Friday 14 June 2013
The thirteenth Dalai Lama, Thub-bstan-rgya-mtsho (1875-1933), ruled with great personal authority. The successful revolt within China against its ruling Manchu dynasty in 1912 gave the Tibetans the opportunity to dispel the disunited Chinese troops, and the Dalai Lama reigned as head of a sovereign state.
The fourteenth Dalai Lama, Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, was born of Tibetan parentage and was recognized as the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama. (The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity. The first of the line was Dge-'dun-grub-pa [1391-1475], founder and abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery in central Tibet.)
The Dalai Lama was enthroned in 1940 in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. He began his monastic education at the age of six, majoring in logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine, and Buddhist philosophy. He also studied poetry, music and drama, astrology, motre and phrasing, and synonyms. He was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, the highest-level degree equivalent to a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy.
In 1950 Dalai Lama assumed political responsibility after China invaded Tibet in 1949. In 1959, the Tibetan people unsuccessfully revolted against the Chinese forces and the Dalai Lama was forced into exile in India with a group of some 100,000 followers, where he was given political asylum. The Dalai Lama set up a government-in-exile in Dharmshala, India, in the Himalayas. Since the Chinese invasion Dalai Lama has been pleading for the cause of Tibet in the international forums - his struggle has all along been non-violent. In September 1987, His Holiness proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. Addressing members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on June 15, 1988, he made another detailed proposal stressing on the last point of the Five Point Peace Plan. He proposed for a self-governing democratic political entity that would be in association with China and the Chinese government would continue to hold control over Tibet's foreign policy and defence. In 1992 he issued guidelines for the constitution of a future, free Tibet.
Dalai Lama is known for his message of peace and non-violent struggle against aggression. He has also been a champion of environmental protection. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his non-violent campaign to end the Chinese domination of Tibet. He has written a number of books on Tibetan Buddhism, as well as an autobiography.
