Dalai Lama
It seems
that everyone in the world is smitten with this humble leader; after all, his
image is used everywhere as a sign of hope.
But while we
may know a great deal about him, there is still much to be learned, because
religious figures are usually shrouded with mystery…whether it pertains to
their origins, practices, or even death.
Here are 10
things you did not know about the Dalai Lama:
1 The current Dalai Lama is the 14th of his line
and has a very long name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso.
This means
Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate, Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom.But that is
his religious name. His actual name is Lhamo Dondrub.
2 Each Dalai Lama (including this
one) are said to be a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
These chosen
ones are said to have postponed their ‘nirvana’ so as to be rebirthed with the
purpose of serving humanity.This Dalai
Lama is the 74th incarnation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.
3 Considered to be important monks
of the Gelug school, this reincarnation of the Dalai Lama has been the longest
living incumbent and is 80 years old.He was born
in Taktser village in Amdo, Tibet.
In fact, his
very birth was on the floor of a cowshed of his family’s farm and was one of
the seven out of 16 children who survived infancy.
4 Gyatso was recognized to be the
successor to the 13th Dalai Lama by a simple test.
At age two,
he was asked to identify certain articles of clothing that belonged to the
Dalai Lama before him.
One such
article was the 13th Dalai Lama’s rosary.
Once he
passed the tests, he assumed the throne at the age of four while becoming a
monk at age six.
5 From the age of five, he began his
training at a monastery in Kumbum.
His favorite
game was to play with two white mice who distracted him from his studies on a
daily basis.
6 When asked what he would be if he
wasn’t the Dalai Lama, he responded that engineering would be his passion.
In
particular, he’s been fascinated with neuroplasticity – the study of how the
brain rewires itself.
7 It should be surprising that his
hobbies include gardening and meditation; but oddly enough, he enjoys
collecting and repairing watches too.
8 The Dalai Lama fled to India
during the 1959 Tibetan uprising and has been living there ever since as a
refugee.
In fact, he
has gone so far as to say that he is a ‘son of India’ which drew criticism from
the Chinese. But he was
definitely within his rights to say so, since Buddhism began in Nalanda, a
province of India.
9 The current Dalai Lama won the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for advocating the liberation of Tibet from China
peacefully.
He shared
the award with Mikhail Gorbachev.
10 So, what will happen when the
Dalai Lama dies?
According to
him, either the tradition will die or there will be a rival of Dalai Lamas
selected by both the exiled Tibetan community and China.
In Closing
Given his
current age, there’s no doubt that he will not live for very long.
Still, he
has lived a long and interesting Life with a big following, both celebrities
and lay people showing great affection.
