Research Report on a Political
Personality: The Dalai Lama
A
Dalai Lama is the “high chief” of Tibetan Buddhism. "Dalai Lama" is a name of honour and respect that was given
to him by the Buddhist monks of Tibet. "Lama" means
"teacher" or "wise person." "Dalai" means
"ocean." When put together Dalai Lama is translated as "Ocean of
Wisdom." Buddhists are followers of Gautama Buddha (563–483 BCE),
who believed the troubles of this life can be overcome through moral and mental
discipline. He is believed by his followers to be the rebirth of a long line of
“Tulkus”, who are considered to be manifestations of the existence of
compassion. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is thought of as the latest
reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have chosen to be reborn in
order to enlighten others. The line of the Dalai Lamas began as a lineage of
spiritual teachers. For a certain periods of time of the 17th
century to the year of 1959, the Dalai Lamas were the head of the Tibetan
government. The current Dalai Lama fled his country and took safety in India in
1959 during the revolt against Chinese control of Tibet. Since that time, while
still in exile he has promoted Tibetan religious and cultural traditions.
The 14th
Dalai Lama’s name is Lhamo Thondup. He
was born July 6, 1935 in a small village
called, Taktser in China, to a pheasant family. His parents were farmers who
raised sheep and grew barley, buckwheat, and potatoes. Lhamo was the fifth
child in a family if 16 children, of whom only nine survived. The religious
officials using spiritual methods located Lhamo when he was two years old and
deemed him to be the successor to the 13th Dalai Lama. They renamed
Lhamo Thondup to Tenzin Gyasto and proclaimed him as the 14th Dalai
Lama.
His education at the age of six mainly
consisted of logic, Tibetan art and culture,
Sanskrit (the Indo-Aryan language), medicine, and Buddhist philosophy. He was
also taught poetry, music and drama, astrology, and, phrasing and
synonyms. At the Age of 23 he went to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa to pass
his final examination during the Monlam Festival in 1959.
In 1950, at the age of 15, The
Dalai Lama was called to gain full political power. In that year China’s army
of eighty thousand, invaded into Tibet. Educated as a Buddhist monk, the Dalia
Lama’s belief in ahisma, non-violence, moulded his political response. In 1954,
he went to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders.
Finally, in 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising
in Lhasa by Chinese troops, The Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile.
He appealed
to the United Nations on Tibet's behalf three times. Three different
resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations in regards to this
situation, one in 1959, one in 1961 and one in 1965. He sought refuge in India
and the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave them the permission for him and
his Tibetan government officials to move in. They moved to Dharamsala, which is
in northern India. Since then, the Tibetan refugees have constructed and opened
many schools and Buddhist temples in Dharamshala.
In September
1987, The Dalai lama proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet to the United
States Congress as a first step toward creating a peaceful solution for the
situation in Tibet. He saw this as the first step in rebuilding Tibet as a
harmonious sanctuary in the heart of Asia. Where it was to be a place where all
emotional beings can exist in harmony and the delicate environment could be preserved.
This was meant to reconcile the Chinese government with the Dalai Lama and the
Tibetan government to end the unstable situation amongst them. The Dalai Lama
appealed to the United States Congress in Washington DC on September 21st
1987. He proposed the following peace plan which contains five basic points as
quoted from www.dalailama.com:
- “Transformation of the whole of
Tibet into a zone of peace without nuclear weapons.
- Abandonment of China's population
transfer policy that threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a
people.
- Respect for the Tibetan people's
fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms.
- Restoration and protection of
Tibet's natural environment and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet
for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste.
- Commencement of earnest
negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the
Tibetan and Chinese peoples.”
The Dalai
Lama travelled to Strasbourg, France on June 15th in 1988 to address
the members of the European Parliament. He delivered the Stroudsburg proposal
which expounded the Five Point Peace Plan. His talks were leading to creating
the Chinese and Tibetans to a self-governing democratic political entity for
all three provinces of Tibet. This entity would be in association with the
People's Republic of China and the Chinese Government would continue to remain
responsible for Tibet's foreign policy and defence.
The Dalai Lama is a large activist for
the environment. He has delivered many lectures and spoke about saving our
planet on various occasions. He has said “Many of the earth’s habitats,
animals, plants, insects and even micro-organisms that we know to be rare may
not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability and the
responsibility to act; we must do so before it is too late”. He has asked for a
halt in Chinese logging in the Himalayan Mountains in order to preserve Tibet’s
rich environmental heritage. He asked china to stop producing nuclear arms in Tibet
and dumping nuclear waste there.
In December
of 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel peace prize for his great efforts
for his nonviolent for the liberation for Tibet and his concern for global
environmental problems. The committee’s citation read: "The Committee
wants to emphasize the fact that the Dalai Lama in his struggle for the
liberation of Tibet consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has
instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in
order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people." He has consistently advocated policies of
non-violence, even in the face of extreme aggression. He also became the first
Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concern for global environmental
problems.
The Dalai Lama retired as the
head of the central Tibetan administration on March 14th 2011. He
said the decision came from a long-held belief that the Tibetans needed a
freely elected leader. The Chinese government was very quick to reject this and
claimed that only they have the authority to select the next Dalai Lama. He has
indicated that the Dalai Lama institution may be abolished in the future, and
also that the next Dalai Lama may be found outside Tibet and may even be
female.
The Dalai Lama is a great
person. The Dalai Lama has met with many Western leaders and has visited the
United States, Europe, Russia, Latin America, and many countries in Asia. He is
known as a charismatic public speaker and his message is always one of peace
and compassion for people all over the world. He also speaks of global peace
and environmental concerns. He has received over 84 awards, honorary
doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence,
inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. He has
wrote over 70 books about and conducted hundreds of conferences, lectures, and
workshops at major universities and institutions throughout the world on
engaging in wisdom, compassion, and more recently environmental sustainability.
In short, he describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. From the Dalai Lama’s
life work, we see his greatness of his contributions towards many societies
throughout the entire world.
Bibliogrpahy:
“Canadian and World Politics” by John Ruypers
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