The Dalai Lama on the Global Economic Meltdown

I just read your good article on the Dalai Lama. I just wanted to share with you my experience with him, and see if you got the same palpable reaction. Many years ago, when I was at ABC and returned from a trip to Tibet, I got a news notice that the Dalai Lama would be with Richard Gere and Barbara Walters at St. John the Divine in NYC. Posing as a photographer, I first bought a white scarf, joined the photo pool, and kneeling down with my camera in front of the Dalia Lama, Richard and Barbara - held the white scarf out to him. He immediately came to me, grabbed the scarf, kissed it, wrapped it around my neck and blessed me. A Life Magazine photographer got the photo of us and I still have it framed. Anyway, for the next 24 hours - I walked around like I was in love - on cloud 9 - dancing on air. That is the powerful effect he has - an aura of energy he transmits to you - resulting from his meditating on the good. I will never forget it. Perhaps, while you were in his presence this morning, you were the recipient of his energy. You truly had an incredible life experience.

I am sorry to say that you are just out of your mind that make you (or some of western people) believe a monk who controls Tibet before 1959 knows something about how capitlisim works or why this ecomomic collapse happened from a spirital prepective? Some western people are always looking for some kind of fantasy to fill their empty minds. What 'philosophy' you mentioned is just common sense, nothing new !!!

Thanks for mentioning the great man's sense of humor--which always comes across. From a Buddhist perspective, there is something humorous about the act of defining oneself in terms of money. True, it is sad. But it is also ridiculous, and to that extent, a nice joke--once you can see it for what it is. The Buddha himself is always represented with a smile playing on his lips....

Does CIA still have money to pay him?

What an amazing opportunity. What was the one thing that suprised you?

How does Marc Benioff know the Dalai Lama? That's an impressive spiritual rolodex. I wonder if he knows The Holy See too. I'm being completely serious, can you ask him?

Steve, you could have asked: How does economic situation look for you, Mr. Dalai Lama? We white people are broke now, do you and your exiled people have enough to eat?

Thanks for the piece Steve! As another reader mentioned, the 'common sense' that comes across is a breath of fresh air from the cycles of blame and accusation circulating in the media. Tending to the real pains many are feeling because of this crisis would be a healthier social healing process. We need to understand what went wrong to keep it from happening again. But, in order to reach the correct conclusions we have to calm our emotions and clear our heads. Thank you for passing on your conversation.

Free Tibet, my holy foot

Please do not liberate my country. I understand your energy, good nature and idealism. I was the same when I was at your age. I hope you’re there to protest for China when your ancestors pushed opium to China.

First, thanks you all. Now, I’m a naturalized US citizen collecting generous welfare benefits. You do not understand how my life has been improved staying here. Just imagine living in the highest mountain in your country year round.

There are always folks wanting to be kings and queens. They have their ambitions and revolutionary ideas. Some may want to steal ‘legally’. The last ones went to India after the failed revolt sponsored by CIA. What do you feel if US and Brits drop arms from airplane into Quebec? Please let me know who sponsor today’s Tibetan movements – not seem to be a Mickey Mouse production. They do not speak for the common folks who just want a peaceful life.

News on Tibet must feed a lot of reporters in the west but hurt their conscience. Some are not true and some were reported from the desk. The recent Tibetan riot was started when Han Chinese were murdered but was reported wrongly with photos that were bought and modified to indicate it was the other way round. To be fair, Chinese reporters are no angels.

The Chinese will not give up Tibet. It is the major water source for most of Asia. How many territories within a country are now independent? We get more from the Chinese than giving back. Our standard of living improves substantially and so is our literacy rate (in our old feudal system, only monks could learn). Where else in China citizens get free medical care and education?

The new train and the proposed 750 small dams to generate electricity are recent gifts. I bet the extraction of natural Chinese will improve our living standard further. It is the same as opening a casino in an Indian reservation. The benefits outnumber the drawbacks.

China had been ruled by Mongolians and Manchurians in history. We’re one of the 55 minorities, same as the blacks in your country or the Quebec French in Canada. Dali Lama must be the best salesman on earth with the circus of silly and most likely uneducated Hollywood celebrities. If there were one like him for Mongolia, one for Manchuria, you guys will be busy for a long while.

Unless you can convince your congress to send soldiers to ‘liberate’ us, please do not stir up our rebellious sentiment towards the Chinese. The more you do, the more our folks suffer and ‘disappear’.

Spend your energy elsewhere. The choices are unlimited: CEOs enjoying outrageous benefits/bonuses from companies receiving bailouts, or killing Iraqi children in a war you cannot afford. Just leave our 2 million souls in Tibet alone. Check for the last 200 years, who are the ones that invade and colonize? Not Chinese for sure as they had been victims.

Everywhere in China, you see Tibetan cultures have been maintained (excluding the Cultural Revolution) – different from what your ‘reporters’ report. All the minorities have been exempted from the one-child policy. Check out the following link. Do they look oppressed to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVaPR0mFFio&feature=related

It sounds like propaganda. I want you to know that I have no connection with the Chinese government. Your action on the wheel-chair torch bearer for Olympic showed the world how barbarous and coward you are.

I just want to be realistic and the world at least my world will be more peaceful without your demonstrations. I wrote the above from the mind of the silent majority of Tibetans.

A great post Steve.
Made me reflect on many aspects, and not necessarily on Buddhism (which I admit I don’t know much about)

I particularly like the quote around obsession with money: While I reflect on the impact of Globalization on me , it is hard to escape the fact that our capitalistic aspect of life revolves around being obsessed with “just money, money, money, money.” It begins with teaching B-school kids a single mantra: maximize shareholder wealth, and becomes a way of life for most of us.

To the negative one: if you agree with what the Dalai Lama says, say it out loud. A great man will seek common ground instead of split hairs over differences. Why choose to antagonize and belittle 'common sense'? Common sense is often uncommon wisdom. Also, the Dalai Lama has many admirers both in the East and West. Learn more about him and read his books before you criticize.

it is so funny .Use economic crisis as a good excuse to have DALALAMA appear again publicly here with nothing related to politics.but is it Business Week or Religon Week? I am sure anyone wether you are Buddhist or Christian, missionary or psychologist even common healthy person in body and mentality can give you these ideas.

How refreshing that you had this meeting with His Holiness and were able to share it with us through the internet. As our frenetic American lives have the opportunity to slow down, those who want to will be able to sit with it all; to notice what we're attracted to, what we're repulsed by, and what we truly want in this life. In gratitude....

One thing that does NOT surprise me is that he stays in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel when visiting NY. For some selective display of passsion and humor, he manage to get a lot of money.

It is possible that two sides are both correct and still disagree with each other. If you say orange is better than apple and I say that apple is better than orange. Is anybody wrong? I went to China almost 30 years ago, people then were very poor, barely enough to eat, yet people were content, honest, there were almost no crime- bicycles a priced possesion were left all over without locks. Today, the average Chinese income is 10 times the average income 30 years ago. Crime is growing faster than China's economy, everything will get stolen if not property locked.
Was China better 30 years ago? Will Tibet be better off returning to 50 years ago? Yes and no.

There is no doubt Dalia Lama is one of the spiritual leaders on this planet. I did not feel any blame for crisis on others, yet taking responsibility. I would agree, it all comes down to the one's personal ethics. No government overseeing could help. Need to listen to his message. It really does not matter where he stays (hotel), how he is dressed, or technology his message is being conveyed.

DL went from a common monk to a politician and now an economist??

Did what he said impress you??

Thank you for sharing your experience. I believe reason why HHDL's message resonates is precisely for what some critics are complaining about... it is common sense and delivered without any pretension or blame. It is refreshing.

For TonyP4, Beijing is surely getting value for the submission. Just do a google with a section of your posting and few hundred of the exact post has been submitted elsewhere. It is pathetic that you have to resort to such tactics to pretend to be a Tibetan. If you are a Tibetan, Gyarko pharo laen gyab.

HHDL does not charge any fees for his appearances nor accepts any honorarium. He stays where his hosts keep him. He does not travel first class but business class on commercial airlines.

He meets with people rich or poor with the hope of carrying his three life's purpose. 1. promotion of human values; 2. promotion of inter-faith harmony; 3. Issue of Tibet.

To TonyP4,

Your message is suspect. Most Tibetan's wouldn't agree with you at all.

Shameful.

Susan

I think about all the arguments. But I have the same opignion like Dalai Lama he is very klug!!!
Wish you good luck and hapiness. All the best in the world for Dalai Lama and friends of Buddhism. With best wishes and regards, Borislawa or Dorje Droetena.

The Dalai Lama is a very wise and peaceful man.
he promotes loves and compassion through out the world. At the same time, he has to help his people who have been deprived from everything under the Chinese's rule. He has no hatred to the Chinese who invaded and took over his country. He only asks to preserve his people culture's heritage and autonomy, not independent from China.
The Chinese, on other hand, wants to wipe out Tibetan's way of life because It is very difficult for the Chinese to control Tibet when its has different language and culture beside their own.

to Keith
You know nothing really.

The Dalai Lama should tell the U.S to stop Criminalism and replace its failed social economic model if he has courage

I had a chance to meet DL and the one impression I still carry with me until today - one charming funny man who could bring you joy and peace.

I would just add to the Dalai Lama’s last point that:

The will to be good needs to be matched with ever higher levels of empathy-based ethical skills. The faster change speeds, the less is covered by rules. We now have roughly a third of humankind marginalized because they did not master this foundation skill as young children.

We are headed to a global, kaleidoscopically interconnected team of teams. On a team, everyone must be a player -- i.e., a changemaker in a world defined by change. Such an intricate ballet of powerful players can only work if everyone is genuinely good (and has the necessary skills).

The Dalai Lama is right on point!

The problem of this world is just as the Dalai Lama has stated. It is unfortunate that people who lack a clear understanding of the man feel he's all about arrant nonsense.
The problem about the world is that morality and ethics are always questioned in the business world of the multinational and international politics. Until this attitude is stopped and we begin to live as our brothers' keepers where we believe that it takes the concerted efforts of everybody, so long will we remain in this situation. So long will economies rise from a doom to boom only to go back to doom

what goes around comes around, a plunderer will never see the need to stop plundering until he plunders his own and see,s the adverse effects. those who feel they have the power to manipulate the finances of the world to their advantage will later learn that gluttons die too

I just want u all to know that Jesus christ is coming again to take the saint with him to heaven. are u ready? if yes good, but if no pls repent of ur sin today and accept jesus as ur personal lord and saviour.
I love u all, but Jesus love u best.
From:Adagom Elijah
Nigeria, Cross Rive