"i Am A Marxist," Says The Dalai Lama

[Innocent]

I saw this article in the paper on Saturday:

[url="http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/22/stories/2010052265612000.htm"][i]THE HINDU[/i], Saturday, May 22, 2010: [b]I'm a Marxist, says Dalai Lama[/b][/url]

Edited May 24, 2010 by Innocent

[AccountDeleted]

To hear him speak costs $100 per ticket? He very adroitly side steps this issue by saying that he has nothing to do with it and yet still it costs a hundred bucks...... hmmmm .... doesn't sound very Marxist to me, sounds very capitalist.

[Nihil Obstat]

Someone who calls themselves a Marxist either doesn't understand what Marxism really is, or has zero spiritual wisdom.

[Laudate_Dominum]

I've read about this before. The Dalai Lama has described himself as "half-Buddhist, half-Marxist" or whatever. It would be foolish to judge based on a couple of news pieces, but I once read a complete interview where he very clearly endorsed the Marxist critique of capitalism and asserted the superiority, in principle, Marxist economics. To be fair, keep in mind that he, like many proponents of Marxist philosophy, don't consider any of the so-called Communist states (perhaps especially the former USSR and China) to have been genuine enactments of Marxist principles.
However, to me, it is fascinating to see such an endorsement of Marxism (indeed, he is "half-Marxist") from a man who is regarded by many as the incarnation of a deity, namely, Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion and lord of the world.

[IMG]http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h119/NoonienSoong_2006/avalokitesvara.jpg[/IMG]

[Laudate_Dominum]

I wonder how common some kind of Buddhist-Marxist synthesis might be among Tibetan Buddhists in particular and Mahayana Buddhists generally.

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='24 May 2010 - 09:41 AM' timestamp='1274708501' post='2116494']
Someone who calls themselves a Marxist either doesn't understand what Marxism really is, or has zero spiritual wisdom.[/quote]
You might want to peep this site.

http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/

[quote]Q: You have often stated that you would like to achieve a synthesis between Buddhism and Marxism. What is the appeal of Marxism for you?

A: Of all the modern economic theories, the economic system of Marxism is founded on moral principles, while capitalism is concerned only with gain and profitability. Marxism is concerned with the distribution of wealth on an equal basis and the equitable utilization of the means of production. It is also concerned with the fate of the working classes--that is, the majority--as well as with the fate of those who are underprivileged and in need, and Marxism cares about the victims of minority-imposed exploitation. For those reasons the system appeals to me, and it seems fair. I just recently read an article in a paper where His Holiness the Pope also pointed out some positive aspects of Marxism.

As for the failure of the Marxist regimes, first of all I do not consider the former USSR, or China, or even Vietnam, to have been true Marxist regimes, for they were far more concerned with their narrow national interests than with the Workers' International; this is why there were conflicts, for example, between China and the USSR, or between China and Vietnam. If those three regimes had truly been based upon Marxist principles, those conflicts would never have occurred.

I think the major flaw of the Marxist regimes is that they have placed too much emphasis on the need to destroy the ruling class, on class struggle, and this causes them to encourage hatred and to neglect compassion. Although their initial aim might have been to serve the cause of the majority, when they try to implement it all their energy is deflected into destructive activities. Once the revolution is over and the ruling class is destroyed, there is not much left to offer the people; at this point the entire country is impoverished and unfortunately it is almost as if the initial aim were to become poor. I think that this is due to the lack of human solidarity and compassion. The principal disadvantage of such a regime is the insistence placed on hatred to the detriment of compassion.

The failure of the regime in the former Soviet Union was, for me, not the failure of Marxism but the failure of totalitarianism. For this reason I still think of myself as half-Marxist, half-Buddhist.[/quote]

[Selah]

[quote]Marxism is a set of theories, or a system of thought and analysis, developed by Karl Marx in the nineteenth century in response to the Western industrial revolution and the rise of industrial capitalism as the predominant economic mode. Like feminist theory, [b]Marxist theory is directed at social change; Marxists want to analyze social relations in order to change them, in order to alter what they see are the gross injustices and inequalities created by capitalist economic relations[/b][/quote]

Source: http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/marxism.html

He's most certainly anti-capitalism, then. From L_D's source:

[quote]Marxism is concerned with the [b]distribution of wealth on an equal basis and the equitable utilization of the means of production. It is also concerned with the fate of the working classes--that is, the majority--as well as with the fate of those who are underprivileged and in need, and Marxism cares about the victims of minority-imposed exploitation.[/b] For those reasons the system appeals to me, and it seems fair. I just recently read an article in a paper where His Holiness the Pope also pointed out some positive aspects of Marxism.[/quote]

Okay. I can understand, to a certain extent, where the man is coming from. He's concerned about the working class and the underprivelaged. In and of itself, like many political ideologies, Marxism seems okay, in theory. Though I don't like the fact that it has socialistic principles and supports a dictatorship.

Edited May 24, 2010 by Selah

[Laudate_Dominum]

edit because of selah's edit.

Edited May 24, 2010 by Laudate_Dominum

[Selah]

[quote]Selah, while the word may not mean the same thing in a Tibetan Buddhist context as in Hindu or some other religious context, it is still the preferred English term when describing a yidam such as Avalokitesvara. [/quote]

lol, LD, I changed my whole post

Ah, I should have known that (been studying Buddhism and Hinduism in depth for several months now).


[quote]edit because of selah's edit. [/quote]

haha! Oops

Edited May 24, 2010 by Selah

[KnightofChrist]

If he's a Marxist why the big fight with China?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='KnightofChrist' date='24 May 2010 - 10:44 AM' timestamp='1274719487' post='2116560']
If he's a Marxist why the big fight with China?
[/quote]
Because unlike a good Marxist he believes that he is the reincarnation of a dead spiritual master.

[Selah]

[quote]If he's a Marxist why the big fight with China? [/quote]

Did you bother to read the articles posted here?

[DevotedtoHim]

I saw him speak in Los Angeles and he was great. He talked a LOT about the accomplishments the Catholic Church has given to the world, especially in the field of education. He didn't say anything (that I heard) that was anything anti-religious or anti-Catholic. I walked away feeling very inspired. A friend of mine took me who has some kind of hatred of our faith (she was raised a Catholic), and for some reason thinks the Dalai Lama is "cool" though she knows nothing about him. I think she was kind of surprised when he said one of the greatest downfalls of our current situation of destruction has been a loss of religion. He urged people to return to religious practices (not just a vague "spirituality" but actual religious practices) and to get to know the faith one was born into. I felt very strengthened and encouraged about his talk. I didn't see or hear anything overtly Marxist about his words, though I believe his ability to cope with the bloodshed his people have faced is very peaceful and in my opinion, holy. He is an example to all of us, and I was so HAPPY! he singled out the Catholic Church as being so important and so gooooood!

Katherine

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Selah' date='24 May 2010 - 12:52 PM' timestamp='1274719978' post='2116564']
Did you bother to read the articles posted here?
[/quote]

Current policy in China is Marxism in action. When ever Marxism is in action it is tyrannical. From this I knew that a so-call man of peace couldn't agree with. First conflict with saying he is a Marxist. Second great conflict Marxism has as its bedrock atheism, it would reject Christ's Resurrection, as well as the Lama's reincarnation.

[Selah]

[quote]Current policy in China is Marxism in action. When ever Marxism is in action it is tyrannical. From this I knew that a so-call man of peace couldn't agree with. First conflict with saying he is a Marxist. Second great conflict Marxism has as its bedrock atheism, it would reject Christ's Resurrection, as well as the Lama's reincarnation.[/quote]

Still didn't answer my question, so I am going to assume that's a "no."

I know Marxism in action is tyrannical, hence why I said it is a good idea "in theory" but not in practice.

*snort* a "so-called" man of peace. He calls himself a "half-marxist" which stands to reason that he agrees with some of, but not all of, what marxism has to offer.

[Galloglasses' Alt]

I find it highly ironic and sad that the Dalai Llama, who is technically a Monarch himself, considers himself a Marxist