Perhaps we all need a human figure to admire and emulate to the limited extent most of us, bound as we are to desire, greed, and all the rest of it, can hope to achieve. I think that he is right in saying the West, as an entity, probably cannot cope with mainline Tibetan Buddhism but in his books the Dalai Lama presents a simple philosophy of living which does not involve notions of extraterrestial beings and rebirth. I think that he is a truly wonderful person.

Gorufus,
I wonder how the Dalai Lama would fare if it were up to his ability & competence without having been put onto a pedestal to a a life of priviledge without any effort or responsibilty.

As a teenager I was into "Spirituality" and enjoyed immensely at that time a book detailing the tales of a young monk, his initiation and the stories of the secret places beneath the monastery in the mountain, wherein were preserved the Gold embalmed bodies of all the former "masters," one of whom in particular he recognised.

I don't know if any of it's true, but I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less.

The film too (what's its name? Kunjung mayb? Or maybe not? Kunjung - thats Indo for "visit" - go scrambled egg sometimes with overlapping words - mayb Kundung - got it here somewhere - scruffle, scruffle ) with Brad Pitt et al I enjoyed, though I know not how historically accurate it is. It certainly did highlight his warm, open embrace of others and new and different things.

They are close sometimes, and their visits to U.W.A. have at times been like a refreshing breeze to gently blaze the embers of my Heart.

..

As for China, well, to me .. it is an ongoing process of encouraging them to P.O. without becoming as bad as they are in the process.

Sori *All* I stand to SelfCorrect - I meant to say:

"7 years in Tibet"