Matthew Ullery 11-13-13 Biographical Leadership Profile Professor Erdmann His Holiness the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso,

better known as the Dalai Lama, is a leader in many different capacities. He is the religious and spiritual leader of the largest sect of Tibetan Buddhism and the political leader of the Tibetan people, but also has become a world authority on nonviolence, nondiscrimination, and world peace. His leadership has been tested more than any other of the previous Dalai Lamas, as the modern Tibetan people are a people split by thousands of miles and separate political ideologies. However, through his many hardships he has developed into a model leader who has been steadfast in his beliefs, and unafraid to take the hard road. Throughout history there have been only fourteen Dalai Lamas, who are the religious leaders of Tibetan Buddhists, while being the traditional political leader as well, leading the Tibetan government from the Dalai Lamas palace in the Tibetan capital city Lhasa. Each Dalai Lama, which translates to Ocean of Wisdom, is thought to be the reincarnation of the previous Lama, who forgoes Nirvana and forward movement on the cycle of life so that he can lead his people.1 The chain of the Dalai Lamas, while being relatively recent in comparison to other religious leaders, remains unbroken from the first Dalai Lama Gedun Drub in 1394.2 The Tibetan people remained largely untouched and unfettered by war for the many hundreds of years while under the direct leadership of the Lamas. The Dalai Lamas undertook

BBC, Religions: The Dalai Lama, September 21, 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/people/dalailama_1.shtml 2 Id.

the task of unifying the varying tribes and sects of the Tibetan people, and created a strong and united nation, with a rich and unique cultural heritage. At various points, however, its more powerful Chinese and Mongolian neighbors periodically occupied the Tibetan nation, creating the modern conflict over sovereignty of the Tibetan region. The process for selecting a Dalai Lama is steeped in history, and is a process that takes some years to complete. This procedure begins with the death of the previous Lama, such as in 1933 with the death of the thirteenth Dalai Lama in Lhasa.3 Then, a search begins for a boy born within the similar timeframe as the death of the previous Dalai Lama, in Gyatsos case he was born around two years after the death of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, and was not discovered until he was over two years old.4 There are several ways in which the new Dalai Lama can be tracked down by the High Lamas; they can dream of the boys location or some identifying factor of his appearance, when the previous Lama is cremated they will often travel in the direction of his smoke so as to follow his spirit, or the High Lamas will visit a holy lake outside Lhasa and wait for a sign that indicates the boys location or identity.5 Once a candidate child is located, they are presented with several artifacts from which they will randomly choose. These artifacts include possessions of the deceased Lama, such as a pair of glasses or a cane, and certain religiously significant religious artifacts. If the child chooses the correct artifacts, it is seen as a sign, and the child is confirmed to be the living reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. This process is what

DalaiLama.com, Chronology of Events, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/chronology-ofevents 4 Id. 5 BBC, Religions: The Dalai Lama, September 21, 2006, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/people/dalailama_1.shtml

happened for Tenzin Gyatso, who was publically confirmed in 1939 as the new Dalai Lama at the age of 4, after having gone through a two-year selection process.6 After he was discovered, Gyatso was taken from his family, who were poor, rural barley farmers, and was taken on a three-month long journey to the capital of Lhasa, where he would begin his monastic education and learn how to be the leader of his people. He was taken to the palace of the Dalai Lama and officially declared the leader of the Tibetan nation and its spiritual guide in 1940, and was ordained a monk in 1942. At this time he was not in full political control, but was under the guidance of a group of the elder High Lamas, while he received further training and education. It was not until 1949 that he assumed full political control over his country, but not long after his country was invaded by China.7 China claims sovereignty over the Tibetan region due to its historical occupations of the country several hundred years ago, and used this excuse to validate its controversial invasion and takeover of the country. For nine years, until 1959, the Dalai Lama remained as the technical leader of Tibet while under the official Chinese occupation, where he represented his country to Mao Zedong and to the controlling communist party.8 His people however, highly resented the occupation and frequently protested against the repression of the Tibetan people. In 1949, the Dalai Lama staged an uprising to try and force out the Chinese from the region, an effort that failed miserably and killed tens of thousands of Tibetans and strengthened the Chinese hold on the area.9 After the uprising, the Chinese removed the Dalai Lama from his post, and set out to kill him for treason. However, the Dalai Lama coordinated an escape, disguised himself as a common soldier, and
6 7

DalaiLama.com, Birth to Exile, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/from-birth-to-exile DalaiLama.com, Chronology of Events, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/chronology-ofevents 8 DalaiLama.com, Birth to Exile, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/from-birth-to-exile 9 BBC News, Tibet Profile, August 13, 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific16689779

took several thousand of his followers and marched from Lhasa, through the Himalayas, and into India where they were given political asylum.10 This began the Dalai Lamas, and much of the Tibetan peoples, permanent stage of exile, which is now referred to as the Tibetan Diaspora. The Indian Government allowed the Tibetans to move into a centralized area in the north of the country where they were allowed to set up their own governmental system to manage their affairs. This government is named the Central Tibetan Administration, but is more commonly referred to as the Tibetan-Governmentin-Exile. It is based in the town of Dharamshala, and has become the worldwide cultural center of Tibetan Buddhist culture, as the Tibetans that remain in Tibet, now called the Tibetan Autonomous Region (autonomy being virtually nonexistent), are highly marginalized and repressed. The Dalai Lama has been the leader of the government-in-exile, and has been the global voice drawing attention to the plight of the Tibetans, while also trying to retain the culture and traditions of the Tibetan people while in exile.11 After his escape to India, tens of thousands of Tibetans have since chosen to leave and claim asylum in India, creating a significant population of Tibetans in Dharamshala. These stateless people look to the Dalai Lama for direction, and he has certainly not failed them. He has met with dozens of world leaders, including several presidents, and has spoken in front of the UN General Assembly on several occasions, advocating for the Tibetan peoples right to have a country of their own.12 He has travelled the world advocating for peace, democracy, and

10

BBC News, Tibet Profile, August 13, 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific16689779 11 DalaiLama.com, A Brief Biography, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography 12 DalaiLama.com, Chronology of Events, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/chronology-ofevents

nonviolent resistance to violent oppression, and has become a voice for all people that have been controlled and repressed by their governments. He has always called for the return of the Tibetan people to their native land, so that they can regain control of their own affairs, but the Chinese government has insisted that the Dalai Lama is never going to rule the Tibetans again in their own land, and have thus far refused to allow the return of the Tibetans who have fled. They have marginalized the local Tibetan population by bringing in millions of ethnic Chinese into the area, and tightly controlling Tibetan Buddhist worship, making them hang Chinese flags on their altars and refusing them to have any depictions of the Dalai Lama for the purposes of their worship. Over the years the Dalai Lama called for an independent Tibet, but has since given up this notion, but has instead called for a truly autonomous Tibetan region, where the Tibetans would be allowed to govern their affairs under the supervision of the Chinese government, a notion that China has vehemently refused to accept.13 For his continuing advocacy for peace and nonviolence, the Dalai Lama, and by extension the Tibetan people, have gained world-renowned notoriety, with the Dalai Lama receiving many prestigious awards including the Congressional Gold Medal and the Nobel Peace Prize. He has been a staunch defender of other freedoms outside those directly related to Tibetan affairs including same-sex marriage, womens rights, environmentalism, and global health; making him a respected voice on the global arena. The leadership of the Dalai Lama is a shining example of the power of a single, yet dedicated voice in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and opposition. The Dalai Lama has lived a life almost entirely without a home and without a country, but has managed to adapt and find a place for his people on the global stage, and keeping a divided people unified

13

DalaiLama.com, A Brief Biography, http://www.dalailama.com/biography/a-brief-biography

through over fifty years of exile. He has been steadfast in his beliefs of nonviolence and inclusion, while also successfully maintaining the culture and traditions of his people while in a foreign land. He has had dialogues with many political and religious leaders of various nationalities and faiths, and has always promoted intercultural and inter-religious understanding and recognition. While it is certain that he has been a highly effective global leader, the future, however, is uncertain. The Dalai Lama is becoming quite advanced in age, and he has still no country to live in and his people remain divided. When he dies, also, there will be an unprecedented search for the Dalai Lama, and questions have arisen over whether the next will be in exile or will be in Tibet. The Chinese, also, will try and take advantage of this, and have pledged to conduct a search of their own to try and raise a Dalai Lama within Tibet that will cater to the needs of the Chinese Government and discredit the Tibetans in exile. There remains a distinct uncertainty about what the future will hold for the Tibetans, but for now they remain under the strong and guided leadership of Tenzin Gyatso who has lead them unflinchingly through hardships never before experienced by his people.