SNOW LION NEWSLETTER

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: A Life's Calling
by Kasur Tenzin N. Tethong

Since His Holiness the Dalai Lama is such an immensely revered and beloved figure, it is not easy to write about him in a casual manner, especially for a Tibetan.  No matter what one writes, it may never satisfy those who see him as more than an ordinary being.  Even on a conventional level he is not just a leader since he is both temporal and spiritual head of a people and a nation.  And for devout Buddhists, he is the manifestation of the Boddhisattva of Compassion, the embodiment of the compassion of all the Buddhas, or as some might say, the essence of compassion in the universe.

To simply tell his life's story is not difficult because it is filled with so many extraordinary events.  It begins with his recognition as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet, and is followed by great drama and tragedy early in his life, and later triumphs and successes not expected under the circumstances of what was happening early in his life.

Born on July 6, 1935, to a farming family in the small village of Taktser in north eastern Tibet, he is named Lhamo Thondup.  When he is barely able to speak, he utters words in the Lhasa dialect that he needs to go there, far away from his birthplace.  And when members of the official search party come looking for the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama he recognizes the monk who is disguised in layman's clothes, and, later when he is tested, flawlessly chooses the right objects belonging to the previous Dalai Lama laid alongside similar items, some more elaborate and attractive to any child.  These stories and more have been written and told by members of the search party, distinguished lamas and senior officials of Tibet, and by members of own his family, and is now part of the lore and myth of the present Dalai Lama.

Soon thereafter, he is taken to Lhasa, but not before the Chinese Muslim warlord Ma Bufang, a man who holds considerable sway in the region threatens to hold him back, is paid off by the Tibetan government.  Successfully escorted to the Tibetan capital, the young Dalai Lama - now given a much longer new name, the short of which commonly uttered is Tenzin Gyatso - is officially enthroned in 1940.

He begins his life confined mainly to his spiritual education, and is visited only occasionally by family members.  Gradually he is exposed to the intricacies and politics of governance.  But in 1950, barely sixteen years old, he is rushed to take on the temporal role as head of state when Tibet is invaded by China.  The entire Tibetan nation turns to him believing that he will avert the national crisis although Chinese troops are already in the country and the crisis unfolded.

Nevertheless, the young Dalai Lama assumes the role thrust on him without hesitation. He begins to introduce reforms within the Tibetan polity, and he starts to deal with the Chinese.  In 1954, when he is invited to China, he goes straight to the Chinese and forthrightly attempts to work with them and the reality on the ground.  Just as modern socialist China impresses the Dalai Lama, he too impresses Mao and others of the great potential in him and the Tibetan people.

Next, he travels to India in 1956 as a special guest to commemorate the 2,500th year of Buddhism, where he sees the other Asian giant embarked on a similar journey of modern nation building, but one committed to greater human freedoms and democracy where spirituality and the ancient cultures still seemed to have a place.

By exposure to China and India, the young Dalai Lama is thrust into the modern world with all its promises and potential.  But the clash between Chinese Communism and traditional Tibetan beliefs stands in his way.  No matter how eager the young Dalai Lama is to move ahead and work out the differences with the Chinese, Tibetan ideas of race, religion and society do not reconcile with the ideas of international communism.

To make matters worse, these fundamental differences are compounded by the great haste shown by the Chinese, and by their lack of basic respect for the Tibetan people and their views.  Despite all the assurances given by Mao, Chinese officials in Tibet become less flexible and begin to push aggressively with their revolutionary "reforms", especially in parts of eastern Tibet.  Such actions lead to the beginning of skirmishes in many parts of the country and the outbreak of the first major clash in Lithang in 1957, swiftly and brutally put down by superior Chinese forces and the monastery of Lithang, the center of resistance, destroyed.

Greater resentment and fear of the Chinese quickly spread throughout Tibet.  Soon Lhasa is filled with refugees, and public outpourings and demonstrations against the Chinese became commonplace.  The Dalai Lama urges patience, co-operation, and counsels against the use of violence, but the situation does not improve.  And while he remains the great symbol of hope, he also becomes the center around which all the fears and passions of the Tibetan people swirl, pointing to an inevitable clash between the Tibetans and the Chinese, with the final outcome a foregone conclusion.

Finally, when the Chinese drop their veiled pretense and insist that the Dalai Lama visit them in their military camp without his usual and proper escort, their intentions become clear.  When word gets out thousands of Tibetans immediately swarm to the Norbulinkha to protect him, and to prevent him from being taken by force.  The crowds become volatile and unpredictable, their worst fears and resentment of the Chinese surfacing in outburst of mob violence.  There are no options left before the Dalai Lama but to remove himself from the center of this storm if he is going to prevent chaos and violence, and if there is to be a future strive for.  So on March 17,1959, the Dalai Lama slips out of his summer palace in the middle of the night, disguised as a soldier on a change of guard duty, and escapes the Chinese.  He begins the most important journey of his life, not knowing precisely where he is headed or where it would end.

Accompanied by his mother and his younger brother, and escorted by government officials and solders, and the Chushi Gandruk, the underground resistance, they move south of Lhasa. In first days, the party goes through territories under firm Tibetan control, but with no assurances of holding off any Chinese pursuit, the escape party finally heads towards India.  Twenty four days later, exhausted and recovering from an illness, he reaches the Indian border, welcomed by a cable from the Indian Prime Minster and by the world's press eager to report one of the great escape stories of all time.

With the beginning of his exile, the Dalai Lama's world and that of the Tibetan people -Tibetan polity and Tibetan society, as it has existed in some sense from the time of the early kings of Tibet nearly two thousand years ago - comes to a dramatic end.  The Tibetan uprising is completely crushed within the next few months, and with hardly a strong protest from the outside world, China begins the process of transforming Tibet into their mould.

The Dalai Lama is no longer a monarch but a simple refugee in India, without his court, without his country, and without his people, at a point in history when his future and that of the Tibetan people hang precariously; a time of great test for all, for the majority under Chinese rule and for the small band that had followed him into exile, a test as challenging as survival on the Tibetan plateau, and as complex as the centuries long pursuit of personal and universal liberation.

As a refugee and a survivor he has to lead his people out from the depths of despair and want.  Together with the exile leadership, he rebuilds the communities, takes care of the young and the old, revives key traditions and institutions of Tibet's cultural heritage, and prepares the next generation for a future Tibet that will be free and democratic.  What the Dalai Lama and the exiles have achieve is extraordinary; not only for rebuilding their lives and communities but in saving the essence of Tibet's rich cultural heritage, and moreover, in establishing its value and relevance both within the community and beyond.

These are no minor achievements, accomplished despite the great suffering of the Tibetan people and the tremendous physical destruction in their homeland.  Instead of dwelling in the past, the exiles pulled themselves up, primarily on their own, with only meager resources at their disposal. Today, a Tibetan may be an exile somewhere in the world, or one living under Chinese occupation, but she or he is a proud citizen of a virtual and global Tibetan nation, one far from the ideal but which exists nevertheless.

The Fifth and Thirteen Dalai Lamas are considered "Great" Dalai Lamas, a "greatness" sparingly assigned by the Tibetan people.  While some were great saintly figures, several great scholars or mystics, and others important political figures, only two have this special distinction.  Even before he left Tibet at the age of 25, the present Dalai Lama had already assumed a secular role for close to a decade, and in the midst of great political turmoil successfully carried out his Buddhist studies and even completed his doctoral Geshe examinations with distinction.  And because of what he has already done for the Tibetan people, it is certain that the present 14th Dalai Lama will also be considered "great" in the same breadth. And it is possible that he will even be regarded as the greatest of the Dalai Lamas because he has transcended his traditional role to become a global figure of great repute.

The world now knows him as a Nobel Laureate and a man of peace, and countless awards and recognitions have been bestowed on him.  But many are unaware of his ideas and his work for peace which extend far beyond his concerns for the Tibetan people and the preservation of Tibet's unique heritage.  His suggestions on how to prevent global inequities and conflicts, his efforts at promote genuine understanding and sharing among different spiritual traditions, and his efforts to bridge the world of science and spirituality, encouraging a real openness and respect between the two worlds, are examples of a simple and profound message that point to the future, and the great potential we all have for the world.

It is true that the Dalai Lama has a tremendous following, and countless numbers who identify themselves closely with him support his work; from educating a refugee child or a nun, to the rebuilding of communities, monasteries and health clinics inside and outside Tibet, or by trying to untangle the complicated web of politics, human rights, and law regarding Tibet and its future status.

This coming together of friends and students of the Dalai Lama have contributed immensely to the success of his work and that of the exiles.  Clearly, there is still much that needs to be done because the Tibetan issue is far from resolved despite the Dalai Lama's great willingness to discuss and even to compromise with the Chinese on issues they fear the most.  Furthermore, the wellbeing of the Tibetan people, whether those living terrorized under Chinese rule or those in exile, will continue to need your support for the immediate future.

However, while we remain connected to the Dalai Lama in our own peculiar way, be it for reasons to do with Tibet, Tibetan Buddhism, or for personal reasons, we must now find a way to respond to his call to action for a better world.  If the Dalai Lama has been helpful and useful to us, then it is appropriate and timely that we respond to his ideas and wishes for a better world, and to find ways to elevate our work to a higher level of concern and action.

A small group of individuals, each who can claim to be a close friend or a devout student of the Dalai Lama, have come together to attempt just that: We have established a foundation in the Dalai Lama's name with his blessings and his permission; to use his name as inspiration and as a rallying point, and to work for world peace.  We are happy to extend this opportunity to all who consider themselves a friend or student of the Dalai Lama, who wish to come together and work towards a better world.  We believe that this is a wonderful and rare opportunity to work with such a unique person as His Holiness, especially when he is so vigorously engaged and in our midst.  He may be a simple monk, dedicated completely for the benefit and enlightenment of all other sentient beings, but one who I am sure will welcome your support and one who deserves it.

Kasur Tenzin N. Tethong is one of the founding members of The Dalai Lama Foundation www.dalailamafoundation.org ).   He is a former Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and former Kalon Tripa, Chair of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's Cabinet.  Currently he lives in Palo Alto, California; Chair of the Committee of 100 for Tibet, and teaches at Stanford University.