Word: lamas
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...since the quake, in which nearly 100,000 were killed and millions left homeless, global attention-and sympathy-has shifted decisively away from Tibet to China. Indeed, some observers say support in Western capitals for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has lessened noticeably since the quake. They fear the shift is an opportunity for China to harden its position, setting off a new round of tension and violence...
...China does harden its stance or take other actions that threaten the talks, it will significantly increase the risk of renewed protests in Tibet, says a go-between, one of several informal intermediaries between the Tibetan government-in-exile and Beijing. "If the talks collapse without result, the Dalai Lama won't be able to control the young radicals who want to take more forceful action and say he has been too accommodating," he says...
...others familiar with the negotiations say the Dalai Lama's government-in-exile is under enormous pressure to produce results or risk losing authority over exile groups like the Tibetan Youth Congress, which advocates a more militant approach. Without some tangible proof that the Dalai's self-proclaimed "third way" is working-including, for instance, an invitation for him to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao-frustration could also erupt in Tibet itself, they warn. The Dalai Lama himself has expressed this fear. If the talks break down, "demonstrations I think will happen," he told the French news service...
Some well-wishers have reservations. Robert Thurman, an expert in Tibetan Buddhism and a longtime friend of the Dalai Lama's, says Dorje could indeed become the next "face" of his people. But he warns against pressuring the young monk into too much travel and teaching too soon. "He needs a period of practice and study to manifest his full strength," says Thurman. "When I met the Dalai Lama when he was 28, he did not have the level of charismatic power that he does now." Some of his followers worry, too, that the lure of the road might distract...
...easy to see something of the Dalai Lama in his pupil. The Karmapa is a sturdy young man, spectacles clinging to his round shaved head, pebbled brown half boots peeking out from beneath the robe. He actually does smile, and even jokes, impishly describing the stop-start-stop process of New York traffic. He appears to be that rare combination: a born listener who speaks with almost utter assurance, even on controversial subjects. Before his visit, his American retinue stressed that the Kagyu lineage is historically apolitical, but in person he was less circumspect, telling Time...