The Dalai Lama is a little bit too goody goody for me. He has the right attitude, if one wants to spend their entire life sitting in a little hut out in the forest somewhere and watch squirrels eating nuts and marvel at the clouds floating by.
He says:
"Peace through compassion is logical,"
"External long-lasting general peace must come through inner peace."
"The destruction of your neighbour is destruction of yourself. The concept of war is out of date."
Geez... as if the bad guys give a damn about anybody's compassion.
via:Bourque Dalai Lama in Calgary
His statements have a ring of truth to them, although they haven't removed enough falsehoods to make them entirely true. Peace through compassion is logical, unless the person opposing your view lacks the understanding to be compassionate. External long-lasting general peace must come; It's more important that it comes than where it arises from.
ReplyDeleteThe destruction of your neighbor is the destruction of yourself - well, if you totally destroy your neighbors then it's most likely that you have traits that will eventually destroy yourself. The concept of war is out of date: What should be outdated at this time in our history is the willingness to wage war over the willingness to educate. Unfortunately, using Afghanistan as an example, we have to be able to defend to provide a legal right of education to the people that wage war against us ie Taliban.
Hmm. Christ said pretty much the same thing, no?
ReplyDeleteNice guys, no?
ReplyDeleteShrug. Tell me I'm wrong if I'm wrong, but the Dalai Lama seems to be saying pretty much exactly what Christ said...and for that matter, what most of the great spiritual teachers have said.
ReplyDeleteBalbulican - no, you are not wrong and I did not say you were. If you want me to admit that I thought Jesus was also a goody goody, YES, he was. He did lose it once in the temple of God with the money lenders and I can still visualize the painting an aunt of mine had where Jesus was shown whipping the hell out of the lenders. You will recall that the Dalai Lama has also gone on record with his statement http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Nonviolence-cannot-tackle-terrorism-Dalai-Lama/411980/ that non-violence does not help in the matter of terrorism and terrorists.
ReplyDeleteMany a time a do-gooder does damage, unwittingly. The point I am trying to make is best said by Thomas Jefferson: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure".
I'm familiar with both the Jefferson quote and the moneychangers episode (and I think the nuns at my school had exactly that same print up on the wall).
ReplyDeleteI'm neither Buddhist nor Christian, but I don't think their ethical teachings can be simply dismissed as "goody-goody". I'm not taking issue with your point: I guess I'm being snarky about folks who profess to be Christian, and use their Christianity as a platform of moral superiority to berate other peeople from - but ONLY until it means they really WOULD have to follow Christ's teachings - turning the other cheek, or abandoning their wealth to follow Christ, or loving their enemies. At that point, suddenly, the teacher they claim to revere is suddenly "mistaken".
You don't do that, and I'm not suggesting you do.