With some of the debates recently on the progressive vs. reactionary nature of the Dalai Lama, this forwarded post seems interesting.--Nathan Newman
-----Original Message----- [mailto:owner-jhurd_dsa-doc at indiana.edu] On Behalf Of ANDERSON DAVID
"Of all the modern economic theories, the economic system of Marxism is founded on moral principles, while capitalism is concerned with only with gain and profitability. Marxism is concerned with the distribution of wealth on an equal basis and the equitable utilization of the means of production. It is also concerned with the fate of the working classes--that is the majority--as well as the with the fate of those who are underprivileged and in need, and Marxism cares about the victims of minority-imposed exploitation. For those reasons the system appeals to me, and it seems fair. I just recently read an article a paper where his holiness the Pope also pointed out some positive aspects of Marxism...
The failure of the regime in the Soviet Union was, for me not the failure of Marxism but the failure of totalitarianism. For this reason I think of myself as half-Marxist, half-Buddhist."
The Dalai Lama in Beyond Dogma: Dialogues and Discourses