Advertisement His visit is just weeks before the opening of the Olympics in China, an event that has again catapulted the Dalai Lama into the headlines because of China's suppression of Tibet. While there will certainly be many questions about Tibet and China during his visit, the stay also presents an opportunity to learn more about a man who has not only won the Nobel Peace Prize but is also looked to by many non-Buddhists for his common-sense advice on living.
Q. Who is the Dalai Lama?
A. The Dalai Lama's name is Tenzin Gyatso and he is believed by Tibetan Buddhists to be the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama and an incarnation of Avalokiteshvar, the Buddha of Compassion. As such, he is the spiritual and temporal leader of the world's 6 million Tibetan people. He was born on July 6, 1935, in a small village called Taktser in northeastern Tibet.
Q. How was he chosen?
A. Gyatso was recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is chosen based on his ability to identify belongings of his predecessor. The 13th Dalai Lama died in 1935 and the Tibetan government set about the task of locating a child to succeed him. Based on a vision by a high Tibetan official known as the Regent of Tibet, monks and dignitaries were sent to all corners of the country in search of a monastery with roofs of jade green and gold, and a house with turquoise tiles — clues the Regent had glimpsed in his vision.
Eventually, the monastery and the village as well as a house from the vision were found and monks were dispatched to test Gyatso. The little boy recognized a rosary being worn by one of the monks as having belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama and demanded that it be given to him. He also successfully passed a series of tests that included the choosing of correct articles that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama.
In 1940, the 14th Dalai Lama was enthroned.
Q. Why is the Dalai Lama a leader in exile?
A. In 1950, at age 15, the Dalai Lama assumed full political responsibility for the leadership of Tibet. About the same time, China invaded Tibet, claiming that Tibet had officially been part of the Chinese nation since the 13th century. The invasion and occupation of Tibet by the Chinese was brutal, resulting in the deaths of one-sixth of the Tibetan population. Tibet's culture was suppressed, many of its monasteries closed and destroyed, and its language outlawed from Tibet's university.
Despite the Dalai Lama's efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the crisis, a popular uprising resulted in massive demonstrations in 1959. In March of that year, Lhasa, the country's capital and the Dalai Lama's home, exploded in violent protest. The Dalai Lama escaped to India where he was given political asylum. He has made his home since in Dharamsala, a small town in northern India that is now considered the seat of Tibetan government-in-exile.
The Dalai Lama continues to counsel nonviolence in Tibet's struggle against China. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In accepting the honor, he said, "The prize reaffirms our conviction that with truth, courage and determination as our weapons, Tibet will be liberated. Our struggle must remain nonviolent and free of hatred.''
Q. What do Buddhists believe?
A. At the core of Buddhist belief are Buddha's "four noble truths.'' They are:
This path prescribes the practical steps to be taken toward enlightenment. It is also called "the middle path,'' because it seeks to steer a course between strict asceticism and the excesses of sensuality. Buddhist morality holds that seekers of enlightenment should refrain from harming living beings, stealing, misconduct concerning the pleasures of the senses, false speech and the use of substances such as drugs and alcohol, which hinder awareness.
Q. Why are so many non-Buddhists interested in what the Dalai Lama has to say?
A. Mike Atkins, a longtime member of the community at the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, answered the question this way:
"I think the main reason is that most who have seen or heard the Dalai Lama can sense the sincerity of his warmth and compassion and the consistent reasonableness of the perspectives he offers on life in general, and on particular world events. People are not used to a world leader or other public figure with these qualities.''
The Dalai Lama himself has shed light on this interest. This is what he told the writer Pico Iyer in a recent interview:
"Whenever I have the opportunity to talk or speak outside the Tibetan community, my basic concern is with secular ethics. I make a distinction between spirituality with faith and spirituality without faith — simply to be a good human being, a warm-hearted person, a person with a sense of responsibility.
"Usually I emphasize the secular ethics, and it seems this is beneficial. I explain the basic human values, or human qualities, such as compassion, and why these are important. I explain that whether one is a believer or a nonbeliever is up to the individual, but even without a religion, we can be a good human being.''
Sources: Office of Tibet, the official agency of the Tibetan government in exile, and Deer Park Buddhist Center
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