Is the Dalai Lama a role model in life?
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The wise man does not grow old, but ripens." (Victor Hugo) Tenzin Gyatso the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, who has labored extensively for peace and democracy for the past sixty-three years, is now seventy-seven years old. Born on July 6, 1935 to a small peasant family, Tibet recognized him as the reincarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama at age 3. He has experienced much in his life- civil war, family death, and brutal oppression. In 1949, due to the Chinese invasion on Tibet, he ascended the position at age 15. After his exile from Tibet, the Dalai Lama established government in India. Since then, he has earned the Nobel Peace Prize, the Human Rights Award, and many more. A hero must possess the morality to stay strong in the face of temptation presented by fame and influence, the dedication to strive for his goal no matter the obstacle, and the tolerance to accept all the people he meets along his journey to change the world. As one of the most revered spiritual leaders, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is an icon of virtue, advocating for democracy and freedom for his country, and toiling tirelessly to bring peace to the world.
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There is the traditional Tibetan perspective of His Holiness that is shared by followers of Tibetan Buddhism along the Himalayas, including in Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Nepal, Bhutan, etc. This perspective regards His Holiness as the manifestation of Chenresig (Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion. He is someone who has the capacity to be fully enlightened but has chosen to come back to this human world for the sake of sentient beings.
Prior to 1959, an average Tibetan could only hope to meet someone who may have been fortunate to get a glimpse of His Holiness from a distance. At best this glimpse may have been at a religious teaching or when the Dalai Lama undertook his irregular travels in Tibet. It would be rare to meet someone who had an audience with His Holiness. The structure of the Tibetan society in independent Tibet was such that there was very limited access to His Holiness. Elaborate protocol was the rule of the game. To Tibetans, the Dalai Lama was the focus of their daily prayers. Nobody even dreamt of any close encounters with him.
But in the post-1959 period, following the flight of His Holiness into exile forced by Chinese incursion into Tibet, the institution of the Dalai Lama underwent a dramatic transformation, much to the delight of the young 14th incarnation. Aided by circumstances, the institution became less protocol-heavy, more accessible to the public and more practical. Over a period of time, this led to a close interaction between His Holiness and the Tibetan people, a historical development of sort. The most obvious indication of this metamorphosis is the increase in the number of Tibetans with the first name Tenzin. Almost every other Tibetan who is born in exile and under the age of 40 may have this first name. Tenzin is the name that His Holiness gives when followers of Tibetan Buddhism resort to the convention of approaching a lama for providing a name to their child. Prior to 1959 only a privileged few Tibetan children may have had the opportunity to get their names from His Holiness.
Prior to 1959, an average Tibetan could only hope to meet someone who may have been fortunate to get a glimpse of His Holiness from a distance. At best this glimpse may have been at a religious teaching or when the Dalai Lama undertook his irregular travels in Tibet. It would be rare to meet someone who had an audience with His Holiness. The structure of the Tibetan society in independent Tibet was such that there was very limited access to His Holiness. Elaborate protocol was the rule of the game. To Tibetans, the Dalai Lama was the focus of their daily prayers. Nobody even dreamt of any close encounters with him.
But in the post-1959 period, following the flight of His Holiness into exile forced by Chinese incursion into Tibet, the institution of the Dalai Lama underwent a dramatic transformation, much to the delight of the young 14th incarnation. Aided by circumstances, the institution became less protocol-heavy, more accessible to the public and more practical. Over a period of time, this led to a close interaction between His Holiness and the Tibetan people, a historical development of sort. The most obvious indication of this metamorphosis is the increase in the number of Tibetans with the first name Tenzin. Almost every other Tibetan who is born in exile and under the age of 40 may have this first name. Tenzin is the name that His Holiness gives when followers of Tibetan Buddhism resort to the convention of approaching a lama for providing a name to their child. Prior to 1959 only a privileged few Tibetan children may have had the opportunity to get their names from His Holiness.
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