14th Dalai Lama

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Tenzin Gyatso
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Tenzin Gyatso gives a characteristic hands-raised anjali greeting
Tenzin Gyatso gives a characteristic hands-raised anjali greeting
Reign 17 November 1950 – present
Predecessor Thubten Gyatso
Tibetan བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་
Wylie bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho
Pronunciation [tɛ̃ ́tsĩ càtsʰo]
Transcription
(PRC)		 Dainzin Gyaco
THDL Tenzin Gyatso
Chinese 丹增嘉措
Pinyin Dānzēng Jiācuò
Father Choekyong Tsering
Mother Diki Tsering
Born 6 July 1935 (1935-07-06) (age 75)
Taktser, Qinghai, Republic of China[1]

The 14th Dalai Lama (Religious name: Tenzin Gyatso, shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub,[2] 6 July 1935) is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figure in the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has controversially consolidated control over the other sects in recent years. He is also well known for his political activities relating to the Tibetan independence movement, although he has recently moderated his stance.

The Dalai Lama was born in Taktser, Qinghai and was selected as the rebirth of the 13th Dalai Lama two years later, although he was only formally recognized as the 14th on 17 November 1950, at the age of 15. He inherited control over a government controlling an area roughly corresponding to the Tibet Autonomous Region just as the nascent People's Republic of China wished to reassert central control over it. The respective governments reached an agreement for a joint Communist-Lamaist administration that lasted until 1959.

During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, which China regards as an uprising of feudal landlords, but the Dalai Lama regards as an expression of widespread discontent, the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he denounced the People's Republic and established a government in exile. A charismatic speaker, he has since traveled the world, proselytizing for Tibetan independence and Tibetan Buddhism, though his role in the former is diminishing. He has spoken about such topics as abortion, economics, firearms, and sexuality, and has attracted controversy for his treatment of Dorje Shugden followers, his relationship with the CIA, and other things.

 This article contains Tibetan script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Tibetan characters.
This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Contents

Early life and background

The Dalai Lama as a boy

Lhamo Döndrub (or Thondup) was born on 6 July 1935 to a farming and horse trading family in the small hamlet of Taktser,[1] in the eastern border of the former Tibetan region of Amdo, then already incorporated into the Chinese province of Qinghai.[3][4] He was one of seven to survive childhood. The eldest was his sister Tsering Dolma, eighteen years older. His eldest brother, Thupten Jigme Norbu, had been recognised at the age of eight as the reincarnation of the high Lama Taktser Rinpoche. His sister, Jetsun Pema, spent most of her adult life on the Tibetan Children's Villages project. The Dalai Lama's first language was, in his own words, "a broken Xining language which was (a dialect of) the Chinese language" as his family did not speak the local Tibetan language.[5]

Tibetans traditionally believe Dalai Lamas to be the reincarnation of their predecessors, each of whom is believed to be a human emanation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. A search party was sent to locate the new incarnation when the boy who was to become the 14th was about two years old.[6] It is said that, amongst other omens, the head of the embalmed body of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, at first facing south-east, had mysteriously turned to face the northeast—indicating the direction in which his successor would be found. The Regent, Reting Rinpoche, shortly afterwards had a vision at the sacred lake of Lhamo La-tso indicating Amdo as the region to search—specifically a one-story house with distinctive guttering and tiling. After extensive searching, the Thondup house, with its features resembling those in Reting's vision, was finally found.

Thondup was presented with various relics, including toys, some of which had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama and some of which had not. It was reported that he had correctly identified all the items owned by the previous Dalai Lama, exclaiming, "That's mine! That's mine!"[7]

House where the 14th Dalai Lama was born

Lhamo Thondup was recognised formally as the reincarnated Dalai Lama and renamed Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom). Tibetan Buddhists normally refer to him as Yishin Norbu (Wish-Fulfilling Gem), Kyabgon (Saviour), or just Kundun (Presence). His devotees often call him His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the style employed on the Dalai Lama's website.

Monastic education commenced at the age of six years, his principal teachers being Yongdzin Ling Rinpoche (senior tutor) and Yongdzin Trijang Rinpoche (junior tutor). At the age of 11 he met the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, who became his videographer and tutor about the world outside Lhasa. At the Norbulingka (summer palace), the 14th Dalai Lama enjoyed the 13th Dalai Lama's movie projectors, which he used to watch films about World War II, and the only three cars in Tibet, which he occasionally crashed.[8]

During 1959, at the age of 23, he took his final examination at Lhasa's Jokhang Temple during the annual Monlam or prayer Festival. He passed with honours and was awarded the Lharampa degree, the highest-level geshe degree, roughly equivalent to a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy.[6][9]

Life as the Dalai Lama

Lhasa's Potala Palace, today a UNESCO world heritage site, pictured in 2006

The Dalai Lamas had political and religious influence in the Western Tibetan area of Ü-Tsang around Lhasa, where the Gelug school was popular and the Dalai Lamas held land under his jurisdiction. In 1939, at the age of four, the present Dalai Lama was taken in a procession of lamas to Lhasa.

China asserts that the Kuomintang government ratified the 14th Dalai Lama and that a Kuomintang representative, General Wu Zhongxin, presided over the ceremony. It cites a ratification order dated February 1940, and a documentary film of the ceremony.[10] According to Tsering Shakya, Wu Zhongxin along with other foreign representatives was present at the ceremony, but there is no evidence that he presided over it.[11]

The Dalai Lama's childhood was spent between the Potala and Norbulingka, his summer residence.

"On 8 July 1949, the Kashag [Tibetan Parliament] called Chen Xizhang, the acting director of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission office in Lhasa. He was informed that the Tibetan Government had decided to expel all Chinese connected with the Guomingdang Government. Fearing that the Chinese might organize protests in the streets of Lhasa, the Kashag imposed a curfew until all the Chinese had left. This they did on 14, 17 and 20 July 1949. At the same time the Tibetan Government sent a telegram to General Chiang Kai-shek and to President Liu Zongren informing them of the decision."[12]
The Dalai Lama (right) and Panchen Lama (left) meet Mao Zedong in 1955.

In October 1950 the army of the People's Republic of China marched to the edge of the Dalai Lama's territory and sent a delegation, after defeating a legion of the Tibetan army in warlord-controlled Kham. On 17 November, at the age of 15, the 14th Dalai Lama was enthroned formally as the temporal ruler of Tibet.

Cooperation and conflicts with the PRC

The Dalai Lama's formal rule was brief. He sent a delegation to Beijing, which ratified the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.[13][14] He worked with the Chinese government: in September 1954, together with the 10th Panchen Lama he went to the Chinese capital to meet Mao Zedong and attend the first session of the National People's Congress as a delegate, primarily discussing China's constitution.[15][16] On 27 September 1954, the Dalai Lama was selected as a deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress,[17][18] a post he officially held until 1964.[19]

In 1956, on a trip to India to celebrate the Buddha's Birthday, the Dalai Lama asked the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, if he would allow him political asylum should he choose to stay. Nehru discouraged this as a provocation against peace, and reminded him of the Indian Government's non-interventionist stance agreed upon with its 1954 treaty with China.[9] The CIA, with the U.S. fighting against China in the Korean War at the time, offered the Dalai Lama assistance in contrast. Through communications through Kalimpong, the Dalai Lama organized pro-independence literature and the smuggling of weapons into Tibet. Armed struggles broke out in Amdo and Kham during 1956 and spread to Central Tibet in 1959.

Exile to India

First meeting: Jawaharlal Nehru and the Dalai Lama at Mussoorie in 1959 soon after he fled Tibet

Then fearing for his life, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet with the help of the CIA's Special Activities Division,[20] crossing into India on 30 March 1959, reaching Tezpur in Assam on 18 April.[21] Some time later he set up the Government of Tibet in Exile in Dharamsala, India,[22] which is often referred to as "Little Lhasa". After the founding of the exiled government he re-established the approximately 80,000 Tibetan refugees who followed him into exile in agricultural settlements.[6] He created a Tibetan educational system in order to teach the Tibetan children the traditional language, history, religion, and culture. The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts was established[6] in 1959 and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies[6] became the primary university for Tibetans in India. He supported the refounding of 200 monasteries and nunneries in an attempt to preserve Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the Tibetan way of life.

The Dalai Lama appealed to the United Nations on the rights of Tibetans. This appeal resulted in three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 1959, 1961, and 1965,[6] all before the People's Republic was allowed representation at the United Nations.[23] The resolutions called on China to respect the human rights of Tibetans.[6] During 1963, he promulgated a democratic constitution which is based upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, creating an elected parliament and an administration to champion his cause. During 1970, he opened the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala which houses over 80,000 manuscripts and important knowledge resources related to Tibetan history, politics and culture. It is considered one of the most important institutions for Tibetology in the world.[24]

Abandoned former quarters of the Dalai Lama at the Potala. The empty vestment placed on the throne symbolises his absence

International advocacy

At the Congressional Human Rights Caucus during 1987 in Washington, D.C., the Dalai Lama gave a speech outlining his ideas for the future status of Tibet. The plan called for Tibet to become a democratic "zone of peace" without nuclear weapons, and with support for human rights, that barred the entry of Han Chinese. The plan would later be called the "Strasbourg proposal", because he expanded on the plan at Strasbourg on 15 June 1988. There, he proposed the creation of a self-governing Tibet "in association with the People's Republic of China." This would have been pursued by negotiations with the PRC government, but the plan was rejected by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile during 1991. The Dalai Lama has indicated that he wishes to return to Tibet only if the People's Republic of China agrees not to make any precondition for his return.[25] In the 1970s, the then-Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping set China's sole return requirement to the Dalai Lama as that he "must [come back] as a Chinese citizen.... that is, patriotism".[26]

The Dalai Lama celebrated his seventieth birthday on 6 July 2005. About 10,000 Tibetan refugees, monks and foreign tourists gathered outside his home. Patriarch Alexius II of the Russian Orthodox Church affirmed positive relations with Buddhists. The President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Chen Shui-bian, attended an evening celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei.[27] In October 2008 in Japan, the Dalai Lama addressed the 2008 Tibetan violence that had erupted and that the Chinese government accused him of fomenting. He responded that he had "lost faith" in efforts to negotiate with the Chinese government, and that it was "up to the Tibetan people" to decide what to do.[28]

Teaching activities

The Dalai Lama's main teaching room at Dharamsala

The Dalai Lama's chief spiritual practice is Dzogchen, a subject he teaches and writes about extensively. He has conducted numerous public initiations in the Kalachakra, and is the author of a great number of books. His teaching activities in the U.S. include the following:

In February 2007, the Dalai Lama was named Presidential Distinguished Professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; it the first time that he accepted a university appointment.[29] On his April 2008 U.S. tour, He visited gave lectures on engaging wisdom and compassion, and sustainability, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y.[30] Later in July, the Dalai Lama gave a public lecture and conducted a series of teachings at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.[31]

Interfaith dialogue

The Dalai Lama met with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1973. He met with Pope John Paul II in 1980 and also later in 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, and 2003. During 1990, he met in Dharamsala with a delegation of Jewish teachers for an extensive interfaith dialogue.[32] He has since visited Israel three times and met during 2006 with the Chief Rabbi of Israel. In 2006, he met privately with Pope Benedict XVI. He has also met the late Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Robert Runcie, and other leaders of the Anglican Church in London, Gordon B. Hinckley, late President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), as well as senior Eastern Orthodox Church, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Sikh officials.

On 6 January 2009, at Gujarat’s Mahuva, the Dalai Lama inaugurated an interfaith "World Religions-Dialogue and Symphony" conference convened by Hindu preacher Morari Bapu. This conference explored "ways and means to deal with the discord among major religions," according to Morari Bapu.[33][34] He has stated that modern scientific findings should take precedence where appropriate over disproven religious superstition.[35][36]

Social stances

The Dalai Lama reminds that according to Buddhist precepts abortion is an act of killing,[37] although he has said that there can be an exception for "if the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent", qualifying his approval or disapproval according to each individual abortion.[38]

In Tibet, meat being the most common food, most monks have historically been omnivores, including the Dalai Lamas. The Dalai Lama experimented with vegetarianism once, but after getting jaundice, his doctors advised him to return to eating meat. This became controversial when he visited the White House and was offered a vegetarian menu, he rejected it and replied "I'm a Tibetan monk, not a vegetarian".[39] In 2001, the Dalai Lama told a girl in a Seattle school that it is permissible to shoot someone with a gun if the person was "trying to kill you", but added that the shot should not be fatal.[40]

Economics

"Of all the modern economic theories, the economic system of Marxism is founded on moral principles, while capitalism is concerned only with gain and profitability. Marxism is concerned with the distribution of wealth on an equal basis and the equitable utilisation of the means of production. It is also concerned with the fate of the working classes — that is, the majority — as well as with the fate of those who are underprivileged and in need, and Marxism cares about the victims of minority-imposed exploitation. For those reasons the system appeals to me, and it seems fair."
— Dalai Lama [41]

The Dalai Lama calls himself half-Marxist and often offers criticisms of capitalism. He reports hearing of communism when he was very young, but only in the context of the destruction of Communist Mongolia. It was only when he went on his trip to Beijing that he studied Marxist theory. There, he reports, "I was so attracted to Marxism, I even expressed my wish to become a Communist Party member", citing his favorite concepts of self-sufficiency and equal distribution of wealth. He does not believe that China implemented "true Marxist policy",[42] and thinks the historical communist states such as the U.S.S.R. "were far more concerned with their narrow national interests than with the Workers' International".[41] Of capitalism, he said that in China, "millions of people's living standards improved", but that it "is only how to make profits", whereas Marxism has "moral ethics".[43]

Environment

He has also expressed his concern for environmental problems. He pointed out that many rivers in Asia originate in Tibet, and that the melting of Himalayan glaciers could affect the countries in which the rivers flow.[44] He acknowledged official Chinese laws against deforestation in Tibet, but is cynical because of possible official corruption.[45] He was quoted as saying "ecology should be part of our daily life";[46] personally, he takes showers instead of baths, and turns lights off when he leaves a room.[44] Around 2005, he has started campaigning for wildlife conservation, including by issuing a religious ruling against wearing tiger and leopard skins as garments.[47][48] The Dalai Lama supports anti-whaling partisans in the whaling controversy, but condemns their violent methods.[49] Ahead of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, he urged national leaders to put aside domestic concerns and take collective action against climate change.[50]

Sexuality

In his view, oral, manual and anal sex (both homosexual and heterosexual) is not acceptable in Buddhism or for Buddhists, but society should tolerate gays and lesbians from a secular point of view.[51] In 1997 he explained that the basis of that teaching was unknown to him and that he at least had some "willingness to consider the possibility that some of the teachings may be specific to a particular cultural and historic context" while reiterating the unacceptable nature saying, "Buddhist sexual proscriptions ban homosexual activity and heterosexual sex through orifices other than the vagina, including masturbation or other sexual activity with the hand... From a Buddhist point of view, lesbian and gay sex is generally considered sexual misconduct".[52] In a 1994 interview with OUT Magazine, the Dalai Lama explained "If someone comes to me and asks whether homosexuality is okay or not, I will ask 'What is your companion's opinion?'. If you both agree, then I think I would say 'if two males or two females voluntarily agree to have mutual satisfaction without further implication of harming others, then it is okay'".[53] However, in his 1996 book Beyond Dogma, he clearly states, "A sexual act is deemed proper when the couples use the organs intended for sexual intercourse and nothing else....Homosexuality, whether it is between men or between women, is not improper in itself. What is improper is the use of organs already defined as inappropriate for sexual contact."[54] He has said that sex spelled fleeting satisfaction and trouble later, while chastity offered a better life and "more independence, more freedom." [55] He says that problems arising from conjugal life could even lead to suicide or murder.[56] The Dalai Lama has said that all religions have the same idea about adultery.[57]

Controversies

At his residence in Dharamsala, 1993

The twelfth Samding Dorje Phagmo (the only prominent female tulku in Tibet) was quoted in Xinhua as saying that "The sins of the Dalai Lama and his followers seriously violate the basic teachings and precepts of Buddhism and seriously damage traditional Tibetan Buddhism's normal order and good reputation", adding that "Old Tibet was dark and cruel, the serfs lived worse than horses and cattle."[58] The Dalai Lama's talks in the UK, May, 2008, were attended by Chinese protesters, angered that the Dalai Lama was there advocating for Tibetan independence instead of for the victims of the then-recent 2008 Sichuan earthquake.[59]

Dorje Shugden

Main article: Dorje Shugden controversy

During a teaching tour of the UK in May, 2008, members of the Western Shugden Society[60][61] came out to demonstrate against the ban of a prayer to Dorje Shugden,[60] which they call religious persecution.[61] Similar protests occurred in Sydney when the Dalai Lama arrived in Australia in June 2008.[62] The Dalai Lama says he had not banned the practice,[60] but strongly discourages it as he feels it promotes a spirit as being more important than Buddha, and that it may encourage cult-like practices and sectarianism within Tibetan Buddhism.[63] The Shugden worshipers in India protest that they are denied admission to hospitals, stores, and other social services provided by the local Tibetan community.[64]

Recognition of the 17th Karmapa

Main article: Karmapa controversy

Another controversy associated with the Dalai Lama is the recognition of the seventeenth Karmapa. Two factions of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism have chosen two different Karmapas, leading to a deep division within the Kagyu school. The Dalai Lama has given his support to Urgyen Trinley Dorje, while supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje claim that the Dalai Lama has no authority in the matter, nor is there a historical precedent for a Dalai Lama involving himself in an internal Kagyu dispute.[65] In his 2001 address at the International Karma Kagyu Conference, Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche—one of the four Karma Kagyu regents—accused the Dalai Lama of adopting a "divide and conquer" policy to eliminate any potential political rivalry arising from within the Kagyu school.[66] For his side, the Dalai Lama accepted the prediction letter presented by Tai Situ Rinpoche (another Karma Kagyu regent) as authentic, and therefore Tai Situ Rinpoche's recognition of Urgyen Trinley Dorje, also as correct.[67] Tibet observer Julian Gearing suggests that there might be political motives to the Dalai Lama's decision: "The Dalai Lama gave his blessing to the recognition of [Urgyen] Trinley, eager to win over the formerly troublesome sect [the Kagyu school], and with the hope that the new Karmapa could play a role in a political solution of the 'Tibet Question.' ...If the allegations are to be believed, a simple nomad boy was turned into a political and religious pawn."[68] However, according to Tsurphu Labrang, articles by Julian Gearing on this subject are biased, unverified and without crosschecking of basic facts.[69]

CIA backing

In October 1998, The Dalai Lama's administration acknowledged that it received $1.7 million a year in the 1960s from the US Government through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and also trained a resistance movement in Colorado (USA).[70] When asked by CIA officer John Kenneth Knaus in 1995 whether the organisation did a good or bad thing in providing its support, the Dalai Lama replied that though it helped the morale of those resisting the Chinese, "thousands of lives were lost in the resistance" and further, that "the US Government had involved itself in his country's affairs not to help Tibet but only as a Cold War tactic to challenge the Chinese."[71]

Ties to India

The Chinese press has criticized the Dalai Lama for his close ties with India. His 2010 remarks at the International Buddhist Conference in Gujarat saying that he was "Tibetan in appearance, but an Indian in spirituality" and referral to himself as a "son of India" in particular lead the People's Daily to opine, "Since the Dalai Lama deems himself an Indian rather than Chinese, then why is he entitled to represent the voice of the Tibetan people?"[72] Dhundup Gyalpo of the Tibet Sun shot back that Tibetan religion could be traced back to Nalanda in India, and that Tibetans have no connection to Chinese "apart... from a handful of culinary dishes".[73] The People's Daily stressed the links between Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism and accused the Dalai Lama of "betraying southern Tibet to India".[72] Two years earlier in 2008, the Dalai Lama said for the first time that the territory, which India claims as part of Arunachal Pradesh, is part of India, citing the controversial 1914 Simla Accord whose validity was questioned at its signing and still is today.[74]

Public image

The Dalai Lama receiving a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. From left: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate President pro tempore Robert Byrd and U.S. President George W. Bush

Four marks on the Dalai Lama's right arm are the consequence of a childhood smallpox vaccination and do not have any special significance.[75] His right arm is uncovered in accordance with Buddhist tradition. In the 1990s, many films were released by the American film industry about Tibet, including biopics of the Dalai Lama. This is attributed to both the Dalai Lama's 1989 Nobel Peace Prize as well as to the euphoria following the Fall of Communism. The most notable films, Kundun and Seven Years in Tibet (both released in 1997), portrayed "an idyllic pre-1950 Tibet, with a smiling, soft-spoken Dalai Lama at the helm - a Dalai Lama sworn to non-violence": portrayals the Chinese government decried as ahistorical.[76] One South African official publicly criticised the Dalai Lama's politics and lamented a taboo on criticism of him, saying "To say anything against the Dalai Lama is, in some quarters, equivalent to trying to shoot Bambi".[77]

Critics of the news and entertainment media coverage of the controversy charge that feudal Tibet was not as benevolent as popularly portrayed. The penal code before 1913 included forms of judicial mutilation and capital punishment to enforce a social system controversially described as both slavery and serfdom.[78] In response, the Dalai Lama agreed many of old Tibet's practices needed reform. His predecessor had banned extreme punishments and the death penalty.[79] And he had started some reforms like removal of debt inheritance during the early years of his government under the People's Republic of China in 1951.[80]

International reception

The Dalai Lama has been successful in gaining Western sympathy for himself and the cause of greater Tibetan autonomy or independence, including vocal support from numerous Hollywood celebrities, most notably the actors Richard Gere and Steven Seagal, as well as lawmakers from several major countries.[81] His relationship with Gere and Seagal have been critiqued by Christopher Hitchens.[82]

Awards and honors

Main article: Awards and honors presented to the 14th Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama has received numerous awards over his spiritual and political career.[83] He was a laureate for community leadership in 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Awards, Asia's version of Nobel Prize.[84] On 22 June 2006, he became one of only five people ever to be recognised with Honorary Citizenship by the Governor General of Canada. On 28 May 2005, he received the Christmas Humphreys Award from the Buddhist Society in the United Kingdom.

On 10 December 1989 the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.[85] The committee recognized his efforts in "the struggle of the liberation of Tibet and the efforts for a peaceful resolution instead of using violence."[86] The chairman of the Nobel committee said that the award was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi." In his acceptance speech the Dalai Lama criticised China for using force against student protesters during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He said the victims' efforts were not in vain. His speech focused on the importance of the continued use of non-violence and his desire to maintain a dialogue with China to try and resolve the situation.[87]

Possibility of retirement

In May 2007, Chhime Rigzing, a senior spokesman for his office, stated that the Dalai Lama was moving into "retirement",[88] but in 2008 the Dalai Lama himself ruled out such a move, saying "There is no... question of retirement."[89] Rigzing stated[when?] "The political leadership will be transferred over a period of time but he will inevitably continue to be the spiritual leader". The Dalai Lama announced he would like the Tibetan Parliament in Exile to have more responsibility over the [Central Tibetan] administration.

In response to the 2008 Tibetan unrest,[90] on 18 March 2008 the Dalai Lama threatened to step down,[91] a move unprecedented[92] in the history of the office of the Dalai Lama.[93] Aides later clarified that this threat was predicated on a further escalation of violence, and that he did not presently have the intention of leaving his political or spiritual offices.[94] Many Tibetan exiles expressed their support for the Dalai Lama, and the People's Republic of China intensified their criticism of him.[95][96]

In the ensuing months, he held meetings aimed at discussing the future institution of the Dalai Lama, including "[A] conclave, like in the Catholic Church, a woman as my successor, no Dalai Lama anymore, or perhaps even two", referring to the possibility of having both his approved successor and China's approved successor both claiming the title.[97] He has clarified that his goal is to relinquish all temporal power and to no longer play a "pronounced spiritual role" and have a simpler monastic life.[98]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b At the time of Tenzin Gyatso's birth, Taktser was a city located in the Chinese province of Chinghai/Qinghai and was controlled by Ma Lin, a warlord allied with Chiang Kai-shek and appointed governor of Qinhai Province by the Kuomintang. See Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet. Conversations with the Dalai Lama, Grove Press: New York, 2006 ; Li, T.T. "Historical Status of Tibet", Columbia University Press, p179 ; Bell, Charles, "Portrait of the Dalai Lama", p399; Goldstein, Melvyn C. Goldstein, A history of modern Tibet, pp. 315–317
  2. ^ Tibetan: ལྷ་མོ་དོན་འགྲུབ་; Wylie: Lha-mo Don-'grub; Lhasa dialect IPA: [l̥ámo tʰø̃ ̀ɖup]; simplified Chinese: 拉莫顿珠; traditional Chinese: 拉莫頓珠; pinyin: Lāmò Dùnzhū
  3. ^ Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet. Conversations with the Dalai Lama, Grove Press: New York, 2006.
  4. ^ "Brief biography, official website of the Dalai Lama". Dalailama.com. http://www.dalaiLama.com/page.105.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-02. 
  5. ^ Thomas Laird, The Story of Tibet: Conversations With the Dalai Lama, 2007, p. 262. "At that time in my village," he said, "we spoke a broken Chinese. As a child, I spoke Chinese first, but it was a broken Xining language which was (a dialect of) the Chinese language." "So your first language," I responded, "was a broken regional Chinese dialect, which we might call Xining Chinese. It was not Tibetan. You learned Tibetan when you came to Lhasa." "Yes," he answered, "that is correct (...)."
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Profile: The Dalai Lama". BBC News. 25 February 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1347735.stm. Retrieved 31 December 2009. 
  7. ^ "Dalai Lama — Speech to the U.N. and Images of Tibet". http://www.cosmicharmony.com/Tibet/DalaiLama/DalaiLama.htm. Retrieved 6 August 2006. 
  8. ^ Peter Graves (host). (2005-04-26). Dalai Lama: Soul of Tibet. A&E Television Networks. Event occurs at 08:00. 
  9. ^ a b Marcello, Patricia Cronin (2003). The Dalai Lama: A Biography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313322074. http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0313322074&id=wLzA8YKI-coC&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html. 
  10. ^ "Tibet during the Republic of China (1912-1949)". Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5jXYNfPaW. Retrieved 2 September 2009. 
  11. ^ Shakya 1999, pp. 6–7
  12. ^ Tsering Shakya. (1999). The Dragon in the Land of Snows: A History of Modern Tibet since 1947, pp. 7–8. Columbia University Press, New York. ISBN 0-231-11814-7.
  13. ^ Gyatso, Tenzin, Dalai Lama XIV, interview, 25 July 1981.
  14. ^ Goldstein, Melvyn C., A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951, University of California Press, 1989, pp. 812–813
  15. ^ Goldstein, M.C., A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 2 - The Calm before the Storm: 1951-1955, p.493
  16. ^ Ngapoi recalls the founding of the TAR, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, China View, 30 August 2005.
  17. ^ Goldstein, M.C., A History of Modern Tibet, Volume 2 - The Calm before the Storm: 1951-1955, p.496
  18. ^ "Chairman Mao: Long Live Dalai Lama!". Voyage.typepad.com. 21 January 2007. http://voyage.typepad.com/china/2007/01/chairman_mao_lo.html. Retrieved 2 May 2010. 
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  48. ^ Justin Huggler (18 February 2006). "Reports Fur Flies Over Tiger Plight". New Zealand Herald. http://www.tew.org/archived/wildlife.skins.issue.html. 
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  51. ^ The Buddhist religion and homosexuality at Religioustolerance.org
  52. ^ Dalai Lama Urges 'Respect, Compassion, and Full Human Rights for All', including Gays. Conkin, Dennis. Bay Area Reporter, 19 June 1997
  53. ^ OUT Magazine February/March 1994
  54. ^ Beyond Dogma by the Dalai Lama
  55. ^ Sex invariably spells trouble, says Dalai Lama[dead link]
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  57. ^ "The Dalai Lama comments on Tiger Woods' scandal". FOX Sports. 2010-02-20. http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/The-Dalai-Lama-comments-on-Tiger-Woods%2527-scandal?GT1=39002. Retrieved 2010-05-09. 
  58. ^ Xinhua, (carried by Reuters 29 April 2008). "Female living Buddha condemns Dalai Lama - Xinhua." Retrieved on: 30 May 2008.
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  60. ^ a b c "Protest at Dalai Lama prayer ban". BBC News. 27 May 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7421888.stm. Retrieved 2 May 2010. 
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  63. ^ "His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Advice Concerning Dolgyal (Shugden)". Dalailama.com. 27 March 2006. http://www.dalaiLama.com/page.132.htm. Retrieved 2 May 2010. 
  64. ^ "The Dalai Lama's demons". 09/08/2008. http://www.france24.com/en/20080808-dalai-Lama-demons-india-buddhism-dorje-shugden. Retrieved 8 May 2010. 
  65. ^ International Karma Kagyu Buddhist Organization, "An Open Letter to the Dalai Lama[dead link]", 17 Mar 2001.
  66. ^ Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, "Message to the International Karma Kagyu Conference[dead link]", 2001.
  67. ^ Vijay Kranti, "The Dalai Lama and Chinese Desperation", Border Affairs, 2001.
  68. ^ Julian Gearing, "The perils of taking on Tibet's holy men[dead link]", Asiaweek, 20 Feb 2001.
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  70. ^ "World News Briefs; Dalai Lama Group Says It Got Money From C.I.A.". The New York Times. 2 October 1998. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F3061EF73E5C0C718CDDA90994D0494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fD%2fDalai%20Lama. 
  71. ^ Posted on Nov 6th 2008 1:30PM by Kelly Wilson (2008-11-06). "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower". Members.aol.com. http://members.aol.com/superogue/intro.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-02. 
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14th Dalai Lama
Born: 6 July 1935
Buddhist titles
Preceded by
Thubten Gyatso		 Dalai Lama
1935–present
Recognised in 1937; enthroned in 1940		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Taktra Rinpoche, regent		 Ruler of the Ganden Phodrang government of Tibet
1950–1959
after 1951 as a subordinate government within the People's Republic of China		 Succeeded by
Ganden Phodrang government dissolved and reconstituted in exile
Preceded by
Post created		 Head of State of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile
1959–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Post created		 Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
1954–1964		 Succeeded by
Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme
Preceded by
Post created		 Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Tibet Autonomous Region
1956–1964
1959-1964, with the 10th Panchen Lama as acting Chairman
1964, with Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme as acting Chairman		 Succeeded by
vacant, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme continues as acting Chairman
v • d • e
Dalai Lamas
3rd Dalai Lama
v • d • e
Laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize

Betty Williams / Mairead Corrigan (1976) · Amnesty International (1977) · Anwar El Sadat / Menachem Begin (1978) · Mother Teresa (1979) · Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (1980) · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1981) · Alva Myrdal / Alfonso García Robles (1982) · Lech Wałęsa (1983) · Desmond Tutu (1984) · International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (1985) · Elie Wiesel (1986) · Óscar Arias (1987) · UN Peacekeeping Forces (1988) · Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama) (1989) · Mikhail Gorbachev (1990) · Aung San Suu Kyi (1991) · Rigoberta Menchú (1992) · Nelson Mandela / F.W. de Klerk (1993) · Shimon Peres / Yitzhak Rabin / Yasser Arafat (1994) · Pugwash Conferences / Joseph Rotblat (1995) · Carlos Belo / José Ramos-Horta (1996) · International Campaign to Ban Landmines / Jody Williams (1997) · John Hume / David Trimble (1998) · Médecins Sans Frontières (1999) · Kim Dae-jung (2000)
Complete roster · 1901–1925 · 1926–1950 · 1951–1975 · 1976–2000 · 2001–present

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