Tibet became a laboratory for the enlightenment movement to create its model society, to evolve into an actual manifestation of a buddha's pure universe, a "buddhaverse." A social buddhaverse is a place where everything is geared toward enlightenment, where every lifetime is made meaningful by dedication to optimal evolutionary development.
Because that nation embraced the enlightenment movement for more than a millennium, Tibet is the prime example of a sustained attempt by an entire people to create a society, culture, and civilization that cherish the individual's pursuit of enlightenment over the needs of society. . . . Imagine a culture in which everything is geared toward helping all individuals become the best human beings they can be; in which individuals are driven to devoting their lives to becoming enlightened by the natural flood of compassion for others that arises from their wisdom. Once an individual attains enlightenment, society at large automatically becomes enriched. This principle was the heart if the Buddha's social revolution.
— Robert Thurman, Inner Revolution