“As long as space lasts and for as long as living beings remain. Until then, I can stay in order to dispel the misery of the world. ” This is perhaps the most beloved phrase attributed to the famous Buddhist and philosopher of the 8th century, Shantideva.
“I am a mere Buddhist monk. Neither more, nor less, ”he responds to those who attribute him divine properties. “No temples need, no complex philosophies are needed. My mind and heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. “
He was born on July 6, 1935, in a rural family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, AMdo, in the northeast. His parents cultivated buckwheat and barley to live the family.
The 14th Dalai Lama
At the age of two, the child, then called Lamos Thodap, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Giatso. Two years later he was selected as his successor and was officially recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama on November 17, 1950, at the age of 15.
Delegations, nobles and a multitude of believers from all corners of Tibet traveled at night crossing dangerous mountain passages to find themselves in Lhasa (the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibetan autonomous area) to attend the ceremony.
The little boy with the big round eyes looks at people with interest passing through in front of him, unable to realize the historical weight of the moment.
The priests transport him to the center of Lhasa, to the Temple of Jocang. They cut him off and wear the monastic garment. Tibet’s spiritual leader is here.
Photo Credits: AP Photo
“Dalai Lama” is the title given to one of the two leaders of Lamaism (Tibetan Buddhism) (the other leader is the Pantyan Lama). The name “Dalai Lama” is a combination of the Mongolian word “Dalai” which means “ocean” and the Tibetan word “blah” which means “teacher”.
The copyright of the Dalai Lama extends beyond Tibet to Mongolia, in part of China and in the kingdoms of Bhutan and Sikkim.
It is believed to represent on Earth the living incarnation of Wadhisatva Avalokitevara, one of the forms of the Buddha, that of Mercy.
The Dalai Lama are believed to be manifestations of Avalokitsesvara or Chenrezing, the Bodisatva of the compassion and the patron of Tibet. Bodisatva are conscious beings inspired by the desire to gain the buddy for the benefit of all the sensible beings who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.
Tibet training
He began his monastic education at the age of six. The curriculum, coming from Nalanda’s tradition, included five main and five secondary courses.
The main courses included logic, fine arts, Sanskrit grammar and medicine. Greater emphasis was placed on Buddhist philosophy, which was further divided into five more categories: Madhamika: The Middle Road Philosophy, Vinagia: The Rule of Monastic Discipline, Abidarma: Metaphysics and Pramana: Logic and Logic.
At the age of 23, he took his final exams at the Jocchang Temple during the annual Monlam Chenmo Festival in 1959. He passed excellently and was awarded his Geshe Lharampa degree, which was equivalent to his highest doctorate in Buddhist.
The flight to India
In 1950, Mao sent his armies against the country with the mandate “to release the oppressed Tibetans, to unite the country with their motherland and to protect Tibet from the forces of imperialism”. Dalai Lama was called upon to assume full political power.
In 1954, he went to Beijing and met with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Siaoping and Chu Anlai. Five years later, in 1959, after the violent repression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by the Chinese troops, he was forced to leave the country and resort to neighboring India.
The Chinese soldiers had surrounded the summer palace in Lhasa where Dalai Lama was located. 30,000 Tho -Evethians and so many monks gathered in the courtyard to protect their prayers with a weapon.
Photo Credits: EPA PHOTO NIPA/AIVAR PARTEL
The Chinese authorities have asked Dalai Lama to surrender otherwise they would open fire to the crowd. Before giving any answer, he asked to be shouted at him the official oracle, the monk Lobsang Gigme.
As Dimitris Galanis and Nikitas Karagiannis write in VIMA: “Gigme fell into hypnosis to communicate with the spirit of Netsung, who is one of the spiritual guides of the Dalai Lama. .
He then grabbed a pencil and paper and began writing precise instructions on the escape of the Dalai Lama from Tibet. What Dalai Lama did not know was the fact that the monk’s instructions had been dictated by the CIA in consultation with the Tibetan rebels.
Dalai Lama’s escape from Chora was one of the most bold businesses in the US intelligence and remained secret for many decades.
The mission was led by CIA Director Allen Dulles but was responsible for completing it was a CIA agent who, after his retirement, revealed the details of the rescue on the condition that he remains anonymous. “
Disguised in a villager, Dalai Lama, along with his accompaniment, traveled for 12 days until he reached Daramhasala, Northern India, where he resides to this day. The Dalai Lama has never seen Lhasa again, the city in which God had been declared.
In exile, Tibet’s central administration led by his leadership appealed to the United Nations to consider Tibet’s issue. The General Assembly adopted three resolutions for Tibet in 1959, 1961 and 1965.
He constantly sought a compromise with Beijing for the fate of the Tibetans, which was initially based on a claim of independence that evolved into a demand for greater autonomy.
“This century was particularly difficult not only for Tibet but also for all humanity. The good news is that we learned enough and became more mature. It is the same of human nature when it encounters difficulties to use its intelligence more. I believe that the next century will be happier, “he said a while ago.
Initiatives for Peace
On September 21, 1987, in a speech to members of the United States Congress in Washington, Dalai Lama proposed a five -point peace plan for Tibet as a first step towards peaceful resolution of the worsening situation in Tibet.
Photo Credits: REUTERS/Marks
The five points of the plan were: Converting the whole Tibet into a peace zone. Abandoning the political transportation of China’s populations that threaten the very existence of the Tibetans as a people. Respect for the fundamental human rights and the democratic freedoms of the Tibetan people. Restoration and protection of Tibet’s natural environment. Abandoning the use of Tibet by China to produce nuclear weapons and reject nuclear waste.
He proposed talks between Chinese and Tibetans that would lead to a democratic political entity for all three Tibetan provinces. This entity would be in cooperation with the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese government would continue to be responsible for Tibet’s foreign policy and defense.
Tense relationships with China and the successor
He is against him by calling the symbol of the past and leader of a religion that no longer exists. The Chinese leadership continues to today to accuse him of being a “autonomist” and a “traitor”.
In his book “Voice for the Voiceless”, released in March 2025 ,.
China says its leaders have the right to approve the successor of Dalai Lama as a legacy from imperial times. A selection ritual, in which the names of the possible reincarnations are recovered from a golden ashtray, dates back to 1793 during the Qing dynasty.
Chinese officials have repeatedly stated that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should be decided by following the national laws that determine the use of the golden ashore and reincarnations within China’s borders.
Photo Credits: REUTERS/Stringer
Many Tibetans argue that any Chinese role in the choice is a trick for the exertion of influence in the community.
“The Tibetans should freely elect their leader, the man to whom I will be able to assign my power,” Dalai Lama said.
In his book, he asked the Tibetans not to accept “a candidate chosen for political purposes by anyone, including those in the People’s Republic of China”.
The 1989 Nobel Peace Nobel
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 1989 Dalai Lama won global praise and applause – with the exception of China. The explanatory memorandum wrote:
“The Commission wants to emphasize the fact that Dalai Lama in his fight for Tibet’s liberation is steadily opposing the use of violence. On the contrary, he has supported peaceful solutions based on tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people. “
On December 10, 1989, he accepted the award on behalf of the oppressed and all those who fight for freedom and work for world peace and the people of Tibet.
“The award confirms our belief that with our weapons of truth, courage and determination, Tibet will be liberated. Our struggle must remain non -violent and free of hatred, “he said in his thankful speech.
He added: “In China the popular movement for democracy was stifled with brutal violence in June this year. But I do not believe that the demonstrations were in vain, because the spirit of freedom was rekindled to the Chinese people, and China cannot escape the impact of this spirit of freedom that scans many parts of the world.
The brave students and their supporters have shown the human leadership and the human face of this great nation in the Chinese leadership and in the world. “
Political retirement
On March 14, 2011, Dalai Lama wrote at the Tibetan (exiled Tibetan parliament) assembly asking her to relieve him of his secular power, as according to the map of exiled Tibetans, he is still technically.
He announced that he was ending the custom with which the Dalai Lama exercised spiritual and political power in Tibet. He intended, as he explained, to repeat the regime of the first four Dalai Lama dealing only with spiritual affairs.
Photo Credits: EPA Photo/Epa/Jason Szenes
He confirmed that the democratically elected leadership would take full official responsibility for Tibet’s political affairs. The official office and the Dalai Lama House, Gaden Phodrang, would now only perform this operation.
On May 29, 2011, he signed the document that officially transferred his secular power to the democratically elected leader. In this way, he officially put an end to the 368 -year -old Dalai Lama tradition that functioned both as a spiritual and cosmic head of Tibet.
With information from dalalama.com and savetibet.org
