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Politics |
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Do people really want to be happy?
In his Guardian review of Raj Patel's The Value of Nothing, a critique of the failures of the free market, political philosopher John Gray doesn't seem to have much hope for Buddhism as a cure for bubble economies. It'd help, he says, if enough people would give up their wants, but he doubts that's about to happen any time soon. If, as the Dalai Lama says, everyone is looking for happiness, they might try giving up the endless pursuit of pleasure and find it. But Gray poses a leading question: Do people really want to be happy? He writes: Oscar Wilde may have been right that people know the price of everything and the value of nothing, a remark [Raj] Patel cites at the start of his book, and which gives him its title. But what is value if it is not price? More » -
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Dalai Lama calls Obama's Nobel "a little early"
The Dalai Lama, who is still waiting for a chance to meet with the American President, calls the Nobel Peace prize award "a little early." Obama, in Norway to accept the prize now, might agree. More » -
Buddhist Life in the Capital
Rev. Danny Fisher wonders why Buddhists seem to be underrepresented in Washington; after all, he points out, Buddhists in the US outnumber Hindus and Muslims, and yet while both are represented on Obama’s 25-member Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Buddhists are not. Read Danny's piece here. Sharon Salzberg, who holds retreats in Washington, DC frequently, has this to contribute to Buddhist life in the capital: A few years ago, when I first started going to Washington, DC regularly to lead a sitting group, my friend Eileen would take me to a “tourist” site each visit—Arlington National Cemetery, or one of the memorials. More » -
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Obama and Dalai Lama Not to Meet (Again)
The US government's decision to delay a meeting with the Dalai Lama during the latter's visit to Washington in October angered—or at least disappointed—many activists. Now that Obama has actually visited China, the news reports, and opinions masquerading as news reports, are coming thick and fast. More » -
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China warns Obama against seeing Dalai Lama
It's not surprising that China would warn President Obama against meeting with the Dalai Lama later this month, but the way Beijing warned/chastised Obama did come across as strange: "He is a black president, and he understands the slavery abolition movement and Lincoln's major significance for that movement," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters. Qin pointed out the Chinese government had abolished slavery, which was widespread in Tibet during the regime of the Dalai Lama, in 1959. Obama should also realize that the Dalai Lama was trying to split China and was a serious challenge to its national unity. "Lincoln played an incomparable role in protecting the national unity and territorial integrity of the United States," Qin said while referring to Obama’s admiration for Lincoln. More » -
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Freeze-out in DC, thaw in Tibet
The Dalai Lama received a human rights award even though he was avoided by Obama in DC. (Remember the whole kata inauguration thing?) The Dalai Lama asked Obama to "champion liberty" during his acceptance speech. If the U.S. can't stand up to China a symbolic issue like this, who can? More »
