Backfire Chinese Invasion:

When the Chinese invaded Tibet with the notion of amputating the country from it's spiritual leader it kind of backfired badly for them in that it plummeted his holiness 14nth Dali Lama into the worlds lime lite as the figure head for Chinese humanitarian abuse. From this new platform his teachings, books and cause have gone viral placing him up there with names like Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul 2 imbedding him in history as one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time.

Beyond Religion?

All this, combined with the rapidly increasing availability of information thanks to the technology bomb and the ever increasing wariness of the Western citizen with regard to a failing industrial system, have placed the wisdom of his teachings in the hands of seekers outside religion. This is a phenomena of which no other religion can boast. Many "normal people" implement meditation and teachings from Tibetan Buddhism into their daily lives as a "way of life", or philosophy, perhaps a mindfullness. This is perhaps what all religions in their infancy aspire towards only during the course of time coruption and power mongering morph them into :just another system of control. ps: This is not a religion slamming article!

Temptation Removed!

What I am trying to put across is that the very foundations of Tibetan Buddhism and so by extension the Dalai Lama's teaching's are based in the non material or rejection of attachment to form. This is achieved through contemplation and recognition of the mind as a tool instead of an identity. When understanding of the mind is of key importance instead of the manipulation of the masses, the institution of Buddhism becomes impossible to corrupt. There is nothing to corrupt!

The Icon.

When I realized that so many religions, spiritual leaders, philosophers had borrowed so much from Dzogchen Buddhism and certainly the 14th Dalai Lama, I picked up his book Ancient Wisdom Modern World, and dove into it hungrily. Since then I've read just about everything he has written and placed them all in my on line bookstore along with bio's, interviews and films regarding his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. His steadfastness in the face of diversity, his selfless wisdom and the fact that he has, in the period of one lifetime, so far exceeded the parimeters of his office while under extreme duress make him an icon. A passive force to be reckoned with. And all that with a humble little chuckle and a naughty twinkle in his eye.

Please feel free to brows at Spiritual Books Bestsellers, you never know what you might find.....