On the issue of Christmas, she refuses to have any holiday displays in her office. When asked why she says that if she allowed say a Christmas tree or nativity (she collects them) set, then she’d have to allow things from other religions as well and she doesn’t want to do that, so no decorations at all.

Also, discussing Buddhism is always interesting… Buddha as a piece of dog shit and all that.

The number of Tibetans who died as a direct result of the Chinese invasion and occupation is disputed; the Tibetans say 1.2 million. I found a Chinese source that claims it was merely 60,000.

Human Rights Watch says some Chinese policies are impoverishing Tibetans and costing them their homes and livelihoods. Forced evictions and house demolitions are not uncommon. Tibetans are being jailed and tortured for political reasons. I’ve seen many claims that Buddhist Tibet was just as bad regarding torture, but when you wade into these claims you generally find stories of barbaric things that were done centuries ago.

Both the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas were keen on modernization and reform, but my understanding is that they faced strong opposition on that score from nobility and landowners, so there was little they could do. Assistance and investment by western democracies could have modernized and liberalized Tibet without brutality.

Good thing the Chinese Government freed the enslaved peasants of Tibet, who lived in a caste system for centuries. Communism in China isn’t Shangri-La, but it is better then the Feudal system Tibet had where two thirds of the population were enslaved by the one third of the elite monk ruling class.

Ok, I am tough on old Dali but thats what the bush supporter gets for holding hands with the butcher of Iraq.

It seems absurd unless you have perceived shunyata, which is the foundation of Mahayana and Vajrayana. (As a Zennie myself, I don’t think there is a substantial distinction between Maha and Vajra. It’s more a difference of style and form than anything else.) If your understanding of reality is rooted in shunyata, then divinity as westerners understand the word is impossible.

I used to think the Tibetans were more deity oriented until I understood many sects place the same emphasis on the Heart Sutra that Zennies do. That put a whole new spin on it. And Tantra Yoga is practiced in Zen also, although generally it’s held in reserve for more advanced students and not introduced to beginners.

On the other hand, in Asia there’s often an attitude that laypeople aren’t going to “get it,” so they get the kindergarten version of the dharma, which is purely devotional. “Bodhisattva X is great because only 10,000 mantras in his/her name saves” is a good example. I understand that this is common all over Asia.

How many american kids has his country killed with fake protein and poison toys?

How many Chinese has HHDL killed?

George Sr. did this to us.