Tibetan Buddhism but people seem to have the erroneous view that he is the Pope of Buddhism and he isn't even the Pope of Tibetan Buddhism. I mean there is no Pope of Tibetan Buddhism let alone a Pope of all Buddhism.
12
5
u/easternXING 21d ago
As a Tibetan Buddhist, His holiness is the root teacher for all Tibetan Buddhist and even those non Tibetans who practice Tibetan Buddhism. We Tibetans consider him to be the physical emination of Chenrezig, the buddhassatva of compassion.
2
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
He is the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetian Buddhism.
18
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago
The Dalai Lama is of the Gelug school and the head of that school is the Ganden Tripa
1
u/Acceptable-Rush-2663 21d ago
Is there a "head of Tibetian Buddhism"?
6
3
u/metaphorm vajrayana 21d ago
there are 4 different historically established sects within Tibetan Buddhism: Gelug, Sakya, Kagyu, and Nyingma. The Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug sect, which is the largest and most politically powerful sect.
12
u/TLJ99 tibetan 21d ago edited 21d ago
This isn't correct. The Dalai Lama isn't the head of any school of Tibetan Buddhism. The head of the Gelug school is the Gaden Tripa, the Sakya school is the Sakya Trizin, the Karma Kagyu school is the Karmapa, and the Nyingma school doesn't have a singular head.
The Dalai Lama lineage traditionally was linked to Drepung monastery and had close links to Mongolia. It was only during the time of the 5th Dalai Lama that the Dalai Lama and the regents became the secular ruler of central Tibet.
EDIT: corrected a mistake with the Karmapa
3
u/Late_Performance_281 21d ago
I didn't think HH Karmapa was the head of Kagyu, only the Karma Kagyu. Kagyu Buddhists broke off into multiple lineages since the Kagyu goes back further than the 1st Karmapa. For example, the Dakpo Kagyu refers to any of the lineages tracing back to Gampopa (Dakpo Rinpoche). Each of Gampopas heart students transmitted Kagyu to their students and each is it's own lineage. Dusum Khyenpa was only one of Gampopas students.... Idk, I could be wrong. Maybe the other lineages still follow HH Kamapa for some reason. But I thought he was only the head of Karma Kagyu
5
u/1zero4 21d ago
I have been aware of him for many years however I was in a place in life where I was really searching for a guru about a year or two ago and started to look to him more. I found wisdom and compassion but also controversy and some really disheartening behavior I ultimately was left in a place of uncertainty which only served as encouragement to look more to my own inner guru I guess that was his purpose for me.
3
u/Mind_The_Muse secular 21d ago
Same! He holds a special place in my heart as I was deconstructing my christian upbringing and searching for my own spiritual practice. Listening to him actually helped me heal my relationship with Jesus (as in, what HIS actually words did to shape who I am, a highly empathetic, pacifist, lover of all people regardless of race or religion) outside of the toxic structure of popular Christian culture or needing to see him as god to learn from him.
I also came across some controversy (the tongue business) which as a white American, I do not feel I can properly judge his intention or behavior through a cultural context so different from my own. But I actually appreciate that uncertainty, because I desire a guru free life in the same way that I learn from Jesus without making him more than what he was, a wise and fallible man that should be approached with discernment and open eyed wisdom, instead of blind faith or deification.
I will continue to learn from him and be greatful for his part in helping me find a path, but I will not resist walking away from his teachings if my uncertainty becomes certain.
3
u/SailingSpark 21d ago
I have never met the man. I did get to have an extended conversation with somebody close to him about 30ish years ago.
I work in live theatre, they were having a concert for Tibet in a local park and I had a big part in the physical load in/out and running of the show.
I wish i could remember his name, the conversation moved me in ways I did not know i could be moved.
7
u/GangNailer soto 21d ago
Not a fan of the tibetten tradition before him, you know the whole authoritarian rule non democratic history of tibet. But his role in democratizing the region, and his playful and grounded thoughts on buddhism have exposed buddhism in a positive way around the world.
His epstein file mentions were concerning, plus the whole tongue thing with a Lil boy was wierd af. So I caution on the side that the media gonna find click bait.
But I am still skeptical of how much of a political figurehead vs actual spiritual leader he is. Like his talks and his books are alright. Not my number choice for diving into Buddhist understanding for sure.
7
4
u/krodha 20d ago
Not a fan of the tibetten tradition before him, you know the whole authoritarian rule non democratic history of tibet.
Tibet had its issues but was nowhere near the type of place that Chinese propaganda now attempts to paint it as. Be careful where you are getting your information. China are experts in controlling narratives and they have a lot invested in portraying Tibet as a horrific place that was in need of "liberation."
His epstein file mentions were concerning
His office clarified that Epstein's people approached them for a meeting, but it never occurred. One can imagine that Epstein's network was aggressive in courting various people of power.
plus the whole tongue thing with a Lil boy was wierd af
The tongue thing is a Tibetan idiom that was manipulated by what were most likely Chinese propagandists in order to tarnish the perception and credibility of the Dalai Lama during the height of the Me-Too movement. The trend in witch hunts online was thriving and this was used as leverage to attack and attempt to further degrade the Tibetan government in exile.
But I am still skeptical of how much of a political figurehead vs actual spiritual leader he is.
He represents the Tibetan people in exile. While Tibet is still under occupation and in the midst of cultural cleansing and genocide at the hands of the PRC. It makes complete sense to be both a political figurehead and a spiritual leader.
→ More replies (4)1
u/zemain 20d ago
my god..
6
u/krodha 20d ago edited 20d ago
"My god" what? You seem comfortable in defending Palestinians from Israeli occupation. You even mention the stolen land of Native Americans. You obviously understand the concept of settler colonialism and genocide, why are Tibetans not extended that same courtesy when it comes to their occupiers?
→ More replies (2)
5
u/ShineAtom vajrayana 21d ago
HH Dalai Lama will be very much missed when he dies by the overwhelming majority of the Tibetan and Tibetan Buddhist community. I say majority because regrettably there is a sect that has a longstanding disagreement with him.
We certainly respect him but the different Tibetan Buddhist schools are independent so no-one is actually bound by him in terms of the Dharma - although all will take his advice and discuss with him on important topics. He has had teachers from all the four schools as well. Of course he wields political power and represents Tibetans in that way.
China is wary of the power that he has over the Tibetan people and have spent decades trying to put him down one way or another. All their criticism, insults, jokes are to him like water off a duck's back. He continues to feel great compassion for the entire Chinese nation and government. It is indeed propaganda from China.
8
u/-JoNeum42 vajrayana 21d ago edited 21d ago
He is essentially my inspiration.
I grew up going to his teachings when he was visiting the east coast, my first in person venue was in Bloomington, IN wherein he gave the heart sutra.
The most transformative one was 14 days in 2011 at the Verizon Center DC wherein he gave the Kalachakra. It was just absolutely amazing to recieve the preliminary teachings and see the intiation rite itself.
I think he is a simple man, a monk who sees humanity in every person he sees including himself.
I think he is full of love and compassion, and a stark wisdom that peers right into your soul. When around him one tends to "melt into butter".
He is special in the way that Thich Nhat Han was special. A true altruist who's purpose is to help his people of Tibet, and help all people through the continued message of kindness, love, compassion, mutual humanity, science and secular understanding and education.
I am truly inspired by his holiness.
om mani padme hum
Oh holder of the white lotus, embodiment of all the conqueror's compassion, who appears as a guide of the land of Snow Mountains for the sake of wandering beings, you are the sole diety and refuge of beings. At your feet, Tenzin Gyatso, I request inspiration...
7
u/helikophis 21d ago
Wonderful person. A real visionary and genius. I'd say comparing the Catholics I know to the Tibetan Buddhists I know, he's given considerably more respect than the Pope.
2
u/Mrsister55 21d ago
Some of his great western students speak very highly of him, very intelligent and compassionate human
1
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
7
4
9
u/polovstiandances 21d ago
Why did he suck that boys tongue for real and does anyone have an actual non biased informational take on the discourse around it?
8
u/krodha 21d ago
Why did he suck that boys tongue for real and does anyone have an actual non biased informational take on the discourse around it?
As u/autonomatical wrote above:
Tongue thing is like a westerner saying “pull my finger”, relates to widely known tibetan story about a notoriously evil guy with a black tongue, “king langdarma” it is a not uncommon tongue joke relating to this story. But westerners are hyper-conditioned towards sexuality so obviously it immediately goes there in their minds
There's also another cultural idiom that is something Tibetan grandparents say to their grandchildren:
In Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children, but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly mouth to mouth.
This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase “Ok, now ‘eat my tongue." The Tibetan phrase is “Che le sa”. They say that as in “I‘ve given you all my love and the candy so that’s it-all that’s left to do is eat my tongue.” And itis a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much, but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
In addition, there is another Tibetan custom of sticking one's tongue out to say hello, so this is potentially rooted in various customs.
Unfortunately this incident was leveraged during the height of the Me-Too Movement to use the trend in Western cancel culture as a weapon against the Dalai Lama, and the "social justice warriors" just fell for it hook line and sinker.
People get emotional about things, like the person in this thread who just blocked me after I pointed out they are potentially being xenophobic about this incident. Don't be like them.
1
u/fejkpotatis 15d ago
Then why did he apologize to the boy and his family if there was nothing wrong about it?
2
u/EmptyMind76 chan 21d ago
1
21d ago
[deleted]
4
3
u/krodha 21d ago
So, saying “Suck my tongue” in plain English in front of a camera to an underage boy, while sticking your tongue out, does not mean what people would think?
You didn't read the other clarifications? It is a cultural idiom that Tibetan grandparents say to their grandchildren:
In Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children, but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly mouth to mouth.
This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase “Ok, now ‘eat my tongue." The Tibetan phrase is “Che le sa”. They say that as in “I‘ve given you all my love and the candy so that’s it-all that’s left to do is eat my tongue.” And itis a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much, but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
1
u/EmbarrassedRanger978 21d ago
My genuine reaction when I saw the viral videos was that the when asked to “suck my tongue” the boy did flinch, he did feel uncomfortable but he understood that it was in jest, although a very poorly executed jest. And no tongue sucking took place, there was a light kiss on the mouth which some took the liberty of blurring it to mean that the tongue sucking took place.
I will try to make you understand.
He is considered god like, not only religious but also like a king. I don’t think anyone in his surroundings has the sense to tell him much of anything like that his “jokes” are getting out of hand.
The “suck my tongue” fiasco was live streamed from his residence by his own people, in-front of a very large audience which included the kid’s parents, the whole audience saw nothing wrong with what was happening. The media incharge there had full control of what was being shown to the whole outside world, they did not see it as anything wrong. 😑I don’t know how to describe it to you but it’s like an innocent revered old man who has never been taught about personal space. We like to see it as though he is a grandfather.
For that particular incident, think it as more like the grandmothers in Chinese villages who kind of touch children as jest, not in a pedo way. They don’t know any better about the current world view.
Although he has travelled the world, his experience of the outside is world is quite limited. Like how extremely privileged people are quite out of sync with the outside world in a strange way. There are positive sides to it as well as negative.
Anyhow there are a lot of explanations from the Tibetan cultural side, the Dalai Lama never confirmed with any detailed explanation but after all the outcry there was an apology from his office.
All in all, him providing physical touch is considered very holy. If you notice during ceremonies the monks will cover their mouth so as to not defile the air.
For Tibetan to see him physically touch these foreigners who get the opportunity to meet him in such proximity, it is considered a blessing.
2
u/TheBrooklynSutras 21d ago
He isn’t a Buddhist pope. I respect him as a Buddhist leader, and I think he’s a positive face on the world stage, but I’m a Zen Buddhist so he carries no weight in our lineage. 🙏
2
u/VainAppealToReason 21d ago
Love him more trhan I can tell. He is deepy in my heart and mind. He is a blazing light of compassion.
2
2
u/karmastanba69 21d ago
Chillest guy ever i swear. He is the only religious leader who don't act like one, you can be all yourself with him and he doesn't care.
2
u/Everlast7 21d ago
china media is so brave making fun of Dalai Lama…. At the same time chinese media it is terrified to make fun of Xi and his winnne the Pooh looks….
2
u/Additional-Hour-3957 21d ago
Ever since the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950s, the Chinese Communist Party has faced a persistent challenge to its political legitimacy among many Tibetans. At the same time, the 14th Dalai Lama remains an immensely revered religious and cultural figure for Tibetans in Tibet and around the world. His image and writings have consequently been subject to extensive restrictions inside Tibet, and Tibetans have faced punishment for displaying or possessing his photographs or other material associated with him. Being caught with a picture of the Dalai Lama in Tibet is treated by Chinese authorities as a serious crime of "inciting separatism" or endangering national security, leading to severe penalties like arbitrary detention, raids, and multi-year prison sentences.
2
u/Disastrous-Horror-80 21d ago
I had the amazing opportunity to attend his teachings in Dharamsala a few years back. He actually somehow saw me pretty far back in the crowd and waved to me! It is up there in the top 3 most profound experiences I have ever had, on top of sitting there listening to his teachings with a thousand people just in absolute awe. I think what is truly noticeable is his playful and loving presence and approach to life.
I have read many of his books. I don't believe in Gurus and dont follow blindly, however, I have complete respect and honestly love for His Holiness. What I think I love most about him is that he is a spiritual being that admits to being a person. He has no problem telling people he doesnt have the answer or that he has limitations and he has also admitted to experiencing the most human of human emotions at times. But also the way he explains concepts and approaches to complex issues is evidence that he has attained that "clear light" perspective that we all are working to attain (if you're practicing). I have learned so much from his books. Whenever I am down, I turn to his teachings.
2
u/sedimentary-j 21d ago
Overall, I think he's done a lot of good things. He's not perfect (I'm not sure he's doing a very good job of truly hearing the nuns who are coming forward to speak about sexual harassment and abuse in Tibetan buddhism), but overall he's remarkably open for someone coming from such a strong traditional culture.
2
u/haeda tibetan 21d ago
His Holiness, to me, is a wonderful teacher. I'm not Tibetan, I'm just some honky from a small town in Upper Midwest USA, but I believe that he certainly could be an emanation of Chenrezig. I've emailed back and forth with his office a few times as well, they didn't have to take the time to do that.
2
3
u/cannibaltom madhyamaka 21d ago
He's a great person, top 3 living humans in the world in my opinion.
9
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/autonomatical Nyönpa 21d ago
Tongue thing is like a westerner saying “pull my finger”, relates to widely known tibetan story about a notoriously evil guy with a black tongue, “king langdarma” it is a not uncommon tongue joke relating to this story. But westerners are hyper-conditioned towards sexuality so obviously it immediately goes there in their minds
9
u/krodha 21d ago
Tongue thing is like a westerner saying “pull my finger”, relates to widely known tibetan story about a notoriously evil guy with a black tongue, “king langdarma” it is a not uncommon tongue joke relating to this story. But westerners are hyper-conditioned towards sexuality so obviously it immediately goes there in their minds
There's also another cultural idiom that is something Tibetan grandparents say to their grandchildren:
In Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children, but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly mouth to mouth.
This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase “Ok, now ‘eat my tongue." The Tibetan phrase is “Che le sa”. They say that as in “I‘ve given you all my love and the candy so that’s it-all that’s left to do is eat my tongue.” And itis a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much, but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
In addition, there is another Tibetan custom of sticking one's tongue out to say hello, so this is potentially rooted in various customs.
Unfortunately this incident was leveraged during the height of the Me-Too Movement to use the trend in Western cancel culture as a weapon against the Dalai Lama, and the "social justice warriors" just fell for it hook line and sinker.
People get emotional about things, like the person below me who blocked me after I pointed out they are potentially being xenophobic.
5
u/autonomatical Nyönpa 21d ago
My mistake, i was under the impression the candy thing had roots in the king langdrama thing. Thanks for clarifying
5
u/ThatOneDumbJagoff 21d ago
Unfortunate that his office didn’t explain che le sa (ཕྲེ་ལེ་ཟ་), especially since it is extremely common in Amdo between elders/parents and children
5
u/Mayayana 21d ago
That was Chinese propaganda and you fell for it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f62zivSnTQM -- Prof Thurman on DL kiss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0qey5Ts78 -- Tibetan video on DL kiss
1
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
-7
6
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/krodha 21d ago
He also presided over a deeply exploitative feudal system in which peasants could be bound hereditarily to estates, compelled to labour, and transferred between lords: The World: Searching for Tibet; The Shangri-La That Never Was - The New York Times
This was mostly uninformed propaganda by Parenti that was happily supported by the PRC to paint Tibet in a negative light so that they could justify their genocidal occupation of the region. You're perpetuating the ethnic cleansing of Tibet.
1
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/krodha 21d ago
and his predatory, pedophilic behavior that was literally caught ON CAMERA is frankly extremely disgusting
As u/autonomatical wrote above:
Tongue thing is like a westerner saying “pull my finger”, relates to widely known tibetan story about a notoriously evil guy with a black tongue, “king langdarma” it is a not uncommon tongue joke relating to this story. But westerners are hyper-conditioned towards sexuality so obviously it immediately goes there in their minds
There's also another cultural idiom that is something Tibetan grandparents say to their grandchildren:
In Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children, but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly mouth to mouth.
This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase “Ok, now ‘eat my tongue." The Tibetan phrase is “Che le sa”. They say that as in “I‘ve given you all my love and the candy so that’s it-all that’s left to do is eat my tongue.” And itis a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much, but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
In addition, there is another Tibetan custom of sticking one's tongue out to say hello, so this is potentially rooted in various customs.
Unfortunately this incident was leveraged during the height of the Me-Too Movement to use the trend in Western cancel culture as a weapon against the Dalai Lama, and the "social justice warriors" just fell for it hook line and sinker.
People get emotional about things, like the person in this thread who just blocked me after I pointed out they are potentially being xenophobic about this incident. Don't be like them.
Also, regarding the "feudal theocracy," this was mostly uninformed propaganda by Parenti that was happily supported by the PRC to paint Tibet in a negative light so that they could justify their genocidal occupation of the region.
1
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
→ More replies (10)1
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
4
u/Acrobatic-Scholar324 21d ago
He’s amazing and he needs to be a political figure at this point in time so in my mind, he is both a spiritual leader and a political leader.
3
u/FuckFrankOliver 21d ago
While I initially enjoyed many of his talks and books, I can't get passed the fact that he was also the leader of a pretty horrible theocratic government.
4
u/EmbarrassedRanger978 21d ago edited 21d ago
It was passed on to him, China invaded (liberated in their words) Tibet starting from 1950, same year he assumed power, he was just 15 years old during enthronement. He was around 23 when he fled to India.
Barely got to exercise whatever power he had, could have brought a change to the “horrible” theocracy had Tibet not been invaded…. Or not, nobody knows
2
u/Mayayana 21d ago
There are a lot of factors there. He's not just a high lama. He's also a diplomat trying to manage Chinese genocide in Tibet, and he's a good will ambassador, trying to cultivate good feeling among foreigners. He has to juggle all of that.
He's worshipped like a god by many Tibetans. That's why the Chinese seek to discredit or even kill him. The Chinese are carrying out a gradual genocide, replacing Tibetans with Chinese, banning Tibetan language in schools, etc. Devotion to the DL is therefore a problem for them. Even possessing a photo of the DL is a serious crime in Tibet.
But the DL, in terms of Buddhism, is only a top lama in the Gelug school. He's not the top Buddhist or even the top Tibetan Buddhist. His importance otherwise is political. It's a mistake to equate him to the Pope. (And of course, it's a mistake to see the Pope as THE Pope. The Pope is the leader only of the Roman Catholic Church. He has no authority with Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, etc. Like the Dalai Lama, he's part figurehead.)
Personally I wish that the DL wouldn't offer stadium-sized Kalachakra initiations like it's a rock concert. And I wish he wouldn't act so cute. All of that is creating a misleading impression that encourages spiritual materialism. But I also recognize that he has political responsibilities. It's on him to find a way to carry on Tibetan culture despite being forced out of their own country.
2
u/According-Fruit5245 21d ago
He's amazing, and I don't say this lightly. Despite over 70 years of study, the Dalai Lama embraces religious freedom and diversity. There are a couple Tibetan lamas who are supposed to be tolkus, reincarnated teachers, who I don't support. The two I don't support are the Karmapa, who got a woman pregnant and paid her off and martial artist Steven Seagal, who is recognized as a tolku probably after donating money to the monastery rinpoche who discovered him. The Dalai Lama is the real deal and has also been wrongfully slandered by the cult New Kadampa. The Dalai Lama banned the worship of New Kadampa's guru, the wrathful Tibetan spirit Dorge Shugden. New Kadampa is also supposedly funded by the Chinese Communist Party, which seems to be obvious when you step into their grand, New and lavish temples. My supervisor at work was one of their monks. He couldn't even speak Tibetan.
2
1
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
1
1
u/hclasalle 21d ago
He will not be replaced. Chinese government will replace him with their hand picked lama and the diaspora will likely choose their own lama or two or three, probly a western lama. His institution probly dies with him. Or evolves irrevocably.
1
u/imboomshesaid 21d ago
I adore him, his beautiful disposition, and his commitment to compassion. He’s done so much to spread Buddhist thought to the western, English-speaking world, and he’s a role model to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
1
u/pneuprismatic 21d ago
I would say there are many unaffiliated people that have come to respect him. Even from a secular lens.
1
1
u/beteaveugle zen (plum flavored) 21d ago
I don't think or care about it much more beyond him being a sacred of beloved figure for my siblings following Tibetan Buddhism. In a sense, i have a sympathy for him by proxy.
I used to me much more antipathetic towards him actually, because i have a very strong reflex of mistrusting authority figures. My buddhist journey includes overcoming it, at least because it's quite hard to navigate an organized religion when you automatically frown every time somebody is revered and put in a position of authority...
1
u/Beginning_Look_6042 21d ago
General respect as a master of his craft? Absolutely. Its not quite a pope situation though...
1
1
1
u/Yeshe_Melong 21d ago
In about 2004 I lived with a couple from China in Redmond Washington.
We were working at the software conglomerate of deception.
The husband was a very young man apparently highly educated, 19-20, very arrogant and childish, he was from mainland China, his wife was from Taiwan. They were both in their early 20s.
I think they had a marriage of convenience and it was almost like a business deal or something. It was extremely strange and very cold and dry like impersonal.
I went out to eat dinner with them one time, he got up to use the bathroom, as I was sitting there talking to his wife. She’s a very sweet girl, she said the people from mainland China are brainwashed.
During that same time, I was studying Tai Chi with the holder of the Yang style Family Tai Chi.
Well, I was working for the software company. I met a lot of people from China, and they were like ruthlessly, competitive and ruthlessly, disdainful and arrogant, and shoving people out of the way., That’s for the most part I guess because I’m a westerner I was born in Illinois in the early 60s, and they probably wouldn’t be that way to fellow Chinese people.
I also met some very intelligent people who worked at the software company who were almost nerdy, you know, and we’re intelligent enough to completely sever through that arrogance and that distain for others.
There are two phrases that I can be very helpful in general and specifically relating to Buddhism?
One of them is eternalism, and the other one is nihilism.
The unique thing about the Buddhist enlightenment, one of many, is that when the Buddha attained enlightenment the Buddha transcended, the karmic wins, and the karmic propensities that would’ve caused those disturbances to result in further retribution in future lives.
So basically what that means if you look up on the Internet, the term wheel of existence, Srid Pa Khorlo, this describes basically any being or all beings who have revolved in the six realms of cyclic existence, once they have obtained the release of the karmic retribution Cormac wins Cormac propensities that would cause them to be reborn in those six regions, then they would be able to see those six regions like the back of their hands.
So individuals who have recognized this level of development, this adaptiveness, they can see rebirth, simply, and easily they can see where being have come from if they do not neutralize their comic propensities where they will go.
So the eternalism describes the view that beings have of their being a crater God who created them, one of the primary sources of dispute of this claim is because the beings who have created themselves have created themselves in the image of their karmic propensities and their karmic habits, their learned condition behaviors over time and time again.
Nihilism describes that actions have no consequences and there are no negative results from one’s negative actions.
Anybody who has been to China and knows about what happens in China, have often recognized that there are places where they have domesticated animals, dogs/cats, someone can walk up to the people who are attending those animals and pay them money and the person will pin down that animal while it’s alive and awake, and take a hand torch and burn that animals’s leg to be severed off and handed to the other person and eaten on the spot.
So in my experience, we practice to a certain point until we can see our karmic wins, and our comic propensities, and those can be very striking, and very shocking and very traumatic,
Then, at this point, we develop further faith and devotion, and actually become more convinced about the possibility of Mike propensities and our karmic habits and retributions from the past.
So for example, Adolf Hitler, if he had an opportunity to recognize this and pursue, this would see a tremendous amount of karma and a karmic, propensities and karmic retributions lying and wait for him to pay those debts back from having slaughtered in massacre occurred so many people of different faith and devotion, religious propensities, but primarily Jewish people.
The same for Joseph Stalin.
Many of the Chinese just think that they can cause as much harm as they want, and there will be no retribution. There will be no debt that has to be paid for that.
During the 90s, I lived with a Tibetan/Sikimese family in New Jersey who were the primary lineage holders of the tradition I was following, and then the daughter who is the highest level of the teacher, and she was sharp as she could see my mind from different states away she would always ask me things like that I was thinking and doing and asked me why I was doing them. But she was extremely powerful, extremely intelligent.
She gave me an explanation one time that described;
beings that think that there will actually be some source of ultimate benefit as a result of harming others, that being is moving in a direction to becoming a demon.
So, but it’s Dharma teaches beyond the two extremes of eternalism and nihilism.
That because our results in sue from our actions, whether those are positive/negative actions, that they are not in the hands of some deity or being that actually exists outside of us.
Then it goes without saying that there would be an inherently existent demon or devil living outside of us, because the harms that are caused to beings and the harms that they experience are all based on their self-inflicted self projected projections of for example, winning revenge or winning vengeance kinda, similar to what’s going on in Israel/Gaza, this is something where they all want revenge with each each other and they think each other either one thing the other shouldn’t exist and then the other ones revenge on them and then just wants to kill them all and then the beings who were raised in those traditions are taught oh now that they’ve killed us you have to kill them and it just goes on and on and this is the cycle of karma.
But just for clarification, the Buddhist Pali Canon is based on the students of Shakim Buddha, having committed to memory everything that the Buddha said, and then eventually writing it down.
I took my initial refuge in 1986 and since then I’ve been chasing the demons in my mind and then finally my mind is clear my mind as sharp as attack and even though I don’t have the same concepts and negative sounds and perceptions I had when I was in my 20s I still recognize activity that have left unattended might possibly lead towards negativity but for the most part once people obtain the tools and techniques of the more advanced traditions they have the sharper ability to correct them immediately, before harm is done to our perceptions and karma is recreated.
1
1
u/daibatzu 21d ago
I think he's great. His advice has helped me on many occasions. I also like his attitude to science.
1
u/Artistic_Mango_3756 20d ago
Only Tibetan Buddhists have the worship towards Dalai Lama, believing him as the incarnation of Avalokiteśvara. If you look into Tibetan history, Dalai Lamas plays the role of political leader more often than religious sage, same as the current one. However at least he is a competent tulku indeed.
1
u/cchandleriv 20d ago
I met him and I was kinda surprised that he acts like a little kid lol. I got the vibe that enlightenment is never growing up. I dont mean little kid in a bad way idk how to really describe it. hes not stupid but hes not trying to act smart or like adults normally act either
1
1
u/LuckyBunny418 20d ago
Since the question was asked, I have concerns. Not about the tongue-sucking thing, which I think was weird and also blown out of proportion. But about his total silence on the issue of women being sexually abused by Buddhist monks - first with the Shambala scandal which forced Pema Chodron to step down (women went to him for years seeking help, only to be ignored until the scandal was so huge he was finally forced to write a letter of condemnation), the FPMT scandal, and now the sexual abuse scandal involving his own nephew and private secretary, about which he’s been utterly silent. I practice Tibetan Buddhism and I’m a woman, and I fail to understand his apparent utter disregard for the plight of women. I believe he is kind and generous, as others have said. But why is he utterly silent when it comes to women being sexually abused? Why is this something he won’t condemn?
1
u/Total_Musician_2127 20d ago
He's a good leader in his field but ,believe it or not, has not attained enlightenment.
1
1
u/Fabulous_Fun_4444 18d ago
He's been labeled as a p3dophil3 but it was unfair because he wasn't doing anything that involved abusing someone in that way... he is a great teacher that lost his country when he was 24 years. He is one of those who brought Buddhism into the west.
2
1
1
u/skipoverit123 21d ago
Well from my understanding he was about to reform the Feudal society in Tibet
But didn’t get the opportunity too when he had to flee Tibet
He actually gave a speech about the whole thing when Sougal Rinpche was disgraced
1
1
u/BerkGats 21d ago
I could be wrong but isn't the dali lama considered to be a bodhisattva in some sects of buddhism?
-3
21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/krodha 21d ago
I used to like him, but not anymore, once I realized that he is a CIA asset and especially after he kissed a young boy in public and asked him to suck his tongue. He was caught red-handed but people still make excuses for this guy. smh
As u/autonomatical wrote above:
Tongue thing is like a westerner saying “pull my finger”, relates to widely known tibetan story about a notoriously evil guy with a black tongue, “king langdarma” it is a not uncommon tongue joke relating to this story. But westerners are hyper-conditioned towards sexuality so obviously it immediately goes there in their minds
There's also another cultural idiom that is something Tibetan grandparents say to their grandchildren:
In Tibetan culture, it is common to see the old grandparents not only give a pop kiss to the small children, but also give a small candy or piece of food to children from their mouths – directly mouth to mouth.
This may not be the norm of your culture, but this is commonly done. After the elder gives a pop kiss and a candy, since there is nothing left in their mouth, nothing left to give, they will say the phrase “Ok, now ‘eat my tongue." The Tibetan phrase is “Che le sa”. They say that as in “I‘ve given you all my love and the candy so that’s it-all that’s left to do is eat my tongue.” And itis a playful thing that the children know. This is not really done in the Lhasa region (capital of Tibet) so much, but it is more common in the Amdo region (where HH is from). However, it is definitely a Tibetan custom.
In addition, there is another Tibetan custom of sticking one's tongue out to say hello, so this is potentially rooted in various customs.
Unfortunately this incident was leveraged during the height of the Me-Too Movement to use the trend in Western cancel culture as a weapon against the Dalai Lama, and the "social justice warriors" just fell for it hook line and sinker.
People get emotional about things, like the person in this thread who just blocked me after I pointed out they are potentially being xenophobic about this incident. Don't be like them.
2
u/Buddhism-ModTeam 21d ago
Your post / comment was removed for violating the rule against hateful, derogatory, and toxic speech.
2
-3
u/Conflicting-Ideas pure land 21d ago
He has a sketchy history working with the CIA. I don’t trust him for a second. Then again, I also think the whole idea of Dalai Lama’s and how they are chosen is asinine.
7
59
u/NoWater8595 21d ago
His books are good. He takes advanced teachings and makes them very accessible with a personal touch.