Not so zen

Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama, sheltered under his saffron robe, embodies the martyrdom of a Tibet subjected to the Chinese yoke. A symbol of wisdom, he gathers crowds all over the world. Sacred, adulated: who would question this living god who claims to carry with him the hope of freedom for an entire people?

Maxime Vivas dares to attack the myth: what if the Dalai Lama was a theocrat who fills his palace coffers with gold while the Tibetans are just serfs who are denied any education? And what if, as a good opportunist, he had a changing discourse towards the Chinese, sometimes friend, sometimes enemy? What if he was playing into the hands of the Americans and the CIA more than the Tibetans he claims to defend?

Based on the Dalai Lama's own words, on the testimonies of proselytes as well as on his own trip to Tibet, the author paints a vitriolic portrait of "His Holiness" and shows us that all is not so zen in Buddha's kingdom.