The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism is known as the Dalai Lama. Tenzin Gyatso or Lhamo Thondup, who was born on July 6, 1935, in Tibet, is the current Dalai Lama. He is the 14th Dalai Lama and has been the Tibetan people’s leader since he was accepted as the 13th Dalai Lama’s reincarnation at the age of two.
The Dalai Lama is renowned as a kind and intelligent leader and is regarded as the top spiritual authority in Tibetan Buddhism. He is also well-known for his work in the fields of peace, human rights, and environmental protection. He has travelled widely over the world, bringing his message of compassion, mindfulness, and interfaith cooperation to people of all faiths. In addition to his spiritual and political roles, the Dalai Lama has published a number of books on a variety of subjects, including Buddhism, mindfulness, ethics, and happiness, which have received widespread recognition and have been translated into a number of languages.
He has garnered various honors for his efforts to promote peace and tolerance across different cultures and religions. The Dalai Lama has also advocated for more autonomy and freedom for Tibet, which has been under Chinese administration since 1950s. He has advocated for a peaceful conclusion to the dispute between Tibet and China, and has advocated for conversation and nonviolence as measures of resolving the problem. However, the Chinese government regards him as a separatist and has denounced his actions, resulting in tense relations between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama along with the Tibetan People. Therefore, in 1950 China invaded Tibet in order to capture Dalai Lama, but to China’s surprise Dalai Lama fled to India, which was then governed by Jawaharlal Nehru, along with some of his followers and established a ‘Government in exile’ in Dharamshala, Uttarakhand, India.
Time Line:
1935- Lhamo Thondup is born in Tibet
1939- Lhamo Thondup recognised as 14th Dalai Lama. 1950- China invades Tibet
1959- Dalai Lama flees to India after annexation of Tibet
1987-Dalai Lama proposes a 5-points plan for Tibetan Autonomy. 1989- Dalai Lama wins the Noble Peace Prize
2011- Dalai Lama dissolves the political authority to an elected leader
Recent Development:
Dalai Lama has been living in Dharamshala, India for years and conducting various spiritual programs in various parts of the city. Recently in the month of February, there was an incident where he was accused of kissing a young Indian boy during his program in the hillside city of Dharamshala. It was said that when the boy approached the 14th Dalai Lama to ask for a hug, Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader asked him to come up to the stage and pointed towards the cheek, indicating the boy for a kiss and a hug. But later he pointed toward his lips and pulled the boy toward himself and kissed his mouth, later asking the boy to suck his tongue. The boy hesitated but eventually pulled his tongue out, the people present in the programme started laughing on this scene. Later Dalai Lama advised him to follow humans who create peace and happiness. Later the video of this incident caused a huge uproar.
Delhi based child rights group condemn such action towards a minor but some people in the defiance said that it was a Tibetan culture to show the tongue but it was disregarded saying such cultural expression are not acceptable. As this incident grew tension mounted and emotion ran high casting a dark shadow over once calm and peaceful scene, Dalai Lama came front and apologized for his comment “suck my tongue” to a young boy.
But this was not the first for incident related to the Noble peace prize winner, Dalai Lama. In 2019, the Dalai Lama’s office apologized after the spiritual leader told a news reporter that any future female Dalai lama should be attractive.
Although there are some incidents related to Dalai Lama, he is still a respected and followed by many Tibetans who have been exiled from their home country and living in India and various other parts of the world.