This is a very naive view of the holy man. I don't know whether Tibetan Buddhism is extreme or not in terms of Buddhist theology, but it surely is not peaceful simply because old Tibet was, and to a large extent the exiles' govt still is, a theocracy. Mixing religion and politics is never a formula for peace.

As for the DL's credibility, well, I would say there's not much. He openly advocates for non-violence, while the spokesperson for his govt defined "just beating" people as non-violence. He claimed to support the Games, but his brother (and prime minister of the exiles' govt) justified the attacks. He called for nuclear disarmament in Seattle, but he came out in support of India after the country's nuclear tests. There are tons of other dirty open secrets if you give him the slightest amount of scrutiny.

In short, you have to realize that in addition to being a religious leader, he's also a politician. And ALL politicians lie. Some less than others, but they all do.

Nei Hao. Mostly spot on, Cindy!
I prefer to see the DL as a political leader first, after that also a religious one, especially as he pretends otherwise. All politicians lie (as you said) and a lot use the religious stance to make their lies acceptable to the masses. It's how I see the Dalai Lama and any other leader using whatever religion for his/her own agenda. But aside that, the first part of your original post is completely correct. My respects for summing it all up in just a few lines.

I fail to see how this man is so demonized by China. What has he done but to encourage dialog with Beijing, and peaceful protest of Tibet's situation,and for democracy. Of course I am skeptical of most politicians, but it seems apparent to me who should have the benefit of the doubt in this case. Should it be the Communist regime in Beijing, or a man who merely advocates autonomy for his people, so that they may maintain thier culture and heritage? very apparent indeed. I will continue to take everything with a grain of salt, but I have yet to see real evidence of how "bad" the Dalai Lama is supposed to be.

Well Lib,
I only can give you my opinion as I did before.
How come the China leadership has today less problems with talking to the new Taiwan leadership? Probably because of both their more pragmatic approach, I would say.
About the DL, I'm not going to start all over again but I have very big reservations about the guy and especially his sect, so admired by his fans. He mixes religion with politics and smartly uses the word "Spiritual leader" instead of "Religious leader". He knows to use the difference as in: Khomeini, the religious leader = translates bad, if you see where I come from. I feel (correct, that's subjective) he speaks with a forked tongue when he's addressing the audiences. He said he would resign if Tibetans committed bloodshed, didn't he?
Did He?... No, only parole, parole, parole : lip service.
As for the rest, I know you have read also my former posts about the subject. I don't think I need to rewrite them.
It's only my opinion but as the saying goes: "Je persiste et je signe."
Cheers.

Well, I understand your position a little better, even if I still disagree with it. I propose that we agree to disagree on the subject of the Dalai Lama`s agenda, and the motivation for it. Cheers to you too

I would say "less confrontational." Whether Ma's got a pragmatic approach or not remains to be seen. Essentially, the CCP will play nice with anyone that doesn't contradict them, and go bananas about anyone that even hints at appearing to do so.

I suspect also that the CCP is exploiting the honeymoon period between the Ma election and the end of the Olympics.

Of course as you know that's not the reason why the CCP vilify him. The CCP vilify him because they see him as encouraging the "splittists".

__________________
No Fear No Hate No Pain No Broken Hearts

Sure, no arguement there. I'd say "less confrontational" is the start for a more pragmatic approach. We indeed will see what the future brings.
The PRC must be relieved for not having to confront Taiwan that much, at the moment. They already have enough "fun" with the preparation of the Olympics and their pre-olympic wrestling championship with HHDL
Seconded.

BTW, I hope if you are a frequent bizz traveller to the PCR you know about the new visa regulations. A pain in the neck, even for visitors passing through HK to get their F Visa, as all existing multiple entries are null and void since a week or so. Everybody has to apply for short time single or max. double entries. And if not carrying a HKID, you kindly (sort-off) are requested to get it from the PRC embassy in your country of residence.
(Just some useful info for visitors, I hope, till today not much talked about in the media.)
Now, that sucks imperially!
(Sorry for getting a tad off topic, but I thought the message is worth it)

Hello Marin,

This one happens to be very skillful though. Have u read reports that the public schools of Seattle were busing kids to meet up with him? What ever happened to separation of church and state? The Pope's in DC, though I doubt he'll get the same treatment.

The enemy of my enemy is NOT necessarily my friend. It would be hard for me to choose between communism, slavery, and theocracy.

As for the autonomy appeal, yes, very reasonable, so I thought. But the devil's in the detail. It seems that he demands for 1/4 of China's territories and have the areas cleansed of non-Tibetans...
Facing Facts On Tibet - Forbes.com

Sometimes I'm skeptical about his professed love for his own people.

Thank you for that article, it was informative. She stated in that article that she hopes that Tibet does not become the next Palestine or N.Ireland, but these countires, although they have used violent tactics are in fact right in my opinion about the need for their goals. Keeping them in their place will jsut cause the violence to continue. I think she was right though that the DL,and Tibetan separatists should begin a dialog with Beijing, that hopefully these issues can be resolved through more peaceful means. i think we all agree on that.