Humanitarian Work
The
Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and in the
tradition of Bodhisattva he has spent his life committed to benefiting
humanity. He has written numerous books and conducted hundreds of
conferences, lectures and workshops at major universities and
institutions throughout the world, discussing engaging in wisdom,
compassion and, more recently, environmental sustainability. Unlike his
predecessors, the Dalai Lama has met with many Western leaders and has
visited the United States, Europe, Russia, Latin America and many
countries in Asia on a number of occasions.
Known as an effective
public speaker, the Dalai Lama is often described as charismatic. His
message is always one of peace and compassion for people all over the
world. During his travels abroad, he has stressed the need for a better
understanding of and respect among different faiths of the world. He
has made numerous appearances at interfaith services and has met with
several heads of other religions, including Pope John Paul II; Dr.
Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Gordon B. Hinckley, the
president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and
Patriarch Alexius II, of the Russian Orthodox Church.
In 1989,
the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent
efforts for the liberation of Tibet and his concern for global
environmental problems.
The Committee's citation stated, "The Committee
wants to emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama in his struggle for
the liberation of Tibet consistently has opposed the use of violence.
He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and
mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural
heritage of his people." In recent years, a number of Western
universities and institutions have conferred peace awards and honorary
doctorate degrees upon the Dalai Lama in recognition of his
distinguished writings in Buddhist philosophy, as well as his
outstanding leadership in the service of freedom and peace.
Conflict with China
Since
the Chinese invasion, the Dalai Lama has taken numerous actions in
hopes of establishing an autonomous Tibetan state within the People's
Republic of China. In 1963, he issued a draft constitution for Tibet
containing a number of reforms to democratize the government. Called
the Charter of Tibetans in Exile, it grants freedom of speech, belief,
assembly, and movement. It also provides detailed guidelines for
Tibetans living in exile.
During the 1960s, the Central
Intelligence Agency funded and trained Tibetan forces to resist the
Chinese invasion and occupation with the Dalai Lama's full knowledge
and support. The program was a failure as thousands of lives were lost
in the resistance and is now considered merely a Cold War tactic on
the part of the United States to challenge the Chinese government's
legitimacy in the region.
In September 1987, the Dalai Lama
proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first steps in a
peaceful solution to reconcile with the Chinese government and end the
volatile situation there. The plan proposed that Tibet would become a
sanctuary where enlightened people can exist in peace and the
environment can be preserved. In June 15, 1988, the Dalai Lama
addressed members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
There he proposed talks between the Chinese and Tibetans that would
lead to a self-governing democratic political entity for Tibet. The
entity would be associated with the People's Republic of China, and the
Chinese government would be responsible for Tibet's foreign policy and
defense.
In 1991, the Tibetan government-in-exile declared the
Strasbourg Proposal invalid because of the current Chinese leadership's
negative attitude toward the proposal.
Becoming the Dalai Lama
Tenzin
began his religious education at age 6. His schooling consisted of
logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine and Buddhist
philosophy, which is divided into five other categories dealing with
the perfection of wisdom, monastic discipline, metaphysics, logic and
epistemology—the study of knowledge. At age 11, Tenzin met Heinrich
Harrer, an Austrian mountaineer, who became one of his tutors, teaching
him about the outside world. The two remained friends until Harrer's
death in 2006.
In 1950, at the age of 15, Tenzin assumed full
political power as the Dalai Lama. However, his governorship was short.
In October of that year, the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet
against little resistance. In 1954, the Dalai Lama went to Beijing for
peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. However, in
1959, continued suppression of the Tibetan people by Chinese troops led
to their uprising. The Dalai Lama and his closest advisers believed
the Chinese government was planning to assassinate him. Consequently,
he and several thousand followers fled to Dharamshala in northern India
and established an alternative government there.
At the time,
the People's Republic of China considered the Dalai Lama to be a symbol
of an obsolete religious movement, not in line with communist
philosophy. More recently, the Chinese government alleges that he is a
separatist and a traitor for advocating Tibetan self-rule, and a
terrorist for inciting Tibetan rebellion.
Buddhist Teachings
Buddhism
was created in the sixth century, BCE, with the birth of Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, making it one of the oldest religions practiced
today. Originating in India, the religion spread throughout most of
eastern and southern Asia. Buddhism came to Tibet in the 8th century,
CE. Unlike other religions that are centered on a supreme being,
Buddhism is centered on four basic truths: Life is not perfect; people
are left unsatisfied by trying to make life perfect; people can realize
there is a better way to achieve fulfillment; and by living one's life
through wisdom, ethical conduct and mental discipline, people will
reach enlightenment.
Within these truths are countless layers of
teachings on the nature of existence, life, death and the self.
Buddhism encourages its followers not to believe in those teachings, as
followers of other religions believe in their religion's central
figures and dogma, but rather to explore, understand, and test the
truths against their own experiences. The emphasis here is on the
exploration. The Buddhist belief of rebirth is a concept of "renewal"
and not exactly reincarnation of a spirit or body. Under Buddhism, the
consciousness of a person can become part of the consciousness of
another person, as a flame moves from one candle to another.
The second
flame is not identical to the first, nor is it totally different.
Thus, Buddhists believe life is a continual journey of experience and
discovery and not divided between life and the afterlife.
Dalai
Lama, Tibet's political leader, has strived to make Tibet an
independent and democratic state from China. He and his followers are
exiled to India.
The
Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935 in Taktser, China. At
age 15, he assumed political power of Tibet as the Dalai Lama. The
People's Republic of China invaded that same year. Fearing
assassination, he and thousands of followers fled to Dharamsala in
northern India, where they established an alternative government. Since
then, the Dalai Lama has taken numerous actions in hopes of
establishing an autonomous Tibetan state within the People's Republic
of China. However, the Chinese government has shown no signs of moving
toward peace and reconciliation with Tibet. The Dalai Lama has also
conducted hundreds of conferences, lectures and workshops worldwide, as
part of his humanitarian efforts. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1989. In December 2008, the Dalai Lama announced his semi-retirement
after having gallstone surgery.
Early Life
Lhamo
Thondup was born on July 6, 1935 in Taktser, China, northeast of
Tibet, to a peasant family. He is the head of state and spiritual
leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, India.
Tibetans believe him to be the reincarnation of his predecessors. For
nearly 50 years, he had aimed to establish Tibet as a self-governing,
democratic state.
Lhamo Thondup was the fifth of 16
children—seven of whom died at a young age. After several months of
searching for a successor to the 13th Dalai Lama and following many
significant spiritual signs, religious officials located Lhamo Thondup,
at age 2, and identified him as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai
Lama, Thubten Gyatso. Young Lhamo was renamed Tenzin Gyatso and
proclaimed the 14th Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lamas are believed to be
the reincarnation of Avalokitesvara, an important Buddhist deity and
the personification of compassion. Dalai Lamas are also enlightened
beings who have postponed their own afterlife and chosen to take
rebirth to benefit humanity. "Dalai" means "ocean" in Mongolian (the
name "Gyatso" comes from the Tibetan word for ocean). "Lama" is the
equivalent of the Sanskrit word "guru," or spiritual teacher. Put
together, the title of Dalai Lama is literally "Ocean Teacher," meaning
a "teacher spiritually as deep as the ocean."
