The
Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and temporal Leader
of the Tibetan people. He was born on July 6, 1935, in a small
village called Taktser, in northeastern Tibet. Born to a peasant
family, His Holiness was recognised at the age of two, in accordance
with Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor
the 13th Dalai Lama.
The Tibetans believe their Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Buddha
of Compassion who chose to take rebirth for the purpose of serving other human
beings. Dalai Lama means Ocean of Wisdom. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness
as Yeshe Norbu, the Wish-fulfilling Gem or simply Kundun, meaning The Presence.
When the 13th Dalai Lama passed away in 1933, the task which confronted the
Tibetan Government was not to simply appoint a successor but to seek for and
discover a child in whom the Buddha of Compassion would incarnate. It was not
necessary that the child should have been born just at the time of the death
of His predecessor, or even soon after.
As on former occasions, there would be indications of the directions in which
the search should be made, and that the child would be found to possess physical
and mental attributes similar to those of his predecessor.
In 1935, the Regent of Tibet went to the sacred lake of Lhamoe Lhatso about
90 miles southeast of Lhasa, Tibet's capital. The Tibetans have observed that
visions of the future can be seen in this lake. The regent saw the vision of
three Tibetan letters: "Ah" "Ka" and "Ma" followed
by a picture of a monastery with roofs of jade green and gold and a house with
turquoise tiles. A detailed description of these visions were written down
and kept a strict secret.
In 1937, high lamas and dignitaries, carrying the secrets of the visions, were
sent to all parts of Tibet to search for the place the regent had seen in the
waters. The search party headed east was under the leadership of Lama Kewtsang
Rinpoche of Sera Monastery. When they arrived in Amdo, they found a place matching
the description of the secret vision. The party went to the house with Kewtsang
Rinpoche disguised as a servant and a junior official Lobsang Tsewang disguised
as the leader. The Rinpoche was wearing a rosary that had belonged to the 13th
Dalai Lama, and the little boy recognizing it, demanded that it should be given
to him. Kewtsang Rinpoche asked who the leader was and the boy replied that
he was Sera Aga, which meant in the local dialect, "a Lama of Sera".
The Rinpoche asked who the leader was and the boy gave his name correctly.
He also knew the name of the real servant. This was followed by a series of
tests involving choosing the correct articles belonging to the 13th Dalai Lama.
By these tests, they were further convinced that the reincarnation had been
found and their conviction was enhanced by the vision of three letters: "Ah" stood
for Amdo, name of the province, "Ka" stood for Kumbum, one of the
largest monasteries in the neighborhood or the two letters
"Ka" and "Ma" stood for the monastery of Karma Rolpai Dorjee
on the mountain above the village. It was also significant that once the 13th
Dalai Lama had stayed at the monastery on His way back from China. In 1940, the
new Dalai Lama was enthroned.
He began His education at the age of six and completed the Geshe Lharampa Degree
(Doctrate of Buddhist Philosophy) when He was 25. At 24, His Holiness took
the preliminary examinations at each of the three monastic universities: Drepung,
Sera and Ganden. The final examination was held in the Jokhang, Lhasa, during
the annual Monlam Festival of prayer that is held in the first month of each
year. In the morning He was examined on logic by 30 scholars turn by turn in
congregational discussion. In the afternoon, 15 scholars took part as his opponents
in the debate on the Middle Path, and in the evening 35 scholars tested his
knowledge of the canon of monastic discipline and the study of metaphysics.
His Holiness passed the examination with honors.
In 1950, when He was only 16, He was called
upon to assume full political power when Tibet was threatened
by the might of China. In 1954, His Holiness went to Peking
to talk peace with Mao Tsetung and other Chinese leaders including
Chou En-lai and Deng Xiaoping. In 1956, His Holiness visited
India to attend the 2500th Buddha Jayanti Anniversary. While
in India, His Holiness had a series of meetings with Prime
Minister Nehru and Premier Chou En-lai about deteriorating
conditions in Tibet.
In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile
in India after the Chinese military occupation of Tibet. Since
that time, His Holiness has been residing in Dharamsala, North
India where the Tibetan Government in exile has maintained
its headquarters.
While in exile, His Holiness appealed to the United Nations on the question
of Tibet, resulting in three resolutions being adopted by the General Assembly
in 1959, 1961 and 1965. His Holiness has set up educational, cultural and religious
institutions, which have contributed significantly towards the preservation
of the Tibetan identity and its rich heritage. In 1963, His Holiness promulgated
a draft constitution of Tibet, which assures a democratic form of government.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been working tirelessly for the Tibetan Nation
ever since his been in exile since 1959 trying to find a peaceful solution
with China over the status of Tibet.
In a landmark address to the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus,
delivered in Washington DC, on September 21st 1987. His Holiness offered a
Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet, in order to open a dialogue with Beijing.
On June 15th 1988 His Holiness the Dalai Lama elaborated on his earlier Five
Point Peace Plan for Tibet in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
This was to be known as The Strasbourg Proposal. There was no response to the
proposals from Beijing and any commitment to them was withdrawn on September
2nd. 1991.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his
tireless work for Tibet. In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness,
the Norwegian Nobel Committee cited his consistent opposition to violence and "forward
looking proposal for the solution of international conflicts, human rights
issue and global environment problems". His Holiness accepted the Prize
in Oslo on 10th December 1989.
Unlike his predecessors, His Holiness has traveled to North and South America,
Czechoslovakia, Europe, the United Kingdom, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New
Zealand, South Africa, Russia, Mongolia, Taiwan and met with political and
religious leaders of these countries. In fact there are not many places that
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has not been.
During his travels abroad, His Holiness has spoken strongly for better understanding
and respect among the different faiths of the world. Towards this end, His
Holiness has made numerous appearances in interfaith services, imparting the
message of universal responsibility, love, compassion and kindness. "The
need for simple human to human relationship is becoming increasingly urgent....
Today the world is smaller and more interdependent. One nation's problems can
no longer be solved by itself completely. Thus, without a sense of universal
responsibility, our very survival becomes threatened. Basically, universal
responsibility is feeling for other people's suffering just as we feel our
own. It is the realization that even our enemy is entirely motivated by the
guest for happiness. We must recognize that all beings want the same thing
that we want. This is the way to achieve a true understanding, unfettered by
artificial consideration".
Although the Chinese Government still refuses dialogue with His Holiness and
his representatives, His Holiness has always stated that the door to Dialogue
with China is open. And to that end His Holiness hopes that the UN or some
friendly Government will be able to persuade the Chinese Government to find
a Peaceful Solution for Tibet without any preconditions.
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