A bipartisan United States congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama Wednesday at his residence in India’s Dharamshala, sparking anger from China which views the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist.
This comes as Washington and Beijing have recently restarted talks after several years of turmoil that began after the imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods under the Trump administration. Relations at the time deteriorated even more following the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising military tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The high-level delegation, led by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul and including Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arrived Tuesday at the hillside town, which the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has made his headquarters since fleeing from Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. There, they met with officials from the Tibetan government-in-exile, which wants more autonomy for Tibet.
Beijing doesn’t recognize said administration and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.
They told the crowd that a key focus of their visit was to underscore the Resolve Tibet Act, passed by the U.S. Congress last week, and aims to encourage dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese officials with the hopes of finding a peaceful resolution between Tibet and Beijing. The bill should now be sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into a law.
Pelosi said the bill is “a message to the Chinese government that we have clarity in our thinking and our understanding of this issue of the freedom of Tibet,” eliciting applause.
McCaul, the Republican representative, said it reaffirmed American support for the Tibetan right to self-determination. “Just this week our delegation received a letter from the Chinese Communist Party, warning us not to come here… but we did not let the CCP intimidate us for we are here today,” he said as people cheered.
I like reading news like this :)
said it reaffirmed American support for the Tibetan right to self-determination
This is a subtle stab at China. The CCP loves talking about sovereignty and self determination as a defense for their actions, but it’s also projection for their actions in Tibet and the South China Sea.
I’m not sure why China is upset about this, because the current Dalai Lama is a mess, and China kidnapped the Panchen Lama and installed their own guy in his place. They’ve already got pretty good control over the future of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.
This is never not going to be weird to me.
Pelosi is Catholic.
Tibetan Buddhism is the Catholic Church of Buddhism, far off the track, festooned with rituals and beliefs, all the same failures that accompany a religion as opposed to a practice.
Including buying karma, thus Pelosi and a Republican showing up, looking to buy enlightenment but of course not saying that.
The next incarnation of the Dalai Lama has already been chosen, he lives in Indiana so will be safer.
I have compassion for the people in the situation with China, but this is money/power games and won’t help them. Elephants fighting and stomping grasses.
Including buying karma
Aligns with their religion:
https://suttafriends.org/sutta/sn11-16/
The boss of all the gods in heaven is lectured by the Buddha who states that giving stuff to his monks results in more merit than any god.
To be clear this was kinda a big deal for those polytheists. Giving a sacrifice to a god was a transactional act. I burn this incense or leave this bowl of food out for you, you make sure my kid doesn’t die from this illness. When Buddhist pushed people to instead view the Sangha as the place for donations they weren’t simply asking people to switch which shaman they were going to, they were asking them to shoulder on another one.
Tibetan Buddhism is the Catholic Church of Buddhism, far off the track, festooned with rituals and beliefs, all the same failures that accompany a religion as opposed to a practice.
I don’t often see people gatekeeping a religion as open-ended as Buddhism but here we are.
I’m not gatekeeping at all. That’s a simple factual statement. I don’t look down on them, they do good things, so does the Catholic church.
Real Buddhism is not a religion. It has no baggage. It’s a practice. People who do the practices are Buddhists without needing to say. They simply are, you are what you DO. Not what you say.
The entire dhamma could be obliterated and it could be regenned with the practice.
Zen Flesh Zen Bones has an account of that… Monk sees master burning the books… “What are you doing?!”
Master says, “What are you saying?”
Religious people have holy things, practicers don’t.
Try remaking a religion from scratch with prayer.
So religions are what they are, not my cup of tea. Static, unyielding to change. Outdated.
Can’t gatekeep the truth.
Real Buddhism yes of course. I suppose “real” Buddhism doesn’t follow any of the dhrama texts.
Real Buddhism generated the texts, which were written down by the kind of people who rote-memorise.
It’s handy to have them, but possibly limiting as one goes.
Ok well “real” Buddhism who wrote the texts were very clear about the existence of Gods and the afterlife
The dilution of “anger from China”.
It’s as long a running joke as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China’s_final_warning
Seriously, they could be genuine some day. Like warn the world against some major catastrophe, but we’ll assume that if China’s upset, it’s nothing to worry about or may even be something we want to happen.
“Suck my tongue” Dalai Lama to a young boy
Yeah did we just forget about this? Why are we talking to this old creep?
Edit: so I bought into media outrage - this is just a harmless joke. Linking to comment with article:
Why are we talking to this old creep?
Because we give him lots of money to annoy China
Hey dude - really appreciate this. Thank you. Im glad this is just an innocent joke, sorry I bought into media outrage. I’ll amend my statement.
