Buddhists here in Syracuse continue as usual to look towards His Holiness the Dalai Lama for spiritual guidance on a daily basis. During times of economic turmoil, rising crime rates, terrorism and overseas political instability and wars the cool minded ideas from the father like figure of the Dalai Lama are always welcomed here in Syracuse.
And so Buddhists here in Syracuse have been pleased with the Dalai Lama being chosen as an important political figure by TIME magazine. Phayul.com has reported "Dalai Lama among TIME magazine's 'top 25 political icons' of all time", http://bit.ly/fBB5Jl.. TIME magazine has listed alongside India's Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India, His Holiness the Dalai Lama as being among the "Top 25 Political Icons" of all time.
On Ferbruary 6, which coincided with the 100th birth anniversary of the late US President Ronald Reagan, this list was released by TIME magazine. The Dalai Lama has often spoken of the positive influence of Mahatma Gandhi on him. The Dalai Lama, like Mahatma Gandhi, has been praised for the non-violence and tolerance message that he has passed on to the generations.
TIME has described the Dalai Lama as "a spiritual leader and a head of state in absentia." TIME has gone on to say of the Dalai Lama that he is "not only the greatest and most public advocate for Tibetan rights and the virtues of Tibetan Buddhism, but for interfaith tolerance and peace as well." TIME has also said "For decades — and from exile since 1959 — he has worked to resolve tensions between Tibet and the People's Republic of China. And like Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. before him, the Dalai Lama done so in a manner defined by nonviolence and tolerance. In 1989, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts."
TIME has gone on to comment "The Dalai Lama's humility has endeared him to presidents and religious leaders of several countries, affording him the opportunity to raise awareness and drum up support for Tibet on a global scale. His 1998 book, The Art of Happiness, sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. and made him a New York Times bestselling author for nearly two years. Yet little the 14th Dalai Lama can do seems to endear him to the authorities in Beijing, who have rebuffed his overtures, label him a "wolf in monk's robes," and seem intent on waiting for the iconic figure to die. For all the global compassion and sympathy the Dalai Lama has won, his lasting legacy may be one of sad, crestfallen failure."
Other famous figures listed alongside the Dalai Lama by TIME are Mughal Emperor Akbar, Alexander the Great, Mao Zedong, Winston Churchill, Genghis Khan, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Cleopatra, Franklin Roosevelt, Queen Victoria, Mussolini, Lenin, Margaret Thatcher, Simon Bolivar, Qin Shi Huang, Kim Il-Sung, Charles de Gaulle, Louis XIV, Haile Selassie, King Richard the Lionheart, and Saladin.
Buddhists here in Syracuse are joining Buddhists elsewhere with well wishes for the Dalai Lama for his being recognized as being such an influential person by TIME magazine. The Dalai Lama certainly deserves this honor.
Mandel News Service: http://www.mandelnews.com
