The Dalai Lama
As of February 19, 2010
Origins of the 14th Dalai Lama
• Upon the death of the
13th Dalai Lama in 1933,
visions and signs pointed
to where the next Lama
might be found. In the
small village of Kumbum,
a search party discovered
young Lhamo Thondup
(the future Tenzin
Gyatso, above), who
displayed familiarity with
objects belonging to his
predecessor.
• Lhamo Thondup was
declared the new Dalai
Lama in 1939. He was
taken to Lhasa, the
capital of Tibet, in 1940,
where his name was
changed to Jamphel
Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe
Tenzin Gyatso and he
began his spiritual
education.
At about age 10.
• In this photograph, the
young Tenzin Gyatso
poses with his mother.
The Dalai Lama's
parents had 16 children,
9 of whom survived. His
brother Thupten Jigme
Norbu is also
recognized as the High
Lama Taktser Rinpoche.
• During the 1950s, the
new Communist
government of China
gradually took control of
Tibet. Their refusal to
respect the sanctity and
authority of the Dalai
Lama led to a resistance
which was crushed by the
Chinese army, forcing
Tenzin Gyatso and his
followers to flee across
the Himalayas, where this
photo was taken, to India.
• By 1959, the Chinese assumed complete authority
over Tibet. In this photograph, Chinese soldiers
block the border with India, part of a failed effort
to stop the Dalai Lama's escape.
The Dalai Lama's spiritual home is the Potala
Palace. He has not lived there since 1959.
Since his exile to India, Tenzin Gyatso has labored to draw
attention to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and bring the
message of Tibetan Buddhism to the rest of the world.
Many celebrities, Richard Gere most notable
among them, have taken up his cause.
At a 1986 prayer for peace organized by the Vatican in Assisi,
the Dalai Lama joins from left: The Archbishop of Canterbury
Robert Runcie, Orthodox Archbishop Methodius and Pope
John Paul II.
Presently the Dalai Lama resides in Dharamsala, India. In this
photograph, he meditates in the offices of the government in
exile.
Every year, thousands travel to India to pay their respects to
His Holiness. At the core of the Dalai Lama's political message
is the belief that global peace cannot begin until each person
has attained inner peace.
China strongly protested President Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama.
IMAGES OF HIS TRIP TO THE USA AND
MEETING WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA:
His Holiness Comes to WashingtonThe Dalai Lama arrived in
the US capital on February 17, where he will begin a trip
throughout the United States.
The meeting with the president, held in the Map Room, not
the Oval Office, was closed to the press, but the White House
released this frame to the media.
After his meeting with the President, the Tibetan leader
emerged to speak to the press, pausing to touch the snow
that had gathered on the bushes outside the White House.
After touching the snow, the Dalai Lama
grabbed a handful and tossed it into the air.
The Dalai Lama told members of the media that he
and Obama discussed human rights and the
promotion of religious harmony.
During the Tibetan leader's visit, many of his
supporters gathered outside the White House.
The Tibetan leader was greeted by members of the
Tibetan community outside the Park Hyatt Hotel,
where he is staying while in Washington.
More than a hundred people greeted the
spiritual leader at the hotel.
He was welcomed with sweet rice by
the crowds at the hotel.
• According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the
President "stated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet's
unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection
of human rights for Tibetans in the People's Republic of China."
China has strenuously objected to the meeting.
A Few of the Books by the Dalai Lama