
The Dalai Lama’s Daily Routine and Information Diet - sergeant3
http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/06/09/pico-iyer-the-open-road-dalai-lama/
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javajosh
This article feels good to read, but I have my doubts about it's actual
utility. Most profoundly, he leaves the question unanswered about what the
Dalai Lama actually _does_ with the information he consumes. How does he act
on it? Does he ever seek to contact someone that he reads about? Does it
inspire writing about compassion? Does he ever get angry about the things that
he reads, or sad? Does he get overwhelmed or frustrated?

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k-mcgrady
Didn't realise the Dalai Lama was a controversial figure just judging from
some of the early comments here he is. Why? Is this a silly
'religion/mysticism vs. science' thing or is there more to it?

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rocky1138
There is a rumour that he used to own slaves. I've never been able to find any
good research on it, though. If anyone has any, I'd love to read it.

Edit: I'm not too sure why I'm being downvoted, since I'm essentially asking
for clarification on something. Should questions be looked down upon?

Here's a Wikipedia article dealing with what I'm curious about:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Tibet_controversy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom_in_Tibet_controversy)

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nothrabannosir
This comment reminds me of South Park's "Dances With Smurfs" episode.

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zachrose
Does the Dalai Lama really get up at 3:30 AM? Is this because of the massive
Chinese time zone?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_China)

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eastbayjake
The Dalai Lama -- and the Tibetan government in exile -- are in Dharamsala,
India which is GMT + 5 1/2\. He hasn't set foot in Tibet since his exile in
1959.

EDIT: If he were in Lhasa, the sunrise today was at 6:55 AM so he'd be up
almost 3.5 hours before sunrise. In Dharamsala the sun rises at 5:17 AM, so he
gets up only 1:45 before sunrise.

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torgoguys
Why should I care about the Dalai Lama's daily routine? I don't care right
now, so this is a real question.

For bonus points, should I also care what the Pope's daily routine is? Why or
why not?

I'm not trying to be snarky, even though it may read that way.

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spicy
Perhaps you should give the article at least a cursory glance, as this
question is addressed in the opening paragraph.

 _" I suspect that our voracious appetite for the daily routines of cultural
icons is fueled by a deep yearning to glean some insight on and practical help
with this impossible balancing act, from people who seem to have mastered it
well enough to lead happy, productive, creatively fruitful, and altogether
remarkable lives."_

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torgoguys
Yes, I read that, but I don't have any particular reason to think the Dali
Lama would provide insight. Should I?

Right now I hold him somewhat (perhaps unfairly which is why I'm asking) in
the same regard as Deepak Chopra. Deepak often provides "deepities," things
that may sound profound, but are intellectually hollow.

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curo
He's a Nobel Peace Laureate and recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal.
He's been meditating on compassion and the self for several hours a day for 77
years (since he was 2), almost 200,000 hours of meditation. He's authored over
50 books. And he's a very charismatic, joyful, warm spirit--I saw him speak
and I can see why many want to learn from and emulate him.

But I guess that's a question you can ask of any posting on HN, "why should I
care about so-and-so's opinion, daily routine, life, etc?" So perhaps the
burden is on the person asking to question to say why we shouldn't care.

Also, I would say that the Dalai Lama's teachings aren't meant to be
intellectually rich. He does have a high regard for science, but I wouldn't
say his teachings are intellectual. They are practical and meant to help you
observe the world without the intellect.

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torgoguys
Thank you. Somebody willing to work at answering the question. Those are some
possible reasons. Not good enough for me in this case, but definitely worth
pointing out.

I've seen him in person too. Yes, charismatic. I don't think it is my burden
to say that you shouldn't, because it is fine with me that _you_ do care.
Obviously lots of people care about him. The whole point of my questioning is
to get at, "why?" I don't know and so I ask the question. Really, no other
motive. He seems to transcend and earn respect from people outside of his
religion in a way that other spiritual leaders do not. _I want to understand
that._

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andrepd
I think it mostly has to do with Buddhism being seen by the majority of
people, especially in the western world, as an oriental philosophy and less as
a religion like Christianity or Islam. So people outside of Buddhism feel
sympathetic to the Dalai Lama and Buddhism in general, in a way that, for
instance, an Islamic does not feel for the Pope.

It also helps that his messages are in general agreeable. The whole peace and
meditation and good-will stuff has a very low potential for controversy.

EDIT: Also let me add that I don't see why you are being buried. You aren't
being disrespectful or rude or in anyway breaking the guidelines by asking
these questions. You even stated in the first post that you if you came across
as snarky it wasn't intended.

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mark_l_watson
That is one of the best non tech articles I have seen on HN this year.
Personally I think the Dalai Lama is the real deal, someone who has compassion
for everyone.

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floridaguy01
Fun fact: the dalai lama was once the world's largest slave owner in feudal
tibet.

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kleer001
That sounds like a worthless political factiod rather than an actual objective
fact about the world or its history.

I can't think of any country in the world that has the moral high ground.

