Here's a timely article in this week's New Yorker: a review by Pankaj Mishra of Pico Iyer's biography of the Dalai Lama:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/03/31/080331crbo_books_mishra
It's not too long, it's quite well written, and it's really quite good IMHO. It mocks and slams everything you'd like to see mocked and slammed -- celebrities, medievalism, totalitarianism, and platitudinarianism -- and still manages to get across the guy's appeal, both why he appeals to so much to his enthusiasts, and why he should appeal at least a little to those of us who think those people are clods.
Michael