Dalai Lama

Subject : International Relations

About:

Dalai Lama is a title given by the Tibetan people for the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest of the classical schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet.
At the age of two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet.
Bodhisattvas are realized beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.
In his Holiness the Dalai Lama 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet.

Concept:

Following the Buddhist belief in the principle of reincarnation, the current Dalai Lama is believed by Buddhists to be able to choose the body into which he is reincarnated.
That person, when found, will then become the next Dalai Lama.
According to Buddhist scholars it is the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa tradition and the Tibetan government to seek out and find the next Dalai Lama following the death of the incumbent.
If more than one candidate is identified, the true successor is found by officials and monks drawing lots in a public ceremony.
Once identified, the successful candidate and his family are taken to Lhasa (or Dharamsala) where the child studies the Buddhist scriptures in order to prepare for spiritual leadership.
This process can take several years: it took four years to find the 14th (current) Dalai Lama.
The search is generally limited to Tibet, although the current Dalai Lama has said that there is a chance that he will not be reborn, and that if he is, it will not be in a country under Chinese rule.

Leadership Responsibility:

In 1950, after China’s invasion of Tibet, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power.
In 1954, he went to Beijing and met with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping and Chou Enlai.
Finally, in 1959, following the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, His Holiness was forced to escape into exile.
Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India.

Claim of suzerainty:

Communist China had always held a claim of suzerainty over Tibet, which included the assertion that Tibet had become a “protectorate” of Manchu Ruled China in the late 17th century.