I have been lucky enough to have been in His Holiness The Dalai Lama's presence twice. Both times, I have felt an enormous wave of peace and also shed tears of joy at simply being in his presence.
The first time I saw him give a speech in London and his simple words were very nourishing. The second time I was in his hometown of Dharamsala in Northern India where he lives in exile - it has been dubbed Little Lhasa and the 8th wonder of the world!
The Childhood Of HRH The Dalai Lama
In 1939, Lhamo Thondup and his family travelled to Lhasa the capital of Tibet and during the winter of 1940, at just five years old, he became the spiritual leader of Tibet at Potala Palace. His hair was cut, he started to wear the maroon robes of a monk and his name was changed to Tenzin Gyatso - Ocean of Wisdom.
Two of His Holiness' three elder brothers had already been recognised as reincarnations of lamas. In Buddhism, the wisdom of the ages gets passed to the innocent sages of the future. His Holiness carries the mantle of the first thirteen Dalai Lamas and they are all considered to be reincarnations of Avalokiteshvara - the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
"Of course, no one had any idea that I might be anything other than an ordinary baby. It was almost unthinkable that more than one tulku (reincarnation) could be born into the same family and certainly my parents had no idea that I would be proclaimed Dalai Lama," says His Holiness.
The Dalai Lama Is Forced To Leave His Homeland, Tibet
In 1950, at just fifteen years old, the Dalai Lama became the political leader of Tibet, just as their neighbouring country China were casting their gaze southwards. Despite sending delegations to the West for aid and support, China's Liberation army closed down on Tibet offering them liberation from their 'heathen spiritual practices.'
They saw the Tibetans as backward people who could be benefited by inclusion in their country and 20th century practices. In 1954, His Holiness' met with Mao Zadong for peace talks, but the situation for Tibet and its people was becoming increasingly bleak and in 1959 a heavily disguised Dalai Lama left Lhasa and crossed into India two weeks later where he was given asylum by President Nehru.
"I stressed the need for my people to take a long-term view of the situation in Tibet. 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."
In Dharamsala today the emphasis is on education and the preservation of Tibetan culture, art and music, as well as the practice of free speech and the right to practice Buddhism.
His Holiness' has set up numerous projects to keep the traditions of thangka painting and woodcarving alive, as well as schools to keep the Tibetan language spoken widely. Often Tibetans seeking refuge in India are encouraged to go back to their homeland so that the Tibetan cultural identity is not lost within China.
The Dalai Lamas' trek across the Himalayas has now been mirrored by hundreds of thousands of Tibetans who cannot live within the limitations of the Chinese government. Since 1959, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have died within their own country and around 6000 monasteries have been destroyed.
Living In Exile In Northern India
When you walk around McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala in northern India, you meet men and women who have risked capture, frostbite and pneumonia to get to India where they can practice their religious beliefs freely and be with their spiritual leader.
I met one man who runs Tibetan cookery classes. When we sat breaking Tibetan bread one day which you can make in a dry pan on top of the stove as there are few ovens, he shared some of the harrowing stories of this long walk which most do with few provisions and not the kind of clothes needed for a trek across the Nangpa pass at 18,700 feet in the high Himalayas.
Lhamo did not say why he had to leave Tibet, but all Tibetans that are allowed to stay in Dharamsala are political refugees and will have tales of torture and human rights violations.
In 1989, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. As part of the exiled Tibetan government and as spiritual leader, he has travelled the world mirroring the path of Mahatma Gandhi, he advocates non-violence, compassion and universal responsibility. He is a global spiritual leader and he leads by example - the embodiment of compassion.
A Message Of Love And Compassion
"I have, from the very beginning, supported the idea that China should be granted the opportunity to host the Olympic Games. Since such international sporting events, and especially the Olympics, uphold the principles of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, equality and friendship, China should prove herself a good host by providing these freedoms. Therefore, besides sending their athletes, the international community should remind the Chinese government of these issues."
"As a Buddhist monk, my concern extends to all members of the human family and, indeed, to all sentient beings who suffer. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share."
"Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion. I believe all religions pursue the same goals, that of cultivating human goodness and bringing happiness to all human beings. Though the means might appear different the ends are the same."
Find Out More:
Check out Kundun - a wonderful film by Martin Scorcese showing the early life of His Holiness' The Dalai Lama.
http://www.tibet.com/ for more information on His Holiness' The Dalai Lama, Tibet and visiting Dharamsala and find speeches at http://www.dalailama.com/
Listen to Tibetan monk Ven Bagdro talk about his land and his life
http://tibetblogs.com/modules/feeds/index.php?page=clipping&clipping_id=4516 or his lighter side chanting with a human beatbox! http://youtube.com/watch?v=J3j2Lj0-dGU&feature=related