Dalai Lama Asks -- If Buddhist Doctrine of 'No-Self' Is Wrong, Who Are These People?

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.

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 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 ...)

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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Comments

[ApolloSpeaks]

Cautious writes:

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.

[luminousbeauty]

One small point. Annata does not mean there is no self, but there is no separate self. It is the separation of us, one from another, that is the illusion.

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

[fasd]

Amen, or is it oohm.

[stargazer13]

we are all connected

so love your brother and for give your sister

so that we may all live as one

[AkiraBergman]

Dalai Lama makes a serious mistake by meeting Bush and his cronies and giving them legitimacy, and probably showing his true colors. This meeting is particularly significant since it serves the recent efforts of the USA in weakening Chinese government. I also smell a link to the monk 'uprising' in Burma, also designed to undermine Chinese.

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.

[accountability]

Dalai Lama makes a serious mistake by meeting Bush and his cronies and giving them legitimacy, and probably showing his true colors.

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.

[yosemite]

Hello Dalai did you notice you're just as big a twit as your host?

[accountability]

why how open minded and tolerant of you. Values of the Left? I think not.

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.

[Entheo]

deepak chopra was on the glen beck show a couple weeks ago; i happened upon it whist surfing. chopra -- a rather high fellow in his own right -- gently answered beck's questions, with compassionate loving-kindness one might say, and by the end of the segment beck was like a little child sitting at the feet of the master.

there's something to be said for this stuff.

[wmbear]

YEAH, THAT'S GREAT...

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....

[wmbear]

HOLY HOLINESS!...

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.

[laocoon]

sometimes it takes time.

[accountability]

lifetimes!
;)

[nowaterboardUSA]

An old Buddhist adage says beautiful gardens are grown out of manure. Perhaps by placing himself in the presence of King Turd himself, he's hopefully a spiritual jump start to inner beauty!

[wmbear]

MAYBE THAT'S WHAT BUSH MEANT BY NICKNAMING KARL ROVE "TURD BLOSSOM"...

But I doubt it....

[fightorleave2]

I always thought the nickname was because Rove could make even shit smell good, like a flower. I doubt it was Bush's grand understanding of Buddhism.

[Independent voter]

I despise George Bush, loathe him with a unique passion. However this was an incredibly rare circumstance in which Bush is to be congratulated for standing up to the Chinese.

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.

[accountability]

I would really like to boycott china, but if you check out labels of just about anything its made in China... of course not EVERYTHING.
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.

[Lazslo]

This is quaint, but why did the Dalai Lama travel to Washington? Why did Bush meet with him? What are they talking about, Myanmar? Is Bush refusing to help the buddhists in Myanmar.

[dshwa]

How exactly are we to help the buddhists there? Other than sending a polite note to the government asking them to stop? We don't have the millitary forces available, they don't rely on us for economic assistance, we really can't do much except try to get the Chinese (who have the economic carrots/sticks) to get the Myanmar government to stop.

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.

[MagisterLudi]

Well, as Bush is becoming more powerless, isolated and scorned he's resorting to the role of a gadfly.
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.

[wmbear]

YOU MEAN RINPOCHE ***ISN'T*** A JAPANESE CAR???...

I thought it was a hybrid that ran on equal amounts of ego and and selflessness. Seventy miles per self-promotion....

[zendem1]

Bush: 'So Mr Lama, you any relation to Fernando?"

[wmbear]

ROTFLMFAO!...

Good one. Kind of like calling the Pope "sir."

[newyork444]

Because of our collective bad karma, we are stuck with Bush and his policies. We better start looking inside ourselves and see how we can change our futures. Its certainly not through the ignorance reflected in most of the comments I've read.

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.

[CeeCee]

Well said!

[ApolloSpeaks]

The egoless state of anatta transcends political time and space and has no answers to the manifold problems of this world, nor is it a solution to the Dalia Lama's exile from Tibet. He can meditate himself into nirvana all day long, practice detachment and send out loving vibes to all sentient beings but it will do nothing for his cause against the Red Chinese. If the Dali is sincere about democratic reform for Tibet then he has a chance of one day returning. But if he intends to restore the medieval theocracy of the past-an oppressive system of masters and slaves with the people serving a useless monastic system headed by the Dali-then he will never see his homeland again.

[Cautious]

"If the Dali is sincere about democratic reform for Tibet then he has a chance of one day returning. But if he intends to restore the medieval theocracy of the past-an oppressive system of masters and slaves with the people serving a useless monastic system headed by the Dali-then he will never see his homeland again."

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.

[accountability]

uhhhh.
Read.