And I forgot to add: only 4 of his 23 lectures of peace are free.
The res are mostly corporate / business talks etcetera.

He's not here to spread the word, he's here to raise money.

How different is this from any other shonky motivational speaker circus?

http://www.dalailama.org.au/

in response to Rainier;

I work for the Dalai Lama tour office and there is alot of confussion as to why the talks are ticketted.

Have you ever thought that it costs that much because we need to not only pay a hire fee for a number of stadiums (costing up to $40000 a day) but also transport costs, accomadation costs, and public liability insurance?
Along with this there is a number of other costs, security, cleaning staff(not everyone will work for free)

And just so you know the Dalai Lama makes NO money from the visit, all excess money after the tour is given to the Tibett goverment.

I hope I've cleared a few issues for you.

Kind Regards

Has anybody else seen the John Safron show where he conducts a man in the street quiz regarding comments about sexulity and asking if the comments came from the Pope or the Dalai Lama?

For those interested I found the following extract from the book
"Beyond Dogma: Dialogues and Discourses"
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Dogma-Discourses-Dalai-Lama/dp/1556432186

"Something may be considered improper in terms of organs, time and place-where sexual relations involve inappropriate parts of the body or when they occur at an unsuitable time or place. These are the terms Buddhists use to describe sexual misconduct. The inappropriate parts of the body are the mouth and the anus, and sexual intercourse involving those parts of the body, whether with a man or a woman, is considered sexual misconduct; masturbation as well. As for when sexual intercourse takes place, if it is during the day, it is also held to be a form of misconduct, as is having intercourse with a partner who professes to certain principles such a sexual abstinence or celibacy, even if those vows are only temporary. To force someone to have intercourse also comes under the category of improper time. Inappropriate locations include temples, places of devotion, or positions where one partner is uncomfortable. A sexual act is deemed proper when the couple uses the organs created for sexual intercourse and nothing else. To have sexual relations with a prostitute paid by you and not by a third person does not, on the other hand, constitute improper behaviour. All these examples define what is and what is not proper sexual behaviour according to Buddhist morality. Homosexuality, whether it is between men or between women, is not improper in itself. What is improper is the use of organs already defined as inappropriate for sexual contact. Is this clear?"

Not what I expected.

R0bert