Thursday 13 April 2017

Buddhist wars. When time came for a refurbishment of the temple in India noted to be on the site where the Buddha became enlightened, the Dalai Lama asked for world donations towards its renovation, and that all donations go through the charity conduit of his and would be passed on to the temple. The last King of Thailand, Rama IX, who died recently, the head of that Thai school of Buddhism (The King of All Kings), sent 400 kilograms of gold directly to the temple as a personal gift last year. Put 400kg of his own gold on a plane and flew it in to the temple guarded by Royal Thai army security forces. The Dalai Lama's crew complained bitterly about this as they were not included as the middlemen/cash converters. The King had bypassed their cut, and there was no spin to be had either. King Rama IX was well known for booting the Dalai Lama out of Thailand for poaching believers and donations many years before and they had been at each others throats for decades after that. Meanwhile, the other two Tibetan Dalai Lamas (yes, there are 2 others, red hat and black hat) remain in Tibet doing what they do best...praying in and supporting their communities...and securing themselves from murder attempts by the Yellow Hat Dalai Lama's people. The history of Buddhism is replete with many internecine battles for power, battles of real savagery...in the past and continuing in the present. "By their works, not what they say, you will know them."


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