The title Dalai Lama is given to the political leader of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) tradition of Mahayana Tibetan Buddhism. Leaders of the Gelug tradition were not referred to as Dalai Lama until the name was first given to Sonam Gyatso, the third political leader of the Gelug tradition, by the 16th century Mongolian emperor Altan Khan. Contrary to popular opinion, the Dalai Lama is not the official spiritual leader of Gelug Buddhism, the Ganden Tripa is. The Dalai Lama has a position of greater political authority but the Ganden Tripa holds a higher spiritual rank.
Gelug followers believe the Dalai Lama is an incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion, who will keep being reborn until the permanent cessation of suffering of sentient beings (living beings that are conscious and have feelings). The term Dalai Lama translates into English as 'teacher of an ocean of wisdom'. Tibetans sometimes refer to the Dalai Lama as Kundun which translates to The Presence.
When the Dalai Lama dies, a search for his incarnation is started. This means there is usually a gap of time when there is no Dalai Lama. When an incarnation of the previous Dalai Lama is found, he is brought to a monastery where he is trained by monks. The process is not always peaceful. There have been times when several search parties claimed to have found the next Dalai Lama. In the past, this turned into a political power struggle where the different groups try to force their candidate into the position.
The fourteenth Dalai Lama, was born the fifth of seven children on July 6, 1935 in the small village of Taktser in the province of Amdo which is in the northeaster region of Tibet. His birth name was Lhamo Dhondrub (also spelled Lhamo Thondup, with several variations). The name means wish fulfilling goddess.
His parents were poor farmers, but his father liked to gamble and occasionally left home for several weeks at a time to pursue his gambling interests. There were a total of sixteen children born but only seven survived past infancy. He was actually the 13th child born to his parents but only four of those children survived, making him the fifth of seven surviving children.
Lhamo Dhondrub was recognized as the reincarnation of thirteenth Dalai Lama by one of several search groups who were searching Tibet for the new Dalai Lama. The search was based on details the previous Dalai Lama had made known before his death and information provided by the Regent of Tibet who had a vision while staring into lake Lhamo Lhatso (a sacred lake that according to belief, is a window to the future).
In 1934, about a year after the thirteenth Dalai Lama died, a search party set out with the details from the previous Dalai Lama and the vision seen by the Regent in search of the incarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama. In 1937 they found a house that was similar to one the Regent had seen in his vision in Amdo (a province in Tibet).
Lhamo Dhondrub, who was a little over two years old, lived in that house. Disguised as travellers, the search party stopped at the house and asked if they could rest there overnight. It was common for travellers to seek shelter on their journey and it was bad luck for a family to deny them a place to sleep and food. They left early the next morning after saying good bye.
Three weeks later they returned to the house and asked for directions and after getting them, departed. Two weeks after this, the search party returned once more. This time one of the members brought two canes and put them in a corner.
According to members of the search party, when Lhamo Dhondrub saw the canes, he took one and said the cane was his and wanted to know why it had been taken from him. He also referred to various articles the search party possessed as being his own belongings.
All the articles the boy claimed were his had belonged to the previous Dalai Lama. This and other things the boy did and said appears to have proven to the search party that the boy Lhamo Dhondrub was indeed worthy of consideration. Prior to this time, they had identified sixteen possible candidates for the position of Dalai Lama.
After meeting Lhamo Dhondrub, they narrowed it down to three possible boys and told the parents of Lhamo Dhondrub that they and their son would have to go to the city of Lhasa. One of the three boys would be chosen as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
The local governor demanded an extremely large ransom before allowing Lhamo Dhondrub to leave the region and go to Lhasa. This delayed the journey but according to several accounts, they left for Lhasa on the twenty-first day of July in 1939.
After arriving in Lhasa about three months later, they were taken to Jewel Park, the summer residence of the Dalai Lama and a welcoming ceremony was preformed. Five months after arriving in Lhasa, Lhamo Dhondrub was moved to the Potala Palace, the winter residence of the Dalai Lama.
On 22 February 1940, at the age of four, he was officially proclaimed the fourteenth Dalai Lama and enthroned. This meant he was accepted as the 14th manifestation of the Buddha of Compassion.
After becoming the Dalai Lama, Lhamo Dhondrub was renamed Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. The name means Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith and Ocean of Wisdom. To make life easier, he uses the name Tenzin Gyatso.
Tenzin Gyatso began his education in 1941, at the age of six, he was taught reading, writing and memorizing Buddhist scripture. After the basics, his education continued with learning logic, art, culture, Sanskrit, medicine, poetry, music, drama, astrology, and other disciplines.
On 7 October 1950, over 30,000 Chinese troops invaded Tibet and on November 17, 1950, the fifteen year old was asked to become head of the Tibetan government, which he accepted. The Dalai Lama’s oldest brother, Taktser Rinpoche, came to the Potala in early November and warned the communist Chinese wanted the Dalai Lama dead.
In fact, he was only allowed to visit the Potala because he had told the Chinese that he would kill the Dalai Lama for a reward. It was then that the Dalai Lama understood how serious the Chinese invasion was. After this, the Dalai Lama was urged to go to southern Tibet with other high government and Buddhist officials. He arrived in Dromo, Sikkim, in January, 1951.
At this time, Tibetan warriors known as The Khampas were fighting the Chinese who had invaded Tibet. This was a guerilla war that was sponsored in part by the CIA. But the Tibetan warriors were far outnumbered by the Chinese and their guns were no match for a modern Chinese army. Over time, the Chinese sent more and more soldiers into Tibet. It is estimated that since 1950 the Chinese have kept a minimum of 250,000 soldiers stationed in Tibet at any one time.
From 1951 to 1959, the Dalai Lama continued his studies and also had several meetings with Chinese officials. In fact he went to China and met with Chairman Mao in Peking in early 1954. He stayed in Peking several months but nothing was accomplished politically. In 1959, at the age of 25, the Dalai Lama finished his formal education and received a doctorate in Buddhist Philosophy.
On 10 March 1959 in the capital city of Lhasa, Tibetans held a large demonstration. The Chinese were told they weren't welcome in Tibet and it was time for them to leave the independent country. The Chinese army crushed the uprising and killed thousands of Tibetan demonstrators.
Soon after, the Dalai Lama realized if he stayed in Tibet he would be jailed and probably killed by the Chinese. The Dalai Lama also knew that if anything happened to him at the hands of the Chinese, the Tibetan people would have tried to violently overthrow the Chinese.
Although not concerned about his personal safety, he was worried that many Tibetans and Chinese would be killed (in the violence that erupted) if anything happened to him. His only options were to stay and be imprisoned or to leave Tibet. He made the decision to leave Tibet and began his exile in India.
In the early years of his exile, the Dalai Lama was not allowed to make political statements or leave India. The Indian government did not want to provoke the Chinese. But in the latter 1960's, India allowed him to travel and make political statements on behalf of the Tibetan people.
In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited his consistent opposition to violence as a solution to international conflicts, human rights issues and global environment problems. The Peace Prize was given to the Dalai Lama in Oslo, Norway on the tenth of December in 1989.
So strong is his commitment to non-violence that he has stated he would resign his position as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people if Tibetans ever staged violent protests against the Chinese. Since leaving Tibet, his main goal has been to return to an independent Tibet, when he says he will step down as political leader of the country.
The Dalai Lama has also stated that if the Chinese have not left Tibet, the next Dalai Lama will come from an area the Chinese have no jurisdiction over. In 2007, the Chinese government passed a law making it illegal for living buddhas to be born in Chinese occupied Tibet, without first obtaining government permission.
IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION
Dalai Lama, My Son
A very good source of information for those looking to fill in some pieces of the Dalai Lama's early life that were not thoroughly explained in the movie Kundun. It also gives information on some events that Kundun didn't touch.
Written by the Dalai Lama's mother, the first part deals with her early life as a child, her marriage, and her children, especially her son Lhamo Dhondrub who would become the Dalai Lama. She also describes what life was like in the province of Amdo where the Dalai Lama was born.
After this, the story concentrates on the Dalai Lama after he moved to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and some of the dark behind the scenes information about Buddhist Monks, Chinese Authorities and other people that influenced Tibet, Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama, My Son (Softcover Book)
Dalai Lama, My Son (Audio Cassette)
Kundun (DVD)
The movie about the life of the Dalai Lama, from his birth in 1935 to his 1959 exile to India. Very well done, the acting, cinematography, and sound are excellent. If you are in anyway interested in the life of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, this is a must have movie with a list price of under $10.
Kundun (DVD)
Robert A.F. Thurman Collection
A series of lectures, by Robert Thurman, that give an overview of the history and philosophy of both Tibet and Buddhism along with practical applications of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Tibetan culture and how Buddhism originated in India and made its way to Tibet, eventually becoming the state philosophy/religion.
Robert Thurman is a Buddhist monk. In 1964, at the age of 24, he was the first western Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by the Dalai Lama. He has held position that include being Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, as a scholar and translator of Tibetan and Sanskrit, and as president of Tibet House (dedicated to preserving the living culture of Tibet) in New York.
This in by no means an exciting Hollywood movie. It is a collection of lectures recorded before an audience at Tibet House in New York City. Total run time for the 2 dvd set is about seven and a half hours. Each dvd is broken into three segments about 60 to 90 minutes in duration, that's a little over three and a half hours per dvd.
The Robert A.F. Thurman Collection 2 DVD set On Tibet / On Buddhism (DVD)
The Four Noble Truths
A talk by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama about Buddhism and his views on how to practice Mahayana Buddhism. Recorded in London England in July 1996, it is divided into four lectures, each lasting about an hour and a half. If you are interested in Buddhism this will introduce you to most of the basic practices that you can apply to your own life. For the beginner, this is a dvd that you can watch again and again because of all the important information.
For the majority of the time the Dalai Lama speaks in his native Tibetan, while his long time translator provides an English translation. It might seem at times that the translator is adding his own thoughts on the subject. For instance the Dalai Lama might respond to a question with a three word answer that the translator turns into a five minute speech.
The translator is not adding anything, he is Tibetan by birth and has been the primary English translator for the Dalai Lama since 1986. He can expand on some information to make it easier for a person who is not Tibetan or Buddhist to understand. The Dalai Lama can speak English and corrects the translator several times, so don't be worried about something being lost in the translation. Available in dvd and book format, the two dvd set runs about six hours. The book is a paperback edition that is just over 150 pages long.
The Four Noble Truths (DVD)
The Four Noble Truths (Book)