Since the late 1300’s essentially the same reincarnated figure has been controlling, teaching, and leading the Tibetan Buddhism religion and government (Gale). The Dalai Lama is thought to be the reincarnated spiritual and political icon presiding over the land of Tibet for over 14 lifetimes. His Holiness’ obligation to the Buddhist people and birthright is described as, “a teacher whose wisdom is as deep as the ocean” (Ganeri 28). For centuries the Dalai Lama has been one of the world’s most influential leaders and teachers, passing along his wisdoms to disciples all over the globe.
The origins of the Dalai Lama date back to the start of the Gelukpa School, a monastery opened near Lhasa in Tibet by a man named Tsongkhapa in the 15th century (Chiu). When the Gelukpa School started in 1438 it was considered the “dominant school in Tibetan Buddhism” (Wangu 67) as well as the monastery of the yellow hats (Gale). The Gelupka or “yellow hats” founded the lineages of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama (Chiu). This group started chains of sacred schools and temples near, in, and around Lhasa, such as the Jokhand Temple (Ganeri). Tsongkhapa’s successors continued on without a title until the official label of Dalai Lama was first given to the third successor by Alton Khan, a Mongol leader. The first and second Dalai Lamas both founded monasteries, one at Tashilhundpo and another called Drepung, founded near Lhasa. With the “use of Mongol and Manchu support, [it] helped the Dalai Lama gain power over Tibet”, and finally the 5th Dalai Lama expanded Gelukpa rule to all of Tibet (Gale). In 1642 the Dalai Lama was placed as the political and religious leader of Tibet until 1959 when the Chinese took over Tibet and stripped him of his political...
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Works Cited
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Gach, Gary. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Buddhism. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha, 2002. Print.
Ganeri, Anita. What Do We Know about Buddhism? New York: P. Bedrick, 1997. Print.
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Wangu, Madhu Bazaz. Buddhism. New York: Facts On File, 2006. Print.
With guidance from principle beliefs and the XIVth Dalai Lama, Buddhist bioethics and the devotional practice of Temple Puja have an impact of high significance on individuals, and the Buddhist community in ultimately, guiding the life of the adherent to achieve total enlightenment. As the modern figurehead for Buddhism, the XIVth Dalai Lama has contributed to the formulation and reassessment of the Buddhist approach to ethical issues.
It is said that history is shaped by the lives of great men. Great men are leaders. They bring about change; they improve the lives of others; they introduce new ideas, models, and theories to society. Most of the world's religions were founded, developed, or discovered by great men. Two particular religions - Christianity and Buddhism - developed in different parts of the world, under different circumstances, and in different social atmospheres. But each religion is based upon the teachings of a great man. When one compares the life of Buddha with the life of Jesus, one finds that the two share many things in common. This essay aims to compare and contrast the lives of Buddha1 and Jesus in two key areas: conception and birth. In these two areas, one finds that the Buddha and Jesus share many similarities.
In ancient India, many members of lower casts wanted to come back as members of higher casts. While this is an important goal of reincarnation, the main goal is to reach either moksha (Hinduism) or nirvana (Buddhism). In other words, the goal is to reach a point of spiritual enlightenment that removes the person from the reincarnation process. Geoff Childs, an anthropologist, examines the views of the Buddhist religion by studying the lives of the people in Tibetan villages. He looks at issues that adversely affect these people, such as infant mortality.
Try living in a society where starving children lay on the streets looking for food, or where lack of education leads you nowhere. However, a man with knowledge and wealth helped his people fight for their rights. Gandhi’s background made him who he was; giving him an idea of how to get India’s independence, and impact on India helped people realized you can fight with knowledge and nonviolence to change a way of life.
Tung, R. J. (1980). A portrait of lost Tibet. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Armstrong, Karen. Buddha. New York: Lipper/Penguin, 2004. 66-98. Print.
Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as “Buddha”, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these “higher level” Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist “priest”), all are permitted to follow “The Middle Way” either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada.
The Dalai Lama is considered to be a wise and respected leader, among other things, while Alice Walker is regarded as a respected novelist and activist in her right. Through their writings each of them expresses their concern on many subjects; nevertheless, both the Dalai Lama and Walker show the need for expansion of one's compassion to those that are not immediately close to him or her. However, they both ask for this growth in two distinctive ways. In his passage The Ethic of Compassion, the Dalai Lama proposes for the increase in compassion through his tactics of reasoning and experience. While Walker focuses more on the emotions of people and trying to get her audience
Dalai Lama, in The Four Noble Truths states that anyone who can perceive the inter independent nature of reality can see the Dharma, and by seeing the Dharma one can see the Buddha. He strongly believes that anyone who approaches such assertion from the perspective of Nagarjuna's teachings can accomplish the deepest understanding of its inference. With such approach of the Nagarjuna, one can then discover the three levels of purpose.
Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy can have a substantial amount of unfamiliar terminology and specific meanings for words we think we know the definition to. In order to ensure comprehension and clarity a few terms need to be defined. Buddhism as a spiritual movement is the following of the teachings of a fifth century B.C. E. Indian spiritual leader named known as Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or --in the case of this essay-- the Buddha. Tibetan Buddhism will be defined in a similar manner. Tibetan Buddhism is in the course of this essay will focus on one of the six schools of thought in the Tibetan Buddhist cannon. The “Oral Tradition” or the Kagyu School is the monastic linage that arrives in Kauai in the twentieth century.
Rinpoche, Samdhong. Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism in Today’s World; forward by 14th Dalai Lama. (Tibet: World Wisdom, 2006), 264.
[11] Trimondi, Victor and Victoria, The Shadow of the Dalai Lama, part I, section 2.
According to the Dalai Lama, the value of self-discipline is interconnected to the value of contentment. Self-Discipline is rarely effective when imposed by fear by external stimuli, such as religious and work institutions. The value must be embraced at one’s will. By having a healthy sense of self-discipline, we can maintain the determination and motivation required to live in contentment.
Lama, Dalai, XIV. Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come
In my movie, “Seven Years in Tibet”, we follow the journey of an Austrian native named Heinrich Harrer. This movie was based on the true events of his life and is based off of the book he wrote, in which he detailed the experiences. The movie features the unlikely friendship between Heinrich and the Dalai Lama, after a series of enthralling and treacherous events lead Harrer to Lhasa, the Holy home of the Dalai Lama.