Growing up as a Roman Catholic I often learned about the great leader of our Church, the Pope. However, we seldom learned about the leaders from other religions. This left me with many unanswered questions as a kid. I often wondered if other religions had leaders like the Catholic Church and if these leaders had similar roles to the Pope or if they were completely different. One leader who I often heard about was the Dalai Lama. I would hear his name on the news or see it in an article about religion and I would wonder who I was. Now I have the opportunity to explore the importance of this man and his position in the Buddhist religion. When the Dalai Lama is mentioned people may picture a god reincarnate, others may picture a kindly …show more content…
In recent history this has changed as China took over Tibet in 1959. The Dalai Lama himself is believed to be the reincarnation of a previous Lama who chose to be reborn instead of leaving the wheel of life (Dalai Lama). The present Dalai Lama is a man by the name of Tenzin Gyatso. He was discovered at the age of two and was named as the successor to the thirteenth Dalai Lama. At the age of sixteen he was called upon to take full political control of Tibet. This did not last long, however, as the Chinese occupied Tibet with their military in 1959. Since 1960 Tenzin has resided in India where he and his followers were granted asylum by the Indian government (Birth to Exile.) Learning these facts has made me wonder how long the Dalai Lama has had such great powers. And how is the replacement to the previous Dalai Lama found in the first place?
Criterion B:
Who is the Dalai Lama and what is his importance in the Buddhist faith? To answer this question I will use Internet sources. I will first discuss the roll of the Dalai Lama in the religion of Buddhism throughout its history. I will then connect this to todays Dalai Lama and what he has done in both his religion and in the world as a whole. By finding information on these few I should be able to form a well thought out answer to my research question.
Criterion
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In the past he has resided at Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet (Dalai Lama). This was until March 17, 1959 when General Zhang Chenwu of Communist China invited Tenzin to the theater, the General’s only request was that the Dalai Lama not be accompanied by any guards. Fearing for his life, he fled the country for India. Since then he has made many advancements for Buddhism. His charming character has brought many people to Buddhism. He was also the first Dalai Lama to travel to the western world. Tenzin shows the extent of his devotion to nonviolence in the quote, “For those of us in exile, I said that our priority must be resettlement and the continuity of our cultural traditions. As to the future, I stated my belief that, with truth, justice and courage as our weapons, we Tibetans would eventually prevail in regaining freedom for Tibet (Dalai Lama).” This devotion is the basis of his faith and even gained him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for maintaining a peaceful relationship with the Chinese government after his exile (Birth to
The teachings of buddhism, the Dalai Lama and the Temple Puja can all impact a Buddhist adherents on the ethical issues of the individual. The buddhist teachings consist of lists of rules that can be followed in order to live a peaceful and humble life, which nirvana can be met. Temple Puja are acts and ways the buddhist teaching can be applied to the life of Buddhist adherents. The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader of the tibetan people who expand on the teachings of Buddhism worldwide. All these factors influences the decision making of challenging ethical issues of Buddhist adherents.
In a world of suffering and pain the Dalai Lama said, “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive”. The Dalai Lama has become a figurehead for Buddhism worldwide for his compassion and warm smiles. Buddhism has extended beyond meditation and even monks such as the Dalai Lama. The basic concepts of compassion and mindfulness in Buddhism are being applied in the daily lives of lay people who need it the most.
Lopez Jr., Donald S. The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide To Its History and Teachings
At least every Asian country with a Buddhist community has experience some sort of civil war, foreign invasion, or systematic poverty and tyranny. During the Khmer Rouge era, Buddhism was nearly destroyed. Monks were tortured, killed and forced into lay life. Buddhist temples were destroyed and used as a prison area. After the defeat of the Khmer Rouge, Buddhism remained repressed within Cambodia. Some Buddhist monks or leaders responded with forms of social engagement. That being said, Maha Ghosananda is one the monks who played a key role in rebuilding Buddhism in Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. His work, Dhammayietras was the first program to set up for peace and non-violence in Cambodia. The Dhammayietras consisted of peace walks through war-torn, landmine-infested regions. This non-violence and social action is considered to be “engaged Buddhism.” The idea of “engaged Buddhism” places an emphasis on the need for compassion for compassionate action is rooted in the Buddhist practice. Ghosananda activism rebuilt Buddhism in Cambodia by teaching peace through example. T...
The Dalai Lama is a profound believer of peace, compassion, love and nonviolence. He is considered by Tibetan Buddhists to be the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion and was meant to lead the people. Even though he has had a tough time throughout most of his life time and has struggles to free his homeland from the Chinese occupation he has consistently 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.” (The Dalai Lama A Simple Path and An Open Heart pp. 800).Dalai Lama, since then, began teaching about the Four Noble Truths, in order to demonstrate that they offer an insightful path to greater happiness for individuals, and for humanity.
Buddhism is that surrounds itself in the objective of not serving a deity as other religions do but to serve the purpose of inspiring inner peace. The most sought after path the road of Buddhism teaches is the path of enlightenment. There is a lot of analysis’ that can be done on what Buddha nature however there is the dalai
The Dalai Lama XIV has also made a significant impact on Buddhist adherents, and has allowed for buddhist teachings to have a more far-reaching effect on individuals. He has done a lot of work to the expansion of Buddhism in the Western world, and has adapted the buddhist philosophy to be more understanding to adherents.
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.
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.
Lama, Dalai, XIV. Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World's Religions Can Come
“Buddhism and Christianity were both founded by great Spiritual Masters who sought to offer a path to salvation. The terminology they used was often quite different. Also given the different circumstances they incarnated
Rinpoche, Samdhong. Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism in Today’s World; forward by 14th Dalai Lama. (Tibet: World Wisdom, 2006), 264.
In the comparison with other class of Chinese faith , the study of Chinese Buddhism benefits. First, the International range of Buddhism allows for fruitful comparison with developments in other neighboring finish such as India and japan and the contemporary identicalness of Buddhism as a missionary. Buddhism is a way of breakthrough repose within oneself. It is a organized religion that helps us to find the happiness and contentment we seek. Buddhist develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice; and then share their experience with others delivery real number benefit to this humankind .They try not to injury others and to live
Buddha was able to define and practice a set of beliefs that could truly be applied to how society works, by focusing on your inner self and following the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path you can only help improve your religious state of mind and being.
Buddhist teachings and worshipping both have impacts on adherents and the Buddhist community. Both provide an insight into how to achieve the ultimate goal of enlightenment and reach Nirvana. Bioethics is a major topic in Buddhist teachings an the ethical regulations of Buddhist teachings are derived from the concepts of the Eightfold Path, karma, four noble truths and the five precepts. These are the ethics that judge human actions as morally right or wrong. Moreover, significant practices drawn from Temple Puja can be used to convey worship of the Buddha and offer Buddhists a greater understanding of their path to enlightenment. Such significant people like the 14th Dalai Lama, have contributed to the impacts of Buddhist teachings.