Yesterday I was busily listening to Ed Dale (or more accurately, Ed Dale’s canned YouTube visage) teach me the proper way to use Google Reader, when I got a twit from Guy Kawasaki letting me know that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is now on Twitter!

Needless to say I was blown away by these news. It shows, simultaneously, that a) Twitter is getting bigger than The Beatles (I’m not even going to drag Lennon’s own quote into this); b) Guy really IS totally and completely tuned in to the latest happening on the twittesphere; and c) the Dalai Lama, having time and time again proven a keen understanding of the power of a worldwide audience, is demonstrating prudence (to borrow a word from one of his office’s twits) by the truckload (that last part not borrowed.)

I mean, what other religious leader is twittering? Is the Pope even online? Does the Archbishop of Canterbury have a MySpace? One of the key, key aspects of this that is so engaging is that, whereas many of us are used to seeing religions -and more specifically religious leaders- to be aloof, unreachable, reluctant to mingle or enter debate, dialog or discussion, here you have The Office of His Holiness ready and willing to communicate, on Twitter, on Facebook, on MySpace. THAT makes a statement. His Holiness is connected, is willing to be connected. He is one with all of us, in a Web 2.0 display of Buddhist principle in motion.

Of course, I immediately started following His Holiness, curious to see what his twits would consist of. Predictably, it wasn’t long before the subject of China came up And shortly after, there were several twits saying that the Office of His Holiness was overwhelmed with twits and was endeavoring to reply to them all. Traffic flood!

Now, here’s the most amazing thing: While I was composing this blog I stopped to check my email. And you’ll never guess what I found in my Inbox: His Holiness is now following me!

I don’t know how I feel about this. I have no problem following the Dalai Lama - words of wisdom and inspiration, and the occasional anti-communist rhetoric, are welcome in my daily routine. But having a religious leader following me? How will this influence my twits? Will I still so giddily twit about robotic shenanigans, google streetview peeping-tom escapades, or an exploding whale? I half expect to get a letter someday, with a Tibetan exotic stamp on it, and inside, a little lecture (in a soothing, pleasant tone) about the propriety of such things and the need for a focused mind.

But then, who knows? For all I know, any day I’ll find that His Holiness is retwittering my twits!