The Dalai Lama has achieved respect from the worldwide community at large but that does not necessitate the truthfulness of his beliefs or teachings.
The Dalai Lama is a man and though he has achieved a renowned spiritual status as well as a Nobel peace prize he still remains a mere mortal who needs direction and guidance.
Some have given him the honorary title as a god-king and refer to him as holy Lord.
Yet his own testimony does not bear witness to the reality of these supposed tiles and traits.
For instance he claims that he has never done a miracle nor has he ever seen one done and even his top aid Tewnzin Taklha denies that he has magical powers. When questioned on whether or not he was sinless or perfect he laughed exclaiming “nonsense”.
In his autobiography he claims that he struggles in controlling his temper and on several interviews he states that he struggles with lust.
Also concerning his views he doesn’t see it as absolutely necessary to convert to Buddhism nor is he an advocate of Buddhism being the one universal religion. He claims this because Buddhism has contradictions in its own philosophical teaching which in essence will not be completely satisfactory in all of its views. So therefore he declares that Buddhism isn’t necessarily the best for everyone but rather it comes down to the matter on whether or not it works for you.
The Dalai Lama also is skeptical of Buddhist astrology and cosmology and therefore does not accept all Buddhist teaching.
He also stated that he believes that the Buddha taught Tibetan Buddhism which could not be possible due to the contrast of this type of Buddhism versus the oldest forms of Buddhism.
On interview he also admitted that Jesus was a fully enlightened being but I wonder how we can reconcile this statement since Jesus teachings are so radically different from those of the Buddha who lived just a few centuries before His time. Yet if Jesus is sharing with us truth then shouldn’t Buddhist’s equally consider the teachings of Christ?
Also for a religious organization which promotes a sense of spirituality it has had it share of scandalous teachers and organizations.
Like the sarin gas poisonings done by the Aum Shinrikyo movement whose guru leader was Asahara Shoko whom was originally endorsed by the Dalai Lama but was later renounced due to the group’s actions.
Also there is Hon-Ming Chen who is the leader of Chen Tao or the “True Way” who claimed that God would reveal himself on television and then a few days later to the whole world which of course never came to pass.
Other leaders within this religious movement have exercised sexual abuse, alcoholism, and even suicide. Also along with these gurus are those who through their Hollywood personality have endorsed the corruption of their screen acting profession which conflicts and violates the five principles of Buddhist thought.
In addition to his there are Buddhist extremists that are persecuting Christians which is a violation to their “do no harm” policy.
Though Buddhism may be respected as a world religion its shortcoming among its philosophy and leaders call to question the credibility of this movement. I would caution those who would be considering a devotional life as a Buddhist to seriously consider the reality behind this religious façade. For those who are apart of the movement already I would just like to encourage you to reconsider your position on this matter by considering Jesus whom Thich Nhat Hanh endorses and the Dalai Lama himself acclaims as being the fully enlightened one whose honorary title bears the name “Light of the World.”
John 8:12 12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
“Reprinted by permission. “(Nelson’s Illustrated Guide to Religions), James A. Beverley, 2009,Thomas Nelson Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.”