As opposed to the long, long journey of “just believe in Me and you’ll be saved”?

Come now. The Buddha’s message of attachment and compassion is indeed, a journey worth taking. And those who persist on that journey throughout their lives, lifetime after lifetime, eventually arrive at a place where they have attained wisdom and equanimity, even to the extent that they are able to help others who are trapped in samsara—the inevitable stress, suffering, discontent, discomfort, malaise that arises from wanting more from life than life can offer. The Dalai Lama appears, uniquely among those with something to teach us, to have reached that state of attainment. I give him great honor.

To suggest, as you seem to have, that his message offers “a short cut”, is demeaning and silly. It is equivalent to suggesting, as The Onion famously did, that “Jesus died because he was weak and stupid.” Except not as funny.

Richard

For every journey worth taking it seems, there will be at least one offer of a short cut.

bill