Three main branches of Buddhism exist in the world today: Mahayana (China, Japan), Theravada (Southeast Asia) and Vajrayana (Tibet, Mongolia). Owing to the general lack of knowledge about Buddhism in the West, there’s a common prejudice that the Dalai Lama has a function similar to the Pope in the Catholic Church and that all Buddhists are listening to him. Thats a quite incorrect impression. Its almost to the contrary because the Dalai Lama is virtually unknown outside Tibet, Mongolia, the remaining Himalayan kingdoms, and his adoring “fans” in Europe and America. I’m sharing this article that was originally published in a Japanese-American journal with you, which I have found to be insightful, to raise awareness that its possible to be BOTH a Buddhist and OPPOSE the Dalai Lama! Volume XV, Leaf 85 March, 2014 Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1953, and his subsequent flight from Lhasa (1959), the Dalai Lama has become something of a “celebrity” in the West; following his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1989, he became a household word among virtually all educated Americans and Europeans. But, like most celebrities, the Dalai Lama is not without controversy. It needs be remembered that, even in the 1950s, Tibet in general — and Lhasa in particular — were substantially isolated from the world below the Himalayan high plateau. No European television or radio broadcast reached the Potala; the “life-style” of the Tibetan people was, at its best, that of Europe or America in the early 19th century. What this means is that the ever-vigilant Zionist/American Department of State saw in the Dalai Lama a singularly naive (in terms of world politics and foreign relations) individual, whom they could cynically exploit to their advantage. So “useful” has H.H. been to USA in her dealings with China (pointing out China’s civil rights violations in Tibet draws attention away from America’s civil rights violations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, etc.) that it seems reasonable to suspect Mr. Kerry might do everything humanly possible to oppose a rapprochement between the Dalai Lama and Jiang Zemin. Thus, at least during his frequent visits to USA, the Dalai Lama is surrounded by a protective wall consisting largely of Zionists whose sole purpose it is to prevent H.H. from encountering news and opinion from unauthorized sources. It seems likely that, even in Dharamsala, agents bribed by “the West” contrive to deny the Dalai Lama access to alternate views on world events. The result being that, save in matters of Vajrayana Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is probably almost as naive today as he was in the 1950s. Nor is he in any way responsible for this deplorable situation. Merely, it saddens us that not even here in the supposedly democratic West could he find the freedom he dared to seek in 1959. It needs be added that the Dalai Lama is virtually unknown outside Tibet, Mongolia, the remaining Himalayan kingdoms, and his adoring “fans” in Europe and America. This is because his authority is limited to Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism. The Southern, or Theravada dharma school (practiced in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Kampuchea and Thailand) and the Northern, or Mahayana school (practiced in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam) have scarcely even heard of him. In other words, his authority among Buddhists in general is considerably less than that of Pope Francis among Christians, where even the most rabid televangelist is at least aware of the Vatican and its principal resident. As it happens, in Ladakh during 1985, Toshiyori was ordained in the Vajrayana tradition, and subsequently (1991) received the rite of initiation into the Kalachakra tantra in New York from H.H. the Dalai Lama. Even though he is now a member of the Shingon community (which is an older and more coherent form of Vajrayana Buddhism than that now found in Tibet or Mongolia), having vowed to do so, Toshiyori has retained the Kalachakra at the center of his personal daily practice. Toshiyori wanted this known lest Leaf 85 be misconstrued by some as an “attack” on the Dalai Lama. Indeed, nothing could be further from the truth!“
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 06:17:25 +0000
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