A living Buddha may claim to possess spiritual enlightenment but when it comes to understanding political ideas, the Dalai Lama is very much in the dark.
"I was very much attracted to the internationalism of Marxism. I wanted to join the Chinese Communist party, [but] today the Chinese Communist Party is without Communist ideology," he said. "As far as socio-economic theory is concerned, I am a Marxist," he said, terming the present day Communism in China as "Capitalist Communism". Maintaining that there was a time when Chinese Communists really worked for the needy, the Dalai Lama said,"The spirit of Marxism died in China, after the Chinese Communist Party started silencing both criticism and critics of people in power."
Oh, well, back to the chanting and the prayer wheels ..ommmmmmmmmmmmmmm......
It's a shame, as you say, that the Dalai Lama doesn't have a better understanding of Marxism. If he did, he'd understand that "Right Livelihood", a key aspect of the Buddha's teaching, is totally incompatible with capitalism. Then he could teach, as a matter of urgency, the need for all Buddhists to become Marxists!
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