Uh oh. According to The Times of India the Dalai Lama sees the global recession as a spiritual issue. He says:
Lack of spirituality and culture is the main cause behind the rampant corruption in the world. People have become selfish and materialistic, which has led to the economic slowdown.
I don’t think that he’s necessarily off base here, but commentary like this can do more harm than good.
Oversimplification begets all sorts of problems. Yes, greed, hatred and delusion can be seen as the roots of human suffering but people around the world that might otherwise be inspired by his message can easily dismiss his assessment of global economic and geopolitical crises as unsophisticated, if not unskillful.
(Bows to Barbara O’Brien’s article, Dalai Lama: Lack of Spirituality Caused Recession)