The Dalai Lama, a Leader in Exile

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Recommended: China's occupation of Tibet

Whilst examining the world’s leaders, there is no one who compares to the Dalai Lama, who is the religious and political leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama, (Tenzin Gyatso) had a customary childhood until the age of three, when Regent, one of the senior Lama’s, had a vision that was conclusive to having Tenzin Gyatso as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. After years of schooling in religion and worldly affairs, he became Head of the State of Tibet at the age of 16, but was later forced into exile by the Chinese government in when Tibet was invaded. Despite all the hardship he has been forced to endure, he refuses to give up his fight for freedom and treats all sentiment beings with love and compassion. Through his fight for freedom, he has proven himself to be the focal spiritual and political leader, whom the people of Tibet loved unconditionally. While his country remains in conflict, the Dalai Lama has found freedom, and has worked tirelessly to regain peace between his home and China, and surrounding nations even though he is exiled.

Tenzin Gyatso, thought by many a living Buddha, The XIV Dalai Lama (Dalai Lama means ocean of wisdom, though Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Kundun, The Presence) was born in Taskter in 1937. In 1950, at the age of 16, His Holiness assumed full political power when China invaded Tibet. He was faced with many adversities, when the Chinese invaded Tibet. The Chinese shut down monasteries and savagely beat monks and nuns on the country’s streets. He wrote many letters to other countries such as America and Germany asking for support and recognition of Tibet as an individual country; however many times the nations responded with insincere diplomatic letters and often direct rejectio...

... middle of paper ...

...uch different the world would be, is his message of love, compassion, and forgiveness to be adopted by humankind.

The words and wisdom of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama should be seriously considered. Whether or not he is the reincarnation of Buddha, (or a combination of the compassion of all Buddah’s) he has proven himself to be a great leader to the Tibetan people, risking his own life for the sake of his people and their liberation. The Dalai Lama has received much recognition; he was an incredible leader both politically and spiritually during one of the hardest times in Tibetan history.

Works Cited

Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, Tenzin. Freedom in Exile: the Autobiography of the Dalai Lama. [San Francisco, Calif.]: Harper Perennial, 1991. Print.

“A Brief Biography.” Editor. The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 05 May 2009. Web. 18 February 2011.

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