HHDL image via LA Times |
As a human being, Bin Laden may have deserved compassion and even forgiveness, the Dalai Lama said in answer to a question about the assassination of the Al Qaeda leader. But, he said, 'Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. … If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures.'Somebody orchestrates the murder of thousands of people, leaves no doubt he'd like to do more harm, that guy getting shot in the course of being hunted down -- not the worst thing. As Alysa put it:
When the most zen man in the universe says its better you're dead, you're better off dead. http://lat.ms/kI3TcK (dalai lama on OBL's death)
There's a good bit later in the article about the role of religion with regard to Happiness:
The Dalai Lama spoke about the importance of religious tolerance, and about the shared values of all major religions. But he said that people could not attain happiness through prayer, and that "this happy life is not a religious concept." Happiness, he said, is a secular concept, so "our aim is secular."
"I'm Buddhist," he said. "I respect religion. But I talk always about secularism."