14 June 2007

The Lama roadshow arrives - Stanhope too busy

| Ntp
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[First posted 12:38pm 12 June 2007]

At the time of this post the Dalai Lama, Tibetian in exile and spirtual leader of the Budist faith, would be about half way though his speech at the National Press Club, and although many will flock to hear his words it appears the Chief Minister will not be among them either today or later in private. Kevin Rudd has said he will meet with the Dalai Lama after Howard said he would check his diary (I’ve been on the receiving end of that – it’s a no).

Although a great man, I am worried thath the whole Dalai Lama thing is becoming more like a rock tour than about the message. If you doubt me have a look at the tour itinerary on his Australian Tour Webpage.

UPDATED – Wild Bill makes his views on Stanhopes no show here.

FURTHER UPDATED – And what is Christian Kerr of Crikey.com.au‘s opinion?; “Bad karma. ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope is our most infantile leftist leader – Terry Hicks as Father of the Year, anyone? – yet yesterday he declined to meet the Dalai Lama when the holy man of the Himalayas visited Canberra. A spokesthing for the head honcho of a pissant parliament declared he was “too busy”. Perhaps he was following up on his recent trade mission to China.”

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I thought this was going to be a thread about lamas. It being a local obbsession with lama open days in Cooma, businesses offering picnics with a lama.

If we could mobilise the lama breeders we could have a lot of lamas up on the Hill. Peacefully grazing with only one things in their minds – grazing.

Hmmm the Romans setting an example in humility? This is from the same culture that worshipped Caesar as a living god ok?

Aargh, I’d kill for an Edit button. I hit Enter too soon.

The important bit, which shows they *really* understood the psychology, is that is was a Slave who did the whispering, someone who wasn’t even good enough to be a citizen.

To their culture’s credit, for the most part the generals valued the service, or at least tolerated it. Some of them got shitty, but it was considered poor form and low to have a go at that slave.

Ok, I thought everyone knew it from school, but I guess I thought wrong.

The Romans, despite being quite savage in some parts of their culture, understood psychology pretty well. If a general won an important battle they got a triumphal procession as the conquering hero, like a ticker-tape parade today. However, so they didn’t get too big-headed with their own sense of importance, a slave was put in the chariot with them, and his job was to constantly whisper in the general’s ear, “Remember, you are just a man.” The point being that with all the adulation it would be easy to think you’re something greater than just another Roman citizen. Yes, you’ve won a good battle, but don’t get too full of yourself and start to believe the bullshit.

Can you repeat that in English ?

I think the Dalai Lama is necessary in today’s world, irrespective of his religion. He fills the role of the slave in the chariot whispering to the conquering hero, aka political leaders, “Remember that you are but a man.” Leaders, particularly nowadays with spin ruling politics, need to be reminded of that occasionally, and we are better off when they are.

I must say I don’t share the same level of respect that many have for the Dalai Lama. I have no doubt that he is a kind hearted person whose message is a good one for people to take in. But I think he lacks substance. He was interviewed a few years back by Micheal Palin (of Monty Python fame) for his series Himalaya. For an awkward eight minutes, all he did was reply with general quotes he seems to repeat often and kept looking at his minders as if to ask (Am I done yet?).
That said, I would listen to and trust the Dalai Lama’s words over those of George Dubya any day.

Absent Diane4:45 pm 14 Jun 07

whenever I watched monkey magic when i was a wee fella I needed to eat lettuce. Especially when the horse/man/dragon was in it.

Absent Diane4:42 pm 14 Jun 07

It is still hypocritical. There is no way you can avoid the hypocrisy. It is religion though and we have to expect that of religion.

Oh come on, he flies on his mighty dragon, although it can turn into a talking horse for when he’s travelling with Monkey.

No problems with him flying to spread the word, or utilising the odd chauffeured Merc in his travels, but I think usage of a Rolls Royce in an area where your “people” are living as refugees in poverty is a touch inappropriate for someone espousing such noble sentiments.

Given the nature of the roads etc up there, surely he could at least make do with a Land Rover or some such?

Fair enough, but if I was a poor monk I’d be more concerned about the “star” of Half Past Dead and Hard to Kill Steven Segal being made a sacred vessel or “tulku” of Tibetan Buddhism.

There’s an interesting article about the Lama here http://www.salon.com/news/1998/07/13news.html

The Secretary3:06 pm 14 Jun 07

As a ‘simple monk’ the DL has taken a vow of simplicity, not one of eschewing cars or airplanes or other developments that are part and parcel of the modern world. It is likely that the Mercedes in which he was seen being ferried around in India or the chopper that he flew across Canberra in were provided for by his supporters. The Dalai Lama has a message to get out to the world (ie the situation in Tibet) and I imagine that the majority of Tibetans monks and nuns, both in Tibet and in exile, don’t begrudge the fact that their spiritual leader is in demand around the world and to get to these engagements he will have to utilise planes and cars, luxury or otherwise.

Absent Diane2:38 pm 14 Jun 07

Well if i was a poor monk trying to do the best I could in tough conditions with little money somewhere in asia or on the subcontinent and then I saw the leader of my belief system flying around in planes getting driven around in fancy cars – I would probably feel a bit jaded because it doesn’t really seem like he is living the monk life.

Um… he did fly here in a big shiny jet plane, not? True, they are rather expensive and tend to use quite a bit of fuel. Ah, is that a contradiction? No, I wouldn’t have thought so…

Absent Diane12:58 pm 14 Jun 07

i agree mutley.. it is pretty symbolic – these guys are supposed to promote living a life without material possesion for the sake of mental health.. and here he is driving around in something very material, whether he owns it or not he is promoting it.

Jenna – Um pretty damn sure it was him considering I could see him through the slightly open window, and all the Tibetans in exile in Dharasalam were lining the streets.

The Secretary – I didn’t ask to see the rego papers for the Rollers, my bad. But I’d say it’s a bit of a stretch for someone to claim they are “but a simple monk” in a situation such as this.

The Secretary10:42 am 14 Jun 07

Mutley: Are you sure that the DL actually owned the gold mercs? I doubt that he does. And even if they were owned by someone else, is there a problem with him being driven around in them? It doesn’t seem like a hypocritical action as I’m not aware of any Buddhist teachings on this matter.

i read a funny article on bono lat week.

he was at one of those ‘no child in africa shall live in poverty’ conventions in scotland, and at the podium about to say something of great significance.

he asked for total silence.

he then started slowly clapping his hands, once every few seconds.

after a few claps he said ‘every time i clap my hands, a child somewhere in africa dies’.

at which point a scotsman shouted out:

‘well stop clapping your hands you bastard!’

Stanhope’s only a big man when it suits him.

To be realistic, trade with China benefits Australia (and the ACT) more than worrying about what some silly old Tibetan bastard has got to say anyway.

The Dalai Lama and Bono should be banished to a small island somewhere.

Bill Stefaniak
(Hi Gazza!)
Fix your fracking clock! Your press release just now reads Date : Thursday, 6 December 2007

Bonfire, for those of us who believe Oscar Wilde was a person of substance (it’s possible to be both witty AND wise, you know), calling the Dalai Lama a modern-day one is quite a recommendation.

However, I doubt he’s as funny…

Maybe they should drive him around in a little red car with his head sticking out the back window. Heh.

Mutley, you’ve got the wrong rabbi. You’re thinking of the Bagwanna or whatever his name was.

I always thought he was pretty impressive until I saw the conditions his people were living in in India, whilst he was driven around in a fleet of gold Rolls Royces.

Just another religious hypocrite.

Preaching peace and harmony has more substance that preaching war which many of our politicians seems to do. I know who I’d rather listen to!

he is a great man – exactly how ?

a life full of pithy quotes makes him a modern day oscar wilde, not a person of any substance.

Given that most of this countries income is currently coming from China, it seems like an uncharacteristically pragmatic approach to me.

Bill Stefaniak put out a highly valid press release regarding the matter here:

http://www.canberraliberals.org.au/default.cfm?action=news_detail&ID=7150

I saw him today in the Committee Room at Parliament House. His speech was mostly about clarifying his stance on Sino-Tibetan relations, and his responses to some glib and/or asinine questions such as “What’s the secret to happiness” and “What’s your view on climate change” were predictably uninformative.

One Buddhist student asked why he wasn’t visiting the temple in Canberra as he had in previous years – the reply was that he was too busy, which led me to believe his visit this time is political in nature rather than one aimed at imparting wisdom to the masses. Still, it’s a pity he couldn’t spend even a few hours with the Buddhists in Canberra.

Well so what?

Rumour has it that DL plays a mighty mean axe.

apparently this is true – the organisers have no t-shirts or carrybags because the chinese supplier refused to print the dalai lamas image.

Although I found the Australian Tour DVD I couldn’t find where to buy the tour t-shirts?

DarkLadyWolfMother2:15 pm 12 Jun 07

I’m glad it’s becoming like that, in some ways. It makes it harder to ignore him, and what he represents.

Is he in the red car?

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