Lama Surya Das
Controversial Borat Film
2006-11-28 20:11:17
Last night I saw the controversial Borat film, which I found hilarious, interesting and provocative. It's a combination of Archie Bunker, Andie Kaufman, and my friend Stephen Colbert's facetious approach to social commentary. I recommend it to you, unless you're hyper-sensitive about anti-semitism.



Borat, who is actually a British comedian named Sacha Baron Cohen (who's Jewish on his parents' side), plays his altar ego Borat the Filmmaker-Journalist from Kazakhstan as a know-nothing first-time tourist in America -- not unlike the characters from the Third Rock from the Sun TV sitcom, who are visiting us earthlings incognito in human forms.



In the process of discovering Americal, Borat the Bagnificant hangs of our prejudices and bigotry out to dry in the sun, for all to see -- which takes nerve. I bongratulate him for doing it... And hope he doesn't take on us imperfect Buddhists and our foibles and blindspots next!
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Lama Surya Das
I met a great man yesterday. My old friends from my Paris days, founders of the France-Burma Aid Association, invited me to breakfast at the Harvard Faculty Club, to meet their mentor Sulak Sivaraksa, one of the grand old men of Buddhism. This brilliant and accomplished activist -- an original disciple of the highly esteemed late Thai master Ajaan Buddhadasa -- is still, at the age of 73,
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