Forgive Me, but I Just Cannot Forgive the Dalai Lama for This

I confess that I have never forgiven the Dalai Lama for fleeing Tibet when the Chinese came. And, yes, un-enlightened as I am, I confess that it really bothers me that the Dalai Lama, who likes to spend his birthday in Wiesbaden, Germany, recently stayed at the Nassauerhof – a 5-star hotel. He is in a 5 star hotel when thousands of temples were destroyed and countless people in his native Tibet were murdered or displaced. Believe me, there are nuances, I know… I know. He is still a leader because he isn’t dead. And a good teacher and charming leader he indeed is. But if I were a student of his, and “His Holiness” flew the coop and I witnessed the displacement of my people and my family and the razing of my temple and “His Holiness” was in a 5 star hotel while I was back in Tibet eating dirt for dinner ~ I would be less concerned for his safety because he was not more concerned for mine. There. I said it. Have mercy in your responses, if there are any. I sincerely hope that you, gentle readers, can inform my discomfort with your wisdom and advice.

One thought on “Forgive Me, but I Just Cannot Forgive the Dalai Lama for This”

OK, I’ll play the “Dalai’s Advocate”. Since he fled Tibet (with others) to avoid abduction by the Chinese Army occupiers in 1959… wouldn’t you have been kind of young to start and hold onto a grudge for so long? I’d suggest compassionate forgiveness is wise thing to feel, if you truly believe what you wrote about the Dalai Lama.

Let’s face it, the majority of temple destruction was years ago, the slaughter, suppression and the attempted cultural annihilation of the Tibetan people has been on-going for decades. I doubt the Dalai Lama’s followers feel suddenly betrayed by his choice of hotels.

And certainly the nuance you spoke of is …what’s… the DL doing at a 5-star Hotel. It’s easier to just give his website’s link http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/1299-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-is-given-a-warm-welcome-in-wiesbaden

A teaching of Buddha is the ‘middle way’. Siddhārtha gave up his wealth and starved himself to try and force an enlightenment then realized the vanity of self flagellation. It’s not our basic need for spiritual and material things, it’s the delusional attachment to those things. Seems to me that the Dalai Lama is using ‘skillful means’ to preserve and transmit the Tibetan Religion, advocate for the Tibetan cause and promote “interfaith dialogue”. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt!

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