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Madhava Turumella's blog
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Dalai Lama condemns capitalism | World | News | Toronto Sun
 
 

The Dalai Lama on Thursday declared that he is still a Marxist in spirit who condemns capitalism as a system whose main goal is "how to make profit." 

I have very deep respect for Dalai Lama, he is a fantastic being. However academically speaking, how could he be a Marxist and the leader of Buddhism at the same time?! 

I am hoping he meant the above in a lighter note. Because the whole issue is very deep. Profit can only be made where there is demand. Demand is always exploited by the opportunists. 

In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which spring from the intention (Pali: cetana) of an unenlightened being. Being travels from birth to birth towards enlightenment towards that Buddha state. 

Each being is unique. Just like the waves in the ocean can not have same velocity and length; just like thumb prints of humans do not match with each other; the karma of beings does not match. The soul has a unique code. The soul is as unique as the thumb print of a human body. 

Marxism gives importance to matter over spirit. Matter can be organized; matter can be paraded; matter can be denied. For example, a Marxist aspires to create only one type of car in the entire world with out any variety. By doing so his intention is to deny giving raise to desire and envy. But just like we can't ask all the waves in the ocean to raise at the same length and velocity, we can't put a stop to desire. It is this desire that makes room for profit. 

We are humans and we have our frailties. Marxism is intolerant towards human frailties. Stalin is a great example, recently what happened in Tianmen Square (massacre of students)  is also a great example of Marxist intolerance towards human frailty. Glasnost of Gorbachev which gave raise to democracy in Russia is a fine example of spirit removing itself from the clutches of Marxist control!

Is Dalai Lama denying the importance of enlightenment by declaring he is a marxist?! This need clarification.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Posted by madhava at 12:18 PM BST

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