Anyone familiar with the speaking tour MO of the Dali Lama?...

[niallmac]

He will be speaking near Sun Valley Idaho later this Fall. I really wanted a shot a seeing him. Tickets went on sale in Sun Valley at a ski shop and sold out in 3 hours.
My question: Is the DL an elitist? How is Joe Average supposed to get a shot at seeing this guy? Or isn't Joe A supposed to?

[Fiona]

1. Yes

the Dalai Lama is an elitist asshole, because lots of people bought tickets to see him. :eyes:

I also heard he over-charges for t-shirts and demands a cut of the beer concession. And his dressing room must be stocked with nothing but evian water and green M&M's.

[niallmac]

4. so you are being sarcastic? If so, what is the point of that?

I am just reporting my own experience and my honest desire to see the man. Maybe he could be more accessible sometimes? Not sure I care now.

[Fiona]

5. LOL

Yes, I was being sarcastic.

I'm confused, though. Now you don't want to see him because his appearance sold out quickly? How on earth is that HIS fault? What do you propose he do? Set aside a certain portion of tickets for niallmac?

The tickets were available to the public, which includes you. Other people got them first. What's the problem?

Your expectations seem totally unreasonable.

[niallmac]

7. I'm guessing you are a fan of the Dalai Lama.

That's great. Have you heard him speak? I am going to presume so as I feel I have offended you by speaking off handedly and now I am an enemy to be vanquished. I am not. I am a sort of financial loser who cannot afford the 4 hour trip to Sun Valley for the possibility of not getting a ticket. Now I know if I had any faith at all I would not let this deter me. I don't have much faith. That's why I figure I need to see him. It seems to me that the message is important enough and that the desire to hear it is certainly strong enough that tickets could be made accessible to the regular shmoe. Maybe its time for a big open air venue for thousands. Anyway, I am really sorry if I offended. Think I should have kept my mouth shut.

[Fiona]

8. The problem

is the gap between "I couldn't get tickets" and "Is the Dalai Lama an elitist?" is so huge as to be laughable.

Again, what is your specific complaint? Should he has reserved tickets just for you? They were made available to the public. You evidently live far away from the place the tickets were made available - how is that his fault?

You haven't offended me by any stretch - indeed, you've amused me.

[niallmac]

10. entertainment is my middle name. n/t

[sam sarrha]

11. if you want to see him you have to mean it.. work at it, i have DVDs and

tapes and a lot of his books..

I got his book,.."The Meaning of Life".. I was studying the 'Wheel of Life'. he does mean it when he says he is a simple monk..

the problem is that we make it difficult,
in the Meaning of Life he makes a statement about the 3 levels of practice

1/ the first level is to practice nonviolence, to abstain from engaging activities that cause harm or suffering to others.

2/ the second is to implement antidotes to afflictive emotions that drive bad actions

3/ the third is to develop compassion in order to destroy the obstructions to omniscience, the predispositions established by afflictive emotions
"ironically one trains in ethics", which forms the basis of all later practice, then, thru the practice of meditative stabilization ....

......you will notice that all of the above is absent in the actions of GEORGE W BU$H. and he has created hell on earth for many millions and intends to continue to F it ALL up for the rest of us too.... Bush will never stop destroying everything he can, his mind is confused and he is chained to ignorance.

Bu$h is apparently driven by early child abuse, perhaps sexual abuse due to the ferocity of his striking out and blaming and punishing others.. there is some evidence his father was an abuser..

[niallmac]

12. Thanks! I WILL get the DVD. I need some GW anti matter. n/t

[sam sarrha]

14. here are some links..

of course they have discounted stuff at www.amazon.com

but you can find the really good stuff at
http://www.snowlionpub.com and

these guys have the best stuff and some mp3 free downloads http://www.fpmt.org/shop/ ...

and http://www.lamazopa.org

[LaurenG]

2. When I was in Denver I had a chance to see him

i would never have said he was an elitist anything. It's the luck of the draw regarding tickets. He is a wonderful peaceful man. I wish you better luck getting tickets in the future. I'm an Average "Joette" and I got tickets.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. If you believe what the Dalai Lama teaches ...

... you know you'll be seeing him someday, anyway.

Here's his schedule through 2006. There are several opportunities to see him speak, lecture and teach, though you may have to travel.

--p!

[niallmac]

13. ...and thank you also. n/t

[Zorbuddha]

17. Huh?

Where do you get that? I don't follow.

[Dogmudgeon]

18. The final state of (the) matter (maybe)

Some day, all sentient beings will be enlightened and live together in a transcendent state for eternity.

The Dalai Lama will once again be just good old Tenzin Gyatso, our neighbor. We will revere him not so much for being wise, but because he found wisdom before most of us did, and showed us where and what it was, and stuck around to make sure we got it. And we will love him "just because" -- like anyone.

(Hopefully, I will not have disturbed too many devout Buddhists with this inelegant explanation of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood.)

--p!

[Zorbuddha]

19. When all is one

individualism will have been seen for the illusion that it is.

[CanuckAmok]

6. Don't worry, you can catch him on Pay-Per-View.

n/t

[niallmac]

9. Hey! I don't have cable but I KNOW they are not he.

...man am I ever ready for this thread to die. :dunce:

[catbert836]

15. Have you tried EBay?

Odds are some people got extra tickets so they could sell them at an inflated price. A rip off, I know, but if you're that desperate to see him, it's probably worth a shot.
At least you had the chance to see him, unlike me. He's never come anywhere near where I live.

[Zorbuddha]

16. He is a simple Buddhist monk, (so he says) and a living Buddha

He is the opposite of elitist He will treat you like he treats a head-of-state, if you are lucky enough to meet him.

Don't let anyone sway you, seeing him will change your life.