The Dalai Lama made his fourth visit to Vancouver on Thursday to inaugurate the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, the world's first learning facility established in his name.The government of China is, of course, quite displeased:
The 71-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner will also lead a series of public dialogues on the topics of peace, compassion and happiness -- the vision reflected in the non-religious, non-political institution.
"The Dalai Lama is not a religious leader. He's a political activist and also a secessionist," [senior Chinese embassy official Zhang Weidong] said.
"We hope that any country that is friendly to China should not provide him with a venue or podium for his political activities."
Besides his political stature among Tibetans which is causing problems with the government of China, the Dalai Lama is also embroiled in a number of controversies which complicates his status among Buddhists, something which usually doesn't come across in the often simplistic portrayals of the man presented in the media. However, most Buddhists respect the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader, even if they disagree with him on certain political or philosophical issues.
南無阿彌陀佛
No comments:
Post a Comment