A column by Andrew Lee in the UH Manoa campus newspaper, Ka Leo, caught my eye this week by expressing a contrarian view of the Dalai Lama’s appearance in Hawaii (“The Dalai Lama isn’t a rock star“).
The commentary was aimed at the Pillars of Peace Hawaii event.
The primary issue I had with the event, even before I arrived, was that there was going to be roughly two and a half hours of entertainment preceding the Dalai Lama’s actual lecture, not to mention a few musical acts after his talk. Anuhea, Taimane Gardner, Jake Shimabukuro, Jack Johnson and all the others did wonderful jobs. But do we need to be entertained for an inspirational and educational talk? Are our attention spans really that short? A Nobel Peace Prize winner, spiritual leader, and global advocate for peace should be enough to hold our attention.
More importantly, does the Dalai Lama really need a parade to ride in on? The length of the entertainment in whole was roughly three hours, while the Dalai Lama spoke for roughly two hours. That marginalizes his talk, making it come off as a segment, rather than a feature. It made it seem as if the Dalai Lama were a poster boy for advertisement purposes regarding the Pillars of Peace event.
I have to confess never haven “gotten” the Dalai Lama phenom. I’m still not at all clear what the Dalai Lama has done to deserve all the media hype.
Okay, I’ve never aspired to backpack to the nether regions of Asia, believing instead that there are plenty of problems as well as spiritual and political solutions, needing fuller understanding much closer to theme. I suppose that’s a personal deficiency of sorts.
And I’m also way too much of a skeptic to be drawn in by anyone who needs to be addressed as “his holiness,” or any similar secular title.
The Dalai Lama is certainly not without his critics, but you wouldn’t have known that from local media coverage.
Does he get a speakers fee for such public appearances? How does the Dalai Lama support the jet setting lifestyle of a traveling holy man? How much was spent on this event by the Hawaii Community Foundation and other sponsors? What’s a week in the life of the Dalai Lama like? Follow the money is always a good place to start.
And, of course, I couldn’t help thinking of this sequence from Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.”
Perhaps I should hope that the comment function is still broken….
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
As is the Dalai Lama’s practice when he goes anywhere, the organizers, in his presence and that of the public, must account for all monies collected and expended — in this case $1 million. He receives no speakers fee but his private security, travel expenses of his group, the Dept of State security and the local security are paid for from the monies collected/raised. Omar from e-bay chipped in about $500k from the balance sheet HCF displayed and presented at the end of the public talk. Same procedure happened when he went to Maui in 2007 and in the 90s.
With regard to Andrew, I agree with his assessment. I can understand that sitting for 90 minutes waiting for the thing to begin may prompt someone to have the entertainers entertain. But when the Dalai Lama arrived and they put a TV screen in front of his face so that Jake Shimabukuro could go on about his struggles with humility and playing a song for the Dalai Lama and then play the song, and then talking some more. I thought that a line had been crossed by the organizers. Did the Dalai Lama really come from India to listen to Jake Shimabukuro’s philosophy of his song. I didn’t go to it to listen to Jake’s beautiful music. I was there to listen to the Dalai Lama’s philosophy and lecture not Jake’s commentary on his new song.
This wasn’t a religious event so for all of us asked to arrive 2 hours early for security, I don’t think the wonderful entertainment was wrong. I even think it would have been okay if they just rolled the tape of Jake playing his new song for the Dalai Lama. It was the 6 minutes of commentary before and after that were also on the tape that I think went too far.
National and global figures attract our projections positive and negative. In my view, how we are in their presence, how we treat them, etc., tells us much more about ourselves than it will ever say about them.
I always wonder if he has a resume and is the job title “holy man” with dates and accomplishments listed. Seems like a nice enough guy and a good sense of humor but are there not more pressing things for him to do with his time in….oh I don’t know….Tibet for example?
I’m sure the Dalai Lama is a nice enough guy, but I don’t hold him in any higher esteem than I do the human figurehead of any other organized mythology — the Pope, L. Ron Hubbard, the various Grand Ayatollahs, or anyone else.
Religious leaders get too much of our attention; spiritual principles, not enough.
I was at the student’s event and I completely agree about the unnecessary fanfare and foofaraw. All the kids were so wound up on the local musicians and dub-step dance crews that they really weren’t even in the right head space to appreciate the kind of still minded and simplistic wisdom the Dalai Lama promotes.
But Tenzin Gyatsu himself has said over the years that he considers the world’s fascination with him to quite perplexing and comedic… he has always humbly maintained that he is nothing special, just a simple monk. If we could somehow get the Pope to admit something along those lines I think the world would be a lot better off.
On the other hand, having even been only briefly in his presence when he arrived at the Kahala Hotel I can honestly say that there is DEFINITELY something special about him. Happiness seems to swim in the air all around him.
And that is really kind of priceless…
Am wishing this was Facebook so I could *like* the comments by Nancy and M. Kain. So this comment, which adds nothing further to the discussion, will have to suffice. 🙂
Those who precede me here express my feelings well.
While I am more a Buddhist than anything else, the Dalai Lama’s movements are so attended by hooplah that they really have nothing to do with Buddhism, they have almost become a cult of personality. And that is very un-Buddhist.
Altho’ I don’t think the Dalai Lama himself is not particularly egotistical (overcoming/taming/subduing ego is one of the main goals of Buddhist meditiation/practice), I think he encourages or at least tolerates it for secular political reasons, namely the efforts to save Tibetan culture and identity.
Unfortunately, as a result, Buddha’s urging that we not try to be like him, but that we try to become ourselves, gets lost in the process.
Damn, all fawning aside, that made me curious… a thorough Google search reveals: The Tibetan Government in Exile takes in tons of money from donations, an “independence tax” from any Tibetan living anywhere in the world, and US funds additionally. Their budget is in the tens of millions, and he’s more like an all-access trustee than a political leader–no wonder he smiles so much! Not only that, the Dalai Lama verifiably received bucks from the CIA in the 1960’s to support Tibetans rising up against the Chinese:
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_xxx/337_343.html
Who knows what he did with the money, it merely shows that the Tibetan Government is just like any other. Also, many of its highest ranking members are related to His Holiness…
On the other hand, if Jesus Christ was America’s head of state he’d probably get the keys to the vault too.
I like the Dalai Lama, he can stop by anytime to visit me here at my home. A little advance notice so I can have enough snacks for his security and entourage would be appreciated.
Senator Sam Slom made the following comment in Hawaii Reporter on April 19:
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/?p=48873
“Dilly Dally, Dalai. The Dalai Lama visited Honolulu last week amidst much fanfare, endless TV coverage and adoration. One of the primary sponsors of the latest trip was Honolulu billionaire (EBay) Pierre Omidyar (also owner of Civil Beat) and his newly created Pillars of Peace Foundation. His Holiness Dalai Lama has been in exile for 50 years when chased from his native Tibet by the Chinese Communists. However, it seems he has become more of a jet-setting, high profile, celebrity than a man of religion. He is also known for his humor and could double as a stand up comic. In a performance at the UH Stan Sheriff dome last Sunday, the venue was sold out with nearly 10,000 attendees, including Governor Neil Abercrombie and other politicians. Attendees paid between $30 and $60 each ($10 for UH students) for the show which included Willie K and Henry Kapono. Where did the proceeds go? To several charitable and peace activities promoters say.”
Dave Shapiro, Volcanic Ash, Star-Advertiser April 18, devoted that day’s column to Dalai Lama’s visit, in a gushing bit of admiration beginning with this:
“It was hard for even an old curmudgeon not to be moved by the Dalai Lama and his message of compassion and nonviolence which resonated with so many people during his visit to Hawaii.”
I posted this comment to Shapiro’s column:
The event at Kailua High School, which Dave Shapiro is focusing on, was the only event during the 4-day trip which free from the propaganda of the sovereignty activists. Omidyar and his gang apparently organized the whole trip as a propaganda tour for Hawaiian sovereignty activists to portray themselves as “indigenous” just like the people of Tibet. First event: Dalai Lama is greeted by students from Kamehameha School doing hula and prayers and chanting. (Why not students from Farrington singing Star-Spangled Banner?) Then trip to Bishop Museum (why not art museum?) Then tour of Iolani Palace with special focus on the Queen’s “imprisonment room” (Why not tour of Pearl Harbor Arizona Memorial, fit right in with the theme of peace?) Then trip to Kualoa focusing on Hokule’a (Why not a visit to the Plantation Museum in Waipahu to show the lifestyle of our early Asian immigrants?) Why was there no event for the Dalai Lama to interact with Hawaii’s large and multiracial Buddhist community for religious ceremony and celebration?
Nancy, I am sure that the Dalai Lama, as a good Buddhist, agrees with you that he should be held in the same level of esteem as any other human, and that anything he or any other religious leader says should only be accepted and incorporated in your life if it makes sense and seems “conducive to your benefit and happiness”, not because it is part of some “mythology” or even because he said it.
The Dalai Lama deserves some kudos for using his temporal as much as his spiritual authority to advocate against responding to Chinese oppression with violence. He and Yasir Arafat chose different paths in their approach to dealing with illegal occupiers, which is somewhat ironic since the Dalai Lama has evinced great interest in the Jewish embrace of the written word, the Torah, their religion to hang on to their identity and their culture, despite two thousand years of diaspora and efforts to make them assimilate.
The man is a showman and knows how to use his celebrity to help his cause – one cannot begrudge him that. I have the distinct impression that he does not have much time for the ‘Your Holiness’ rigamarole. I thought his response to the last question asked of him at the Stan Sheriff center was telling. “Are you always happy and smiling Your Holiness?” “Oh yes, even in the bathroom. Except when I’m sitting on the toilet straining to get it out…” I thought it was a very earthy way of trying to remind everyone that he’s just an ordinary human being.
I found it ironic that the “Pillars of Peace” event had vendors selling meat. I feel that so long as we tolerate violence in this world (to animals and humans and our environment) there will never be peace.
Sure I would be happier to fly by private jet, stay at the Kahala Hotel and be treated with excruciating homage …well maybe not the homage so much, but what exactly does he do? Is being happy our goal ? or does being happy just keep us docile.
Karl Marx said it best- religion is the opiate of the masses, and as Barnum said- there’s a sucker born every minute.
The Dalai Lama is actually a meat-eater on the advice of his doctor due to some health related issues. He says he eats meat about every other day.
Tibetan buddhist teachings have always allowed meat-eating if animal is not killed specifically for human consumption. This is most likely born out of necessity, since the environment in Tibet is not really conductive to agriculture.
Another misconception!
THANKS IAN for having the courage to offer a contrary view of the Lama’s visit.
The Hawaii Community Foundation should not have spent a single penny on this traveling rock show. Talk about an out-of-control non-profit deviating from its intended purpose.
My hunch is that if Tibet did not experience its sordid treatment at the hands of the Han majority in China, the Dalai Lama would not enjoy the standing he currently does. That doesn’t take away one iota from His Holiness and his teachings, mind you.
But being in exile adds a bit of panache, no?
There is an extensive literature academic and non-academic that discusses all of these fascinating points regarding the Dalai Lama and his global presence and its meaning for the world, for Buddhism and for the Geluk school. It is a little bit unfortunate that understanding of these issues was not brought out by the media and we are left to grope in the dark for understanding, haphazardly discovering well worn paths.
Charles’ hunch, for example, the Dalai Lama regularly (and at the Stan Sheriff event Sunday) points out that if not for the Chinese and the tragedy that befell Tibetans, he would not have a global platform and the Tibetans would still be a backward, close-minded people. He mentions this routinely in interviews, in writing, and on the lecture circuit.
His answer to the question: “How should indigenous people, who have become strangers in their own land, try to regain inner peace when surrounded by their oppressors?” addresses both Charles’ hunch and Ken’s conspiracy theory. I suspect his answer was not well received by the person who asked it.
Finally, as for ohiaforests comment. I am a Buddhist. I trained in Buddhist philosophy and practice for several years before choosing the householder life. The Western understanding of Eastern Buddhism originated in colonial Europeans devising an “original Buddha” from which all present Buddhist teachers and teachings are corrupted versions of in varying degrees — with special derision saved for Tibetan tantric Buddhism being called “lamaism”. This is something that is now firmly intertwined with the experience of Buddhism in all schools — Eastern or Western — including the Dalai Lama’s. I don’t think anything was lost on the Dalai Lama.
A careful listen to his lecture, he focused on his main point which was on cultivating the underlying causes of compassion and loving-kindness — that is, inner emotional stability. His cause of the Tibetans for that lecture was secondary. He was unwavering in sticking to the point even as he meandered through interesting stories and jokes. And because he can only meet his audience where he finds them, I think he gives little thought to the circus atmosphere the organizers presented except to understand the level at which the audience has been prepared to hear him at.