10 Questions for the Dali Lama

10 Questions for the Dali Lama
I went to see this film, Feb. 14, with my boyfriend at Centenary. This was one of the most attended films I had been to in a while, and I hoped it was because this was going to be an exhalant film. And it was. Before I saw the film, I had little knowledge of Tibet, other than students and faculty around campus had “Free Tibet” bumper stickers. There were many surprising things that I was exposed to in the film.
One of the most surprising things I learned was how much fun and funny the Dali Lama was. I had never in my life seen such an animated religious head. He had a nice sense of humor, and he brightened up every one he encountered. He has a real sense of empathy for his people, and even takes time out of his rituals to express individual care for his people as well his daily life. Watching the way he interacted with his people it was obvious that he has a big heart, and loves everyone. I though it was ironic however, that when his people showed their devotion to him in the form of festivals that he did not enjoy the festivals and became bored and restless. I interpreted his reaction as that he prefers intimate forms of interaction over public ritualized forms because while he cares about all of his people, he prefers to care for his people individually.
The second thing that I found surprising was how technologically advanced and driven the Dali Lama was. I thought it was interesting that the best way to reach him was via the internet. I think that this is a huge and important statement of our current structures of society. The fact that he is keeping up with the times is in my opinion a sign that the Dali Lama is making his religion more accessible to contemporary society. Similarly, this follows the trend seen in other third world countries where people who never had access to phones are skipping the land line step and going directly to predominantly using cell phones. This is accruing because it is more practical/cheaper to get a cell phone and cell phone tower build than putting up cables. It is easier to adopt newer technology usage in these areas than the old technological methods of communication, and it is more efficient.
The thing that I found most offensive was what the Chinese’s government did to the old Tibetan monastery. Turning a historical and spiritual place into a amusement park, is sacral gist, and disrespectful. However, I it did bring up an interesting idea. Is what China did to the monastery so different from what we have done to historical places in our country? Is it as upsetting that we sell hotdog and tee-shirts at famous battle ground like the Alamo, or at hubs of suffering like at Ellis Island? Capitalism could have a sick sense of humor that profits of the suffering of others and uses history to whore out its trivial products.