Bush to meet with Dalai Lama today

[one...two...tree 2,762]

AP

President Bush and the Dalai Lama will meet today with a ceremony planned for tomorrow to award the spiritual leader the Congressional Gold Medal. China is warning that the events are bad for U.S.-Chinese ties.

The Dalai Lama is the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists. While the Dalai Lama is lauded in much of the world as a figure of moral authority, Beijing reviles the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and claims he seeks to destroy China's sovereignty by pushing for independence for Tibet, where the Dalai Lama is considered a god-king.

The Dalai Lama's special envoy, Lodi Gyari, said images of the U.S. president standing beside the Dalai Lama at the congressional ceremony will send a clear message that "people do care about Tibet. We have not been forgotten."

"I have no doubt this will give tremendous encouragement and hope to the Tibetan people," he told reporters ahead of the visit. It also "sends a powerful message to China that the Dalai Lama is not going to go away."

The Dalai Lama says he wants "real autonomy," not independence, for Tibet. But China demonizes the spiritual leader and believes the United States is honoring a separatist. The Dalai Lama's U.S. visit comes as China holds its important Communist Party congress.

Chinese diplomats have worked doggedly since the U.S. award was voted on last year to get the ceremony and meeting with Bush scrapped and to "correct this mistake," said Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

"We are certainly very much displeasured and regret the fact that the U.S. side would totally ignore the repeated positions of the Chinese side and go ahead with its erroneous decision," Wang said in an interview. "Such moves on the U.S. side are not a good thing for the bilateral relationship."

A State Department official said Monday that China was protesting U.S. honors for the Dalai Lama by pulling out of an international strategy session on Iran sought by the United States and planned for Wednesday.

China objected to participating in the meeting on the day that the Buddhist leader was to receive the congressional honor, said the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe another country's motives.

Since the American Revolution, Congress has commissioned gold medals for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. Recent winners have included civil rights icon Rosa Parks; former President Reagan and his wife, Nancy; cartoonist Charles M. Schulz; Gen. Henry Shelton, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Congress has long championed the Dalai Lama; lawmakers also regularly criticize Beijing for human rights abuses and a massive military buildup and claims that China ignores abuse by unsavory foreign regimes in its pursuit of energy deals.

The Bush administration also finds fault with China but is usually more measured as it seeks to manage a booming trade relationship and a desire to enlist Chinese cooperation on nuclear standoffs with North Korea and Iran.

Bush has met several times privately with the Dalai Lama, and, analysts say, his decision to attend the public congressional ceremony reflects his worry over the situation in Tibet.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071016/ap_on_...PFD1gtSe3MGw_IE

[JODO 2]

Go to hell China

[SteveLaura 0]

Interesting. Just to stir the sh!t pot a little, do you think if the headline was "Nancy Pelosi to meet with Dalai Lama today", we would hear more about how this is disgraceful, as it hurts our economic relationship with China?

[HAL 9000 96]

Hey awesome!

Maybe the philosophy on nonviolence will rub off a little?

[almaty 19]

hmmm..what is the reason for the meeting??

[JODO 2]

hmmm..what is the reason for the meeting??

The Dalai Lama is being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Interesting. Just to stir the sh!t pot a little, do you think if the headline was "Nancy Pelosi to meet with Dalai Lama today", we would hear more about how this is disgraceful, as it hurts our economic relationship with China?

Well the Dalai Lama sure dresses like he's from San Francisco - a real rice-a-roni treat.

[maya62 7]

Hey awesome!

Maybe the philosophy on nonviolence will rub off a little?

Heck, I'd settle for a modicum of AWARENESS.

Seriously, HHDL is very wise and funny guy. If anyone can get through that fog, he can.

Here's hoping.

Maya (eternal optimist)

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Hey awesome!

Maybe the philosophy on nonviolence will rub off a little?

Heck, I'd settle for a modicum of AWARENESS.

Seriously, HHDL is very wise and funny guy. If anyone can get through that fog, he can.

Here's hoping.

Maya (eternal optimist)

Lifting the fog...

[HAL 9000 96]

Hey awesome!

Maybe the philosophy on nonviolence will rub off a little?

Heck, I'd settle for a modicum of AWARENESS.

Seriously, HHDL is very wise and funny guy. If anyone can get through that fog, he can.

Here's hoping.

Maya (eternal optimist)

Speaking of awareness, he's got quite an interest in the philosophy of neurobiology. I saw him at Neuroscience 2005 in Washington and it was quite a treat having his philosophy of faith brought into a scientific meeting.

Too bad the other guy uses fog to funny up everyone else.

[almaty 19]

hmmm..what is the reason for the meeting??

The Dalai Lama is being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

cool..and well deserved..

[Imua 0]

Hey awesome!

Maybe the philosophy on nonviolence will rub off a little?

Heck, I'd settle for a modicum of AWARENESS.

Seriously, HHDL is very wise and funny guy. If anyone can get through that fog, he can.

Here's hoping.

Maya (eternal optimist)

I'll never forget when HHDL was in Central Park a few years ago and he suggested that all of the concerned parties in the Iraq war just sit down and work out their differences and he would meet with them as well to give advice - wish it could be so simple...

One of the happiest moments in my life(next to my wedding day of course) was a few years ago when I went to Dharamsala with a Drikung Kagyu group led by His Eminence Ontul Rinpoche. We had a private audience with His Holiness and he gave us each a small precious Buddha statue which he consecrated - when there was a fire scare in our apt. building a few months ago it was one of the first things I grabbed... The biggest blessing was when we had a photo opportunity following the audience - since I am a shortie I was standing in the front and HHDL actually put his arm around my shoulder when the photo was being taken... When I am feeling really down I remember what a blessing I had to meet and be touched by HHDL when so many Tibetans are unable to - I remember when I was hiking around the Drak Yerpa caves in Tibet and when the locals found out that I had met HHDL they all wanted a blessing from my mala which he had blessed...I remember this one old man in particular who stood with the mala on his head for a good 15-20 seconds with tears in his eyes...

[Imua 0]

Here is a link to the live webcast of the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony tomorrow beginning at 11:00 and HHDL's public address on the West Lawn of the Capitol:

http://ict.convio.net/site/PageServer?page...hr0utpia1.app2b

[Permanent Ban 0]

Name one leader who's been more ineffective than the Dalai Lama.

Bush and Dalai Lama - both failures - they're perfect for each other.

[Nessa 23]

Do you think he had a pedicure?