haahaha  Sheetab, the damn ignoramus is back.  hahah  Lemme clip your wings AGAIN (for the 4th time now).  I am amused how peeps can come into this thread with so little knowledge on Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai lama and the life-style of Tibetans everywhere.  And shamlessly, they portray a know all attitude on the issue.  hahahaha

Ok, the Dalai Lama was the ruler in Tibet, but don't you know that the TGIE elects its leaders on a democratic election basis?  All leaders are chosen for a 5 year term and then relected if necessary.  The Dalai knows that he undoubtedly would win, so he makes sure he remains as the religious head only (giving others a chance).  He does not decide on Tibet's internal affairs alone.  The Prime Minister in exile and his cabinet does it in consultation with his Holiness.  Where do we get such claims as him being a dictator from??  This ain't Saddam's Iraq, stupido!! 

hahaha  You say: "Didn't the Tibetians lost their freedom becasue of the stupidity of the then government of Tibet where they called Chinese help to fight? Also, i read somewhere that the taxes Tibetian Business people paid in Tibet was really high because they had to feed the king who would not do anything but sit down with their malas" - - -  WTF??  Tibet called the Chinese to fight?  Are you crazy??  Mao's army moved into the Tibetan Province claiming that it was a part of China during the 13th century (when the Mongols invaded Tibet).  The rational is the same as India moving into Nepal saying that during Chandragupta Maurya's time parts of Nepal were ruled by him.  And about taxes, land in Tibet was owned by the gompas.  The famers tolied on the land and shared the crop with the gompas.  Everything was on a subsistence routine.  And where did you read about high taxes for business peeps??  Was it in the archives of "yo figment of imagination"??  Listen, being a monastic society where each family voluntarily sent one child to the gompas for education, everyone was somehow connected to the gompas.  If I had a meaningful realtionship with my neighborhood church, Hell, I'd donate every now and then too, won't I?  And if my brother was a priest there, won't I make it a point to support him??  Damn, where does your rational arise outta?  I can keep bombarding yo azz all day!  hahahah

Next in line, DUKE makin me puke...Hey, on a "vely-velly" ignorant basis, there ain't no God in Tibetan Buddhism.  Get your facts straight.  Everything is based on karmic rebalancing (as in Hinduism you have "rita" in the Rig Veda).  BTW, You're not yet ready for 101 class in Buddhism, go pick up the "Buddism for dummies" guide, maybe that'll get your gray matter working!!"

sgy, the congressional gold medal talk had been going on for the past few years and even last year, this issue was held up in the congress (why don't you research before coming here reeking of ignorance).  And the timing with Al Gore's Nobel was nothing but mere co-incidence...Rather Al Gore's was a surprise as atleast I had known about the Dalai's nomination 2 years ago.

Finally, Ekstrom who comes up with questions which he has noticed but not done much research on.  You ask what he has done for Buddhism and his own school of thoughts...Well, if you know Tibetan Buddhism, there are 4 schools of thought.  Ever heard of gelugpas (of the yellow hats??).  Who heads it?  There I answered it all!  And writing books?  Why is that even necessary?  Did Socrated and Aristotle ever write books?  They were damn orators whose philosophical reasonings were passed down through ancient tablets and word of mouth.  Same too with the scriptures of the gelugpa sect, moron.  And the reason I talk about the other heads of state being awarded the Nobel, etc: Didn't you write that the Dalai was awarded all these awards SOLELY for being a religious head/ruler of Tibet (in those lines)??  If thats the case, why haven't the other rulers been recognized elsewhere beside their own small pond.

And you say: "once-a-refugee-in-a-state-always-one-unless-any-law-changes"...WTF?  What about the kids of the refugees born after they have moved outside the confines of the refugee camps?  What about the kids of these kids??  BTW, talk to an immigration lawyer about this and see how hard he slaps you on your face for being more supid than a 5th grader!!  hhahaha

And about the Dalia Lama asking for Free Tibet (hahah becoz someone flaunts a t-shirt, you think it was said by the Dalai Lama or the TGIE??), just hear the first line of the below broadcast on CNN where he doen not ask for an Free Tibet but rather an autonomous Tibet (don't you get the difference).  All he wants is that the people there be allowed to exercise religious and spiritual freedom...Political freedom, he knows will never be granted so he strays away from that topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOm3H9wpySQ&eurl=http://forums.phayul.com/index.php?showtopic=756

All in all, the above ignoramus' could've atleast spent a few minutes googling for the amswers rather than be made into the butt of all jokes here at sajha.  Listen, I'm not Tibetan (nor were my fore-fathers), but yet, I'm giving you the 101s on Buddhism and Tibetans.  All it takes is a bit of research and going out and knowing these humble people rather than type any crap that just flows outta you mind.  I did that, why not do the same and learn rather than cling to your ignorant beliefs that will get blown down time and again by da one and only Samsara himself!   hahahaha