The Dalai Lama is in town today, and appeared at the Kimmel Center during the lunch hour.
Instead of an oasis of calm and spiritual awakening, the pavement outside was the scene of rage and tears.
Vocal protesters, cordoned off by the police to the south of the Center, held placards reading "the Dalai Lama is lying." One man held a bullhorn and led the group of 40 in jeers. The group consisted mostly of Caucasians, including women with short-cropped hair dressed in saffron-and-crimson monk-like garb, Chinese and Chinese-Americans.
Patrons attending the appearance slowly filed in due to the presence of metal detectors and security guards searching for weapons, a powerful reminder of the emotional discourse and loaded issues that continue to surround the Dalai Lama and Tibet.
It was an incongruous setting. The Kimmel Center, palace of the arts, temporaily transformed into a temple of spiritual awakening
at $75 a ticket. In turn, the appearance incited more politics, hurt and anger that most Kimmel performances, even thought the 14th Dalai Lama profresses "compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline."
A large group of Tibetans and Tibetan-Americans, dressed in traditional garb, became enraged by the anti-Dalai Lama protestors. Several women erupted in tears. Some Tibetan patrons quickly made "Paid for by China" signs adorned with arrows directed at the group, and waved them at a phalanx of cameras while yelling at the anti-Tibet group and telling everyone they could find that the group were "phonies put up and paid for by the Chinese."
Several event organizers tried to mollify the distraught Tibetans with hugs, repeating "This is a spiritual event. Don't play into their games." But the Tibetans were too upset by the other protestors, especially in regards to their homeland, to be placated even if their religious leader preaches spiritual harmony.
Instead of an oasis of calm and spiritual awakening, the pavement outside was the scene of rage and tears.
Vocal protesters, cordoned off by the police to the south of the Center, held placards reading "the Dalai Lama is lying." One man held a bullhorn and led the group of 40 in jeers. The group consisted mostly of Caucasians, including women with short-cropped hair dressed in saffron-and-crimson monk-like garb, Chinese and Chinese-Americans.
Patrons attending the appearance slowly filed in due to the presence of metal detectors and security guards searching for weapons, a powerful reminder of the emotional discourse and loaded issues that continue to surround the Dalai Lama and Tibet.
It was an incongruous setting. The Kimmel Center, palace of the arts, temporaily transformed into a temple of spiritual awakening
at $75 a ticket. In turn, the appearance incited more politics, hurt and anger that most Kimmel performances, even thought the 14th Dalai Lama profresses "compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline."
A large group of Tibetans and Tibetan-Americans, dressed in traditional garb, became enraged by the anti-Dalai Lama protestors. Several women erupted in tears. Some Tibetan patrons quickly made "Paid for by China" signs adorned with arrows directed at the group, and waved them at a phalanx of cameras while yelling at the anti-Tibet group and telling everyone they could find that the group were "phonies put up and paid for by the Chinese."
Several event organizers tried to mollify the distraught Tibetans with hugs, repeating "This is a spiritual event. Don't play into their games." But the Tibetans were too upset by the other protestors, especially in regards to their homeland, to be placated even if their religious leader preaches spiritual harmony.
I'm glad there are some people that don't buy into the neo-con propaganda about the Dalai Lama being a "spiritual leader". He is a terrorist, a thug, but above all a skillfull manipulator.— squirrelpants- 10,000 Tibetans vs. 10,000 men— Dvs Mind
Comment removed.- Free Tibet from the tyranny of Communist control!— nervegenerator
- Hey squirrelpants, you're an idiot.— mongolchick
- Squirrelpants I see dumb hippies with the free tibet tshirts not neocons. However, you are right on about the Dali Lama being less than holy. Tibet was stuck in the feudal system before the Maoist revolution, which is why the Chinese were able to over run the country so easily.— steakhead
- Comment removed.
Most protesters are just plain revolting.- First off, if anyone who frequents the philly.com message boards hasn't noticed yet this squirrelpants character is nothing but an inflammatory loudmouth with remarks that bear no credence and do little more than incite anger and response. His outrageous nonsense, as well as a couple other users I can think of should be a resounding reason for an ignore button, but I respectfully plead that you all refrain from even bothering with his "look at me" angle of commentary. Second off, this protest reeks of outside intervention. Who in their right mind would label this man of peace a thug or a liar? But this is America, and it is the right of everyone to protest. Even those that are paid to do so.— Sparerib
- Squirrelpants has anti-Semitic tendencies and that's disturbing.— PhilaRocks
- I was at the demonstrations in Philly and there were many more than 40 people, and a great number of Tibetans. There will be 600 demonstrators in New York, with 150 Tibetans. There is a real problem with the abuse of human rights in the exile community in Tibet -- please see www.WesternShugdenSociety.org or www.WisdomBuddhaDorjeShugden.org to get a sense of it and please make up your own mind. The Dalai Lama is being unbelievably hypocritical, preaching religious tolerance while creating a Buddhist apartheid in Tibetan society.— Truthbody
- Comment removed.
- Not sure why my comment wasn't posted, so I'll try it again. I was at the Kimmel Center today, and I have to question Karen Heller's journalistic chops: >>the group of 40... I would say more like 100 >>The group consisted mostly of Caucasians, including women with >>short-cropped hair dressed in saffron-and-crimson monk-like garb Women Buddhist monks are called "nuns"; they dress funny like this. Check out Catholic women monks, they are also often dressed funny too. >>Chinese and Chinese-Americans. As a yankee I must admit that I am not adept at telling what part of Asia a given Asian comes from. But I do know that you can't tell a ___ and a ___-American apart just by looking at them (fill in the ___ with any ethnicity). The Asians I saw protesting were Tibetan (this was told to me by a Tibetan, so I am making an assumption here). There may have been someone of Chinese heritage in the crowd, but I don't know this for a fact. But as far as I can tell, the whole business has to do with Tibetan spirits and/or gods, or other mummery that has little to do with the daily practice of your average joe-buddhist. But many of us 21st century modern types get quite choked up and dewey-eyed when conjuring up Tibetan lamas, the Amish or any other ''tis a gift to be simple' types who have a direct connection to the bliss we cannot seem to attain. Richard Gere and Robert Thurman can wring there hands, not I!!! I don't know if HHDL is a tyrannical ogre, I don't know if the Chinese government is raining cash on that crowd of protesters. I doubt both. But you gotta stop and look at anyone ballsy (or nutty) enough to protest the DL. What next ... Down with Mother Theresa??? I wish all of 'em would just reach nirvana and stop being born into this world of sorrow. It just might cheer this place up. Myt— mytsigns
- Comment removed.
- What were they protesting?— joeblow
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