This year a lot of attention has been paid to the occurrences in Tibet with the Olympics being held in China, however, to understand the myths and culture of Tibet one must first examine the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Tibbetan Buddhists and is admittedly an outstandingly interesting man. One would imagine that the Dalai Lama -in light of the happenings in Tibet- would possess nothing but anger and hurt, instead he is truly and merely happy. He hates no one, in fact he says: ‘I don't dislike the Chinese, only their actions.’ It appears nothing can make this man flinch, for he is at peace and finds his inspiration in a place within him that only the Dalai Lama can reach.

The point of studying the Dalai Lama is not to marvel at his actions but to learn from him. For although we may not be Buddhists, we can learn from him to understand that whilst we are the most powerful we are ‘also the biggest troublemakers’. From this 72 year old wonder we can see that it is possible to remain calm in the face of oppression and trouble and to hope that the best is yet to come. Although it seems hope is doing very little for the Tibetans.

By Karim