[Buddha-l] Buddhism & War

[Dan Lusthaus]

> I thought the office of the Dalai Lama came about as part of a
> non-violent resolution of a crisis of Mongol invasion.  I think HHDL is
> the very embodiment of non-violent activity, even against the well-known
> brutal Bhutanese.
> Wayne

Tibet had a standing army when the PRC invaded, and it engaged the Chinese
army in combat. It was in recognition of the futility of their resistance
that the Dalai Lama (and a disputed number of other Tibetans) fled the
country into exile. Had the Tibetan army been sufficiently prepared to throw
back the Chinese, the Dalai Lama would still be in Lhasa.

Dan