Why Does The West Love The Dalai Lama?
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama. Photo by Luca Galuzzi – www.galuzzi.it
A US president is again choosing to meet the Dalai Lama despite Chinese opposition. BBC News asks why this Tibetan spiritual and political leader is such a popular figure in the West:
To the Chinese government and to many of its people he is an inciter of violence and a defender of a brutal, backward, feudalistic, theocratic society.
But to many politicians and people in the West, the Dalai Lama is a kind of smiling, spiritual and political superhero.
His monastic robes, beaming countenance and squarish, unfashionable glasses are the stuff of a thousand photo opportunities. To some he is in a league of international personalities that contains only one other person – Nelson Mandela.
He is well-known for his contact with Hollywood supporters like…
Obama Snubs Dalai Lama To Please China
The New York Times reports:
For the first time in 18 years, the Dalai Lama is visiting Washington this week without stopping by to see the U.S. president.
Tibet’s exiled religious leader — brushed aside by U.S. President Barack Obama in favor of communist China — was saluted at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday for his work for human rights. The presentation ceremony underscored Obama’s dilemma in dealing with China, a growing power and the biggest holder of U.S. debt.
The decision not to meet the Tibetan leader was made amid efforts to improve U.S.-Chinese relations on issues from stemming global warming to reigning in North Korea’s nuclear weapons.
In a statement, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, accused Obama of “kowtowing to Beijing” by refusing to meet with the 74-year-old…
