10 Questions for the Dalai Lama

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to watch a documentary called 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama with my roommate Maggie.  It was really informational, and great for expanding some of the things I am including in my bibliography!  There was a lot in there about Dharamsala, the location I will be going to in just three short months, and more history about the path to exile the Tibetans faced.

In general I enjoyed the material, especially learning more about the personality of His Holiness.  He is really modern, and the film mentioned that when a debate between science and belief come up, he usually sides with science.  He is also not the biggest fan of big parties and festive holidays, which are abundant in Tibetan culture (especially when they are for himself!)  You see him in the video fidgeting with something near him or laughing out loud, and it is just so endearing.  He is a real person, and to be honest he sounds and seems a lot like my idea of Yoda.  I am not sure that is very culturally sensitive....

One thing that I did not like about the documentary was some of the commentary of Rick Ray.  I could not help but wish this guy took the prep course, or some kind of course, to try and break away from his American paradigm.  I feel like the whole time he is trying to fight it by saying "America is bad for not doing this or that" but then he makes sweeping accusations like a smile = being happy, poor people in India are happier than the rich, etc.

I did, however, learn a lot more about the background behind the flee to India.  The Chinese invasion was a lot more brutal (according to this documentary) than I realized.  I also did not know that Google and other search engines and media were paid off by the Chinese to only pull up government approved sources about the Dalai Lama.  From an economical standpoint, Tibet has little to offer and it is a "moral decision" as the Dalai Lama told US congress, but money talks.  I also did not know that the next Dalai Lama was chosen, then captured by the Chinese as the youngest political prisoner in the world (hasn't been seen since), and that the Chinese instituted their own in an effort to control the Tibetans by hand selecting the next leader.  This is why the position of the Dalai Lama very well may end with the 14th.  Yet, I do not know how the people and culture can survive without that leadership role.  Hard situations...

This documentary did give me something else I did not anticipate- hope that maybe I could request an appearance with the H.H with my group.  It is a stretch, but if I email in advance like this guy did and explain that we are students really interested in this culture, maybe we could be granted the request.  If I had two minutes with him, what would I ask him?  How would I show him that I really was interested?  What would it feel like?  Anyways, it is worth a shot!