The leader of the religion known as Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is also the ruler of Tibet in Asia. However, since the 1950s, when China took over Tibet, the Dalai Lama has had to live in India to avoid being arrested by the Chinese. The Dalai Lama is considered by Tibetan Buddhists to be the god of compassion, who comes to Earth in order to help people. The current Dalai Lama travels the world to speak against Chinese rule of Tibet and to promote peace. BackgroundTibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism that began in the 7th century AD. Tibetan Buddhists believe in reincarnation, which is the idea that after death a person's soul is born again in a new body. For Tibetan Buddhists, each Dalai Lama is a rebirth of the first Dalai Lama, who died in 1475. When a Dalai Lama dies, Tibetan Buddhist leaders use different ways to discover where he will be reborn. Buddhist leaders may go to an oracle for an answer. An oracle is a holy person who is believed to have a message from a god. They may also interpret various signs that give them clues about where to look. The leaders look for a child born soon after the previous Dalai Lama dies. The chosen child must past many tests in order to prove that he is the reincarnated Dalai Lama. For example, the child is usually asked to identify objects that belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. Once the child has passed the tests, he officially takes the throne and the title Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama then spends his time studying Buddhism and meditating. Current Dalai LamaEarly lifeThe current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the 14th Dalai Lama. He was born in 1935 to a peasant family. Before his 5th birthday Tenzin had passed the required tests and was named the next Buddhist leader. In 1940 he took the throne at a palace in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The Dalai Lama was educated in religion and Buddhist practices. CareerIn 1950 the Dalai Lama was named the head of Tibet's government. That same year, the Chinese invaded Tibet. Although China called Tibet a self-governing region, the Chinese government took away many of the civil rights of the Tibetan people. During the 1950s, the Dalai Lama worked hard to make an arrangement with the Chinese to allow the Tibetans to live in peace. But the Chinese continued to mistreat the Tibetan people. In 1959 the Chinese killed more than 80,000 Tibetans who were protesting Chinese rule. To avoid being captured by the Chinese, the Dalai Lama fled to India with a group of followers. They settled in a town in the Himalayas. Because the Dalai Lama lives outside of Tibet, he has had a different kind of life than the previous Dalai Lamas, who lived an isolated life. The 14th Dalai Lama often travels around the world in order to educate others about the Tibetan people and their desire for independence. The Dalai Lama has also met with many world leaders, including Pope John Paul II, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, and former South African president Nelson Mandela. In 1989 the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel peace prize for his nonviolent work to end Chinese control of Tibet. In addition, he wrote a number of books on Tibetan Buddhism and an autobiography. |