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Fake Dalai Lama back from Twitter exile
Newslite, February 10, 2009
San Francisco, USA -- A prankster who conned thousands of Twitter users by pretending to be the Dalai Lama has returned to the site after a brief 'exile.'
The Twitter account claiming to run by "The Office of the Dalai Lama" gained over 20,000 followers within 48 hours of being set up.It claimed the use of Twitter was an attempt to make the Nobel Peace Prize winners teaching more assessable to a 'technologically advancing audience.'
But the account was suspended when it was discovered he was a fake - it has since returned, but with the message 'Not affiliated with the real Dalai Lama.'
The real Dalai Lama has not yet joined the popular microbloging service, leaving some to conclude that enlightenment cannot be reached in 140 characters.
A spokesperson for Twitter.com wrote on their blog: "One of the essential doctrines of Buddhism is Impermanence.
"The word expresses the notion that everything we can experience through our senses is in flux, constantly changing, and ceasing to be—nothing is permanent.
"Is there some meaning, therefore, in the sudden disappearance of a Twitter account thought to be the official account of The Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama?
"There may be a higher meaning if you meditate enough but the account was suspended because it violated our Terms of Use regarding impersonation.
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