Also, the Dalai Lama isn't just another pol. There can't be many other world leaders who get to dictate the colours you should wear when going to meet him. The Pope's not too keen on unruly crowds with beercans either.(posted 8326 days ago)The list of those with a genuine desire to harm him is also, hmmm, quite long. Even if the NSA think he's an annonying distraction from the serious business of opening China up for investment, they still don't want him shot on US soil.
And then there's the commercial side. Try taking a camera into a big baseball game, or a Madonna concert. He needs the money more than they do, and for a better cause, so relax, sit back, and enjoy the fact that you got to see and hear one of the world's great spiritual leaders in the flesh.