Abstract This paper argues that the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler's "The Art of Happiness" integrates, dilutes and distorts the message of traditional Buddhism to make it more accessible to Western readers and Buddhism-enthusiasts. The author points out that this book was written to give Cutler the opportunity to boil down the Buddhist teachings of the Dalai Lama so that they only deal with pursuing happiness and then to present those teachings through a lens of Western education and intellectual training. The paper stresses that Cutler's express purpose is not to provide readers with access to Buddhism as a religious and spiritual tradition. The author underscores that the book fails to impress upon readers that it has taken the Dalai Lama a lifetime of study and training through a traditional Buddhist education to achieve happiness and peace.
From the Paper "For instance, at the start of Chapter 8: 'Facing Suffering', the story of Kisagotami, a woman who lived during the Buddha's lifetime, is presented. Kisagotami suffered the loss of her only child, only to be taught by the Buddha that her suffering was not unique but rather was a part of the lives of every living person. In a fashion typical of the book, Cutler doesn't use this example to launch into a discussion of how traditional Buddhism teaches that all life is suffering and that is only through Enlightenment that one can transcend this world and the endless cycle of rebirth. Instead, he fixates on the material component of the parable ..."
Tags: spirituality, self-help, intellectual, lifetime, traditional
Abstract This paper discusses the Dalai Lama and his involvement in the global appeal Buddhism has gained. The paper mentions some Hollywood celebrities that have embraced Buddhism. The intricacies of this religion are outlined in this paper. Several films and books are portrayed, illustrating the Dalai Lama and Buddhism.
From the Paper "The Dalai Lama said in "Ethics for a New Millennium" that "perhaps the most significant obstruction to interreligious harmony is lack of appreciation of the value of others" faith traditions? (222). His Holiness probably knows more about this than most religious leaders as he lives in exile from his homeland in Tibet. During his exile he has remained significant to Tibetans still in Tibet, as well as around the world."
Abstract This paper explores Tibetan Buddhism as an essence of Tibet's national identity that has helped Tibetans unite and work together for Tibet's independence. In order to fully understand how Tibetans incorporate their Buddhist norms into their independence movement, it investigates political movements led by both Tibetans in Tibet and the Tibetan refugee community in India. It also discusses what kinds of limitations future independent Tibet would face due to the Dalai Lama's complete authority and how the Dalai Lama is conforming to a modern political system..
From the Paper "With the Dalai Lama as its unquestionable leader, Tibetans have strived to gain an independence and democracy of their nation. Indeed, the pro-democracy component of their protests has helped them gain a support from other nations, especially from Western developed nations, and present the Dalai Lama as the true representative of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama as Tibet's democratic representative, however, poses challenges to its further democratization. When asked about their views on democracy, Tibetans commonly reply that in future independent Tibet the Dalai Lama should have the complete authority and there should be democracy."
Abstract A look at the the first amendment and a discussion on why the framers of the Constitution felt it was so important to include this clause. The author discusses several areas guaranteed by the First Amendment, such as freedom of religion that should not be taken lightly. This paper pays particular attention to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal law to limit pornography. The author also uses examples of religious oppression in China, and against the Dalai Lama as examples.
From the Paper "This does not, however, mean that the press is entirely free even today. There are at least two key areas over which advocates for limitation on the freedom of expression and advocates for a greater freedom of expression frequently clash. The first of these has also been in the news lately, for it concerns the idea of national security. The federal government has ? probably since there was a federal government ? withheld some information from the American people on the grounds that to reveal such information publicly would be tantamount to compromising the security of the nation."
Abstract This paper examines how over the centuries, China has had different levels of involvement in Tibet. It looks at how prior to 1950, Tibet was inhabited entirely by ethnic Tibetans and how policies by the People's Republic of China have changed the makeup of the region. It discusses how despite the efforts of a global social campaign led by the exiled Dalai Lama, the P.R.C. have made it clear that Tibet will not become an independent country under their watch. It also examines how currently, there are millions of non-Tibetan Chinese citizens living and working in the Tibet Autonomous Region and how although China has committed atrocities against the Tibetan people, current Chinese policy seems to be for the purpose of correcting the lives and conditions for Tibet.
From the Paper "However, the sixth Dalai Lama, Tsayang Gyatso was a disappointment. He did not rule justly and ?turned out to be totally deviant in attitude and values, refusing to play the role of a celibate religious practitioner. He renounced his monastic vows and became a famous libertine, writing love poems and carousing with women at night in Lhasa.? During this time Lhabsang Khan, was the king of Tibet, and was friendly to the Qing Dynasty, instead of the Dzungar Mongols, a group of Mongols that was trying to take over China. Khan decided to declare that the sixth Dalai Lama was not the real incarnation, and removed him from his seat, forcing Tsayang Gyatso into exile."
Abstract The paper discusses the dispute between China and Tibet about Tibet's sovereignty. The paper relates that today, the Dalai Lama (leader of the Tibetan government in exile) has given up his demand for total secession from China and China itself is committed to the development of the region, while giving it a special status and autonomy within the state of China. The paper asserts that other countries, including the United States, should refrain from supporting separation of Tibet from China as such a policy would only create turmoil and bring further misery to the poverty-stricken people of Tibet.
From the Paper "The relationship between Tibet and China, despite the various ups and downs seen over the past several centuries, continues to remain fluid. The points of view of the Chinese and the Tibetans about the sovereignty of Tibet are diametrically opposite. The Chinese are firmly of the view that Tibet has been an indivisible part of China de jure since the Yuan dynasty seven centuries ago; they believe that all pro-independence movement in Tibet were and are encouraged and abetted by malicious Western imperialist powers who have always strived to weaken China's sovereignty. The Tibetan government in exile, led by the Dalai Lama who had fled Tibet after a failed uprising in 1959, is equally adamant that the current Chinese rule in Tibet is illegitimate and colonial, and it violates Tibet's historical status as an independent country."
Analyzes Hillary Rodham Clinton's '1997 speech to wives of Heads of State of governments of the Americas, & a commencement address delivered by the Dalai Lama. Primary purposes, styles of speeches, use of emotion, reason & parallel construction.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 6 sources, 2001, $ 79.95
From the Paper "Seventh Conference of the Wives of Heads of State and Governments of the Americas"
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Setting
The setting is a meeting at the Seventh Conference of the Wives of Heads of State and Governments of the Americas in Panama City, Panama. This was held on October 10, 1997.
The speaker is Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of President Clinton of the United States. As the representative of the United States at the conference, her words would have been of particular interest to the other countries of the hemisphere. She speaks primarily not to politicians but to their wives, and her message is tailored to what she presumes are their interests in protecting women, children, and families. The speech as given..."
Abstract This paper begins with a brief history of the country of Tibet, including its population statistics, geography, and political strife. The paper then explores the current situation faced by Tibetan people, including their culture, society, laws, and religion.
Contents
Tibetan People
Present day Tibet and Tibetans
How Tibetan People Identify Themselves?
Tibetan Ceremonies and Rituals
Conclusion
From the Paper "Tibet is an area of about 2.5 million square kilometers lying at the center of Asia with an average altitude of 13,000 feet above sea level. It is not a separate country as it was annexed by China in 1949-50 after the Communist Revolution. Tibetan people, with a distinct culture and language have lived in the region and the surrounding areas for over a thousand years. Despite the attempt of the Chinese to suppress and obliterate the separate identity of their identity since they occupied the region, Tibetans have struggled to maintain their identity under the spiritual leadership of Dalai Lama who lives in exile in India since 1959."
This paper discusses the life and work of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement activist, who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of two FBI Agents; however, his guilt is disputed.
Abstract This paper explains that Leonard Peltier, a Lakota-Ojibwe Indian, raised on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, experienced the government's intrusion on the rights of his people when he was sent to a U.S. residential boarding school for Native Americans. The author points out that Peltier, who was an active member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which was founded to protect Indian people from cultural, spiritual and physical genocide, and his supporters believe that he was targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO program, which suppresses people by using methods of arrest, slander and attack. The paper relates that Peltier's plight as a living martyr garnered international attention after the publication of Peter Matthiessen's famous book, "In the Spirit of Crazy Horse", in 1983; Peltier's supporters included such people as the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Mother Theresa, Amnesty International and 50 members of the U.S. Congress.
From the Paper "Peltier's co-defendants, were tried separately. Civil rights lawyer, William Kunstler, defended Butler and Robideau and argued that they had fired in self-defense. Kunstler expounded on, throughout the trial, the saga of white oppression of American Indians. Peltier's trial, in Fargo, North Dakota, had a different tone, Judge Paul Benson refused to allow any testimony unrelated to the events at Pine Ridge. The all-white jury did not hear of the injustices experienced by the American Indians. Peltier was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive life terms."
Abstract This paper reviews Patrick French's book "Tibet, Tibet". The paper discusses how the book undermines various myths maintained about Tibetan culture and the struggle for liberation from the People's Republic of China.
From the Paper "Author Patrick French provides us with a firsthand account of his studies on and travels throughout Tibet. French explains that the typical image of Tibet in the Western world is one that evokes a lost horizon of a benign pacifist ..."
Tags: Tibet, Dalai Lama, China, Chinese, Hollywood, Buddhism, war, conflict, self-determinism, U.S. foreign policy
Abstract This paper presents a definition of peace and discusses two extreme approaches of achieving it. The author contrasts the writings and actions of the revolutionary leaders Mao Tse-tung and Che Guevara with the writings and beliefs of the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. The writer concludes by expressing the belief that although there may be many roads to peace, the practice of nonviolence is the only way to a hate-free society.
From the Paper "Adding to the Dalai Lama's ideals, Martin Luther King, Jr. expresses his ideas in "Loving your enemies" as a more efficient way to achieve peace than through violence. King's idea is based on two interdependent categories: Hatred and love. Every conflict that we encounter is based on hatred toward others. Because "hate scars the soul and distorts the personality" (King, 37) and "returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars"(King, 37), King addresses to the people that they understand and forgive each other rather than hate each other."
Tags: ideal, principle, guerilla, resistance, war, discipline
