Dalai Lama in Fortune's powerful people list

[icy]

Friday, 21 March 2014 - dna reported:

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama was ranked ninth in the list of world's most powerful people by the Fortune magazine, which put another spiritual leader Pope Francis at the top.

Myanmar's pro-democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi occupied the sixth place in the list.

"For over 50 years, the Dalai Lama, 79, has campaigned tirelessly for peace, non-violence, democracy and reconciliation, especially among world religions," Fortune said Thursday.

The top 10 leaders in the list are Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ford Motor chief executive officer (CEO) Alan Mulally, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, former US president Bill Clinton, Aung San Suu Kyi, Commander of US Force in Afghanistan Gen. Joe Dunford, US singer Bono, Dalai Lama and Amazon.com. CEO Jeff Bezos.

The magazine said "serving in an influential role" was not necessarily enough to land a spot.

"We have drawn a distinction between leaders and people who are admirable and powerful but who are not transformative leaders."

[vajrastorm]

The Dalai Lama has been placed ninth in the list of the world's ten most powerful people by Fortune Magazine. He has earned this ranking because of his tireless work for "peace, non-violence, democracy and reconciliation".

It is just wishful thinking maybe, but why can't HH Dalai Lama stretch out a hand of peace and reconciliation to Shugden practitioners and practice non-violent means towards them? Instead, he has used a most unpeaceful and undemocratic means to curb their so-called practice of what he unjustly and unreasonably brands a spirit, by enforcing a draconian ban on Shugden practice. He has even closed an eye to the violence inflicted on Shugden practitioners, saying he does not see any violence at all.Why is he behaving contrary to the spirit of peace and democracy that had won him all the accolades?   

[maricisun]

The Dalai Lama is ranked 9th in the most influential powerful people list. I'm sure the whole world knows who Dalai Lama is.
But sad to know that for someone so influential will ban the practice of Dorje Shugden when Buddhism taught us to be compassionate and not to condemn another person's religion or culture.

[bambi]

I really want to congratulate HHDL but... Sigh... Powerful for the wrong reasons coz HHDL is definitely NOT promoting 'peace, non-violence, democracy and reconciliation, especially among world religions' coz of the way He is stopping people from religion freedom! All the pain and hurt that DS practitioners are going thru, I am surprised HHDL is still on the list...

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Congratulations to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for being ranked in Fortune Magazine's list of top 10 most powerful people in the world. In the eyes of the people at Fortune magazine who had compiled the list, made up mostly of corporate leaders, religious heads of various beliefs and even leaders of countries, His Holiness's campaigns on peace and non violence got HH a placing in the list. I reckon the plights of the Shugden devotees who are ostracized by the government lead by HH managed to elude the eyes and ears of this magazine editorial staff.

[brian]

maybe it should be termed as most influential people instead... without a doubt, HH Dalai Lama did a lot of things to really inspire and benefit people around the world. It is very noble and this should be viewed as a proud moment for every Buddhists on earth. What is more concerning nowadays is that how HH Dalai Lama still putting a cloud over the controversial Dorje Shugden case... and maintaining silence into the matter pertaining the discrimination of Dorje Shugden practitioners. It is completely unacceptable really!

[yontenjamyang]

I certainly agree with all of you on the point of Shugden practitioners and the sufferings that the Dalai Lama's ban caused. The power in the hands of the Dalai Lama is the reason why he can ban the practice. If he doesn't has the power, then he cannot do anything to the practice. That is why we have an army general listed as one of the most powerful people.
However, the criteria used to rank the list is "transformative leaders". I take that to mean people who can change the circumstance and the thinking of others. In this respect, I must say the Dalai Lama deserve to be on that list. He has touch, influenced and transformed many lives; sometimes negatively but mostly positively. Power can be use positively or negatively.

[Q]

Peace, democracy... and reconciliation among world religions? Ok, we really need to write to FORTUNE's magazine to enlighten them about Dorje Shugden practitioners.

However, despite the ban instilled on DS practitioners, and DL's not in my favorite list of Lamas (as I'm not in his list of good student...) I must say he do deserve to be top 10 of the most influential person in the world. Fortune have done something good and they have recognized that money and power are not the real fortune, but instead the ability to influence people positively and benefit others in such a way that would make a difference in their life.

[diablo1974]

Advocating Peace and Compassion is definitely powerful. Its not surprise that HH Dalai Lama is in fortune list of powerful people. Through the word of Compassion and Peace, it has unite many people together and contributed harmony between different religions and cultural differences. We can actually sees a lot of pictures of His Holiness visiting churches, mosques and participated in their ritual processing.

[diamond girl]

Advocating Peace and Compassion is definitely powerful. Its not surprise that HH Dalai Lama is in fortune list of powerful people. Through the word of Compassion and Peace, it has unite many people together and contributed harmony between different religions and cultural differences. We can actually sees a lot of pictures of His Holiness visiting churches, mosques and participated in their ritual processing.

this is exactly the issue. He advocates peace and compassion and is in the media wherever he goes. No doubt he has benefited many people with his sharing the Buddha's teachings. He has even made celebrities his students which will again bring buddhism to even more people. We see him with Popes in churches and in mosques too - but doesn't that beg the question that if he is able to respect Christianity and Islam, why can he not respect Dorje Shugden, who is a Buddha? The Dalai Lama has not said that Jesus Christ is enlightened so he is being respectful to a religion which has as its core someone who is unenlightened, so even if he thinks Dorje Shugden is unenlightened, surely he could show the same respect. It is contradictory and just doesn't make sense.

[gbds3jewels]

Since His Holiness exile from Tibet, HHTDL has brought Buddhism to new heights and world wide spread in what many claimed to be dark age, a degenerated time. This task is no small feat and I believe the DS ban is part of the Chess pieces for the benefits of numberless beings. Impossibly for our many of our minds to comprehend and try to find an explanation how and why because the actions of HHTDL seems so contradictory. In admit I do not know much about Buddhism and the teachings of Buddha but I have read in many places about seemingly contradictory teachings or actions of Buddhas, Mahasiddhas, high lamas, etc so.....why should this be any different.

Contradictions arose from our preconception. I think these contradictions are almost "on purpose" to challenge our mind to open. Just my two cents.

[maricisun]

To be rank 9th in the Fortune's powerful people list is an honour indeed as this sow that HHDL has done something beneficial to the world.
But sadly HHDL is so contradictory to what his is teaching. Buddhism teaches us  to be compassionate but why discriminate those who practices Dorje Shugden. HHDL should show compassion even they are practicing another religion. Why should there be any difference?

[Klein]

The Dalai Lama has been placed ninth in the list of the world's ten most powerful people by Fortune Magazine. He has earned this ranking because of his tireless work for "peace, non-violence, democracy and reconciliation".

It is just wishful thinking maybe, but why can't HH Dalai Lama stretch out a hand of peace and reconciliation to Shugden practitioners and practice non-violent means towards them? Instead, he has used a most unpeaceful and undemocratic means to curb their so-called practice of what he unjustly and unreasonably brands a spirit, by enforcing a draconian ban on Shugden practice. He has even closed an eye to the violence inflicted on Shugden practitioners, saying he does not see any violence at all.Why is he behaving contrary to the spirit of peace and democracy that had won him all the accolades?

If we believe The Dalai Lama to be the emanation of Chenrezig, then we need to give him the benefit of doubt that what he's doing now is for the betterment of Buddhism in the long run. There are so many reasons we can give for his supposed hypocritical actions. Nevertheless, we will need to go with the flow and keep promoting the truth about Dorje Shudgen.

Good news is the Dalai Lama is still the face of Buddhism around the world and is still very much recognized and spoken about. No one even comes close to his fame for representing Buddhism. So on the bright side, Buddhism has become main stream in many Western countries because of HH's hard work in promoting Buddhism for decades. Millions of people in the West are practising Buddhism and millions more will embrace Buddhism because of HH.

So no point defaming HH as it will backfire on us if we want more people to practise Buddhism at the end of the day. I feel a better way to kill 2 birds with 1 stone is to aggressively promote the truth of Dorje Shugden without defaming HH. When more people know about the truth of Dorje Shugden, they will decide for themselves.