Evan Vucci, AP Photo
As most sentient beings in North America know by now, The Dalai Lama was on Capitol Hill today. Congress gave him a medal, and he encountered President Bush for the second day in a row. Perhaps it was a good opportunity for His Holiness to explore the Buddhist concept of anatta, or Non-Self.
Anatta says that personal identity - the self - is actually an illusion. Instead, each of us is an aggregation of different factors (biological, historical, karmic, experiential, etc.), intersecting to create the false sense that we exist as distinct beings. The Buddha compared the self to a chariot: Is the "chariotness" in the wheels, the axle, the seat ... or not in any single place at all?
Study of anatta is intended to lead to the kind of ego-less state that doesn't usually go along with a career in politics.
Maybe anatta helps to explain why His Holiness is so conciliatory toward the Chinese, and why he's so accepting of all these American politicians and their foibles. Each of them, according to Buddhism, is behaving as they do because he or she is a point at which multiples forces intersect to create a set of behaviors. Without awareness and training, they are bound to act as these forces dictate.
From the New York Times:
(The Dalai Lama) said that he felt "a sense of regret" over the sharp tensions with China unleashed by his visit and the honors conferred upon him.The Chinese were not appeased by gentleness and conciliation. They called the event a "farce," pulled out of a multi-state conference on Iran, and threatened further diplomatic consequences. That's unfortunate, since the Administration has been hoping they would put diplomatic pressure on Burma - in part to protect the Buddhist monks there. (There's a whole lotta interconnectedness goin' on, once you start looking for it ...)
In gentle language and conciliatory tones, he congratulated China on its dynamic economic growth, recognized its rising role on the world stage, but he also gently urged it to embrace "transparency, the rule of law and freedom of information."
The White House tried to downplay any symbolism that might be inflammatory, and I think they were probably wise to do so. (Hmm ... is his Buddhist tolerance rubbing off on us?) On the other hand, there was enjoyment to be had in this statement from Press Secretary Dana Perino:
"We in no way want to stir the pot and make China feel that we are poking a stick in their eye."Good thinking. The only thing worse than having your eye poked with a stick is having your eye poked with a stick that was just used to stir a pot. Painful - and messy, too. But it's easier to have compassion for Dana Perino if you believe that karmic forces are what make her mix metaphors like that.
Martin Scorsese and Richard Gere were with His Holiness today, too. Makes sense. If you really want to understand anatta, there's no better place to start than the movie business. If there is no self, after all, how can your agent ask for a percentage?
We can kid - it's in our nature - but underlying it all is an overwhelming sense of tragedy. And there's a lot to be learned from the way the Dalai Lama handles conflict with the Chinese. He doesn't lower himself or get personal ... but he doesn't surrender, either. That's not bad for somebody who, at least on a metaphysical level, may not really exist.
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I don't think he [the Dalai Lama] would have published all those books or gained all that support if he planned to return to the form of government that was there before he left [Tibet]. And there is obviously support from Hollywood types and others. No chance for going back to feudal theocracy.
Apollo says:
I pray that you are right. The Dalai has said on many occasions that "Democracy is the best system of government." If he sincerely believes this and isn't simply playing along to get along with us Americans then I back his cause with all my heart and soul. That he is a spiritually enlightened man within the Buddhist Tradition only adds to the pleasure of supporting him.
Politics really is the art of people getting along.
"Your right from your side, and I'm right from mine.
We're just one too many mornings, and a thousand miles behind."
---Zimmy
so love your brother and for give your sister
so that we may all live as one
This is not the first time a so called 'religious leader' is used by politicians. Remember the love affair between the pope John Paul-2 and the USA administration during the Polish uprising? Some convergence between the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist 'leadership' has been happening for some time. Probably designed by the dark powers of the USA. Remember how they used the religious elements in Iraq during the first gulf war, and then dumped them? The use of religion in the USA itself is pretty obvious.
If religion wants to be taken seriously, it should cleanse itself of these clowns first.
Ahhh the cynicism around here today is amazing. I can understand it many places, but not here.
bewildeering.
Anyway. In Buddhism it is precisely the sick that need compassion. Compassion has an effect even if it is not clear to the affected.
Compassion does not mean agreement. It does not mean letting someone slide.
The last time DL and the Resident met DL admonished him about and urged him to end the war. I would imagine he did this visit too. Just because Resident doesn't respond doesn't mean that DL isn't an extraordinary being who spreads love and peace. Everywhere... even into the hearts of madmen and fools. (Resident didn't respond to the Pope either... but that is another story.)
These events are not spur of the moment events, they are scheduled far in advance, so your suspician that it is schedualed to help weken China isn't really on point... I don't think. Could be wrong.
"If religion wants to be taken seriously..." Again, these clowns are the ones who need some exposure to holiness. And IMHO The Dalai Lama is the real deal. If you ever get the chance see him.
Buddhism isn't religion in the typical sense.
I went to look at your profile to see if I was dealing with a neo-con, happily I found that you aren't... but then happily turned to sadly at the level of this kind of nastiness about DL.
OT:
However I did agree with something you said about Hillary being the most polarizing figure in politics and your answer was so right on... Has anyone ever heard of____ _____. I have a hard time even saying or writing his name. it is nauseating.
Someone should write to the pundits about that when they get on the Hillary is so polarizing. Which they had a large hand in helping create that legend.
there's something to be said for this stuff.
And as soon as the Enlightened Presence withdraws Itself, it's back to Business as Usual. I'm sure that during his audience with the Dalai Lama, Bush felt the same way. And as soon as His Holiness left, that feeling lasted about five seconds longer, and then it was back to sending more U.S. soldiers and Iraqis to their deaths....
I hope that the Dalai Lama gently admonished Bush to stop killing people but I doubt that he did. I also doubt that any of the Dalai Lama's enlightenment rubbed off on Bush.
;)
But I doubt it....
As far as the chinese go -
FUCK COMMUNIST CHINA
STOP BUYING THEIR POSIONOUS AND DEFECTIVE CRAP
Every dollar you spend at Walmart and other Communist Chinese front organizations pumps more money into the Communist Chinese military.
But a majority. I almost never go to WalMart because of the whole China connection though maybe 2 times a year I might.
I do go to dollar stores though as my income/budget is soooo limited that certain things have to be bought there. Everything is China.
Gross.
As for the Dalai Lama, he's a world renowned religious figure, author ("The Universe in a single Atom" is a must read), and political figure, and recipient of an award from Congress, (no matter what the Chinese want) so of course Bush has to at least briefly meet with him.
Poke Iran a bit here and there, give China a wedgie, veto some Democratic proposal here and there. Its the spiritual WAY of a Fool.
I doubt he or some of the ignorant posters here have any idea what Tibetan Buddhist is or be able to find Tibet on a map.
Bush probably thinks Rinpoche is some Japanese car.
I thought it was a hybrid that ran on equal amounts of ego and and selflessness. Seventy miles per self-promotion....
Good one. Kind of like calling the Pope "sir."
HHTDL is probably the smartest human alive today. Regardless of whether you accept his religious teaching, if you examine his personal history, you will see this to be true.
Rather than running your mouths prior to thinking, I suggest you reverse that sequence and, while you will continue to incur bad karma, you may slow down the rate at which it builds up.
I could be mistaken, but it appears historically that the 13th Dalai Lama was beginning a movement toward modernization, and this Dalai Lama intended to continue that when the Chinese interrupted him. He was "enthroned" at the age of 16 and spent most of his time dealing with the Chinese threat.
I think if he inteneded to restore the medieval theocracy he probably wouldn't have won the Nobel Peace Prize.
As far as "anatta" is concerned, it needs to be seen in the larger context. I think you're right about that, Apollo. But combined with compassion practices and meditation leading to "calm abiding", he seems to see the larger perspective.
Due to space limitations, I will just reccommend the book "Negative Emotions- How Can We Overcome Them?" which was written for general readership-one really interesting part of that is the brain imaging studies done by Dr. Richard Davidson of University of Wisconsin. This helps to set the context in which the DL operates.
I don't think he would have published all those books or gained all that support if he planned to return to the form of government that was there before he left. And there is obviously support from Hollywood types and others. No chance for going back to feudal theocracy.
When the Tienamen Square incident happened, the DL was in delicate negotiations with China. The DL got really pissed off about it, and let the Chinese know he was pissed off about it. The negotiations stopped for a while because of that.
Read.