Dalai Lama
Research papers on the Dalai Lama trace his biography and spiritual teachings. Paper Masters can outline any aspect of his teachings or life in a custom research paper that touches on this Buddhist leaders amazing existence.
The legacy of the Buddha's compassion continues with His Holiness, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is believed to be the reincarnation of the Buddha himself, and is called Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. Translated to English, the name means:
- Holy Lord
- Gentle Glory
- Compassionate
- Defender of the Faith
- Ocean of Wisdom
Early life of the Dalai Lama
He was born Lhamo Dhondrub on July 6 1935, in a small northeastern Tibetan village called Taktser. It was there that, as a child, he began to exhibit the many signs of one destined for greatness. "A favorite occupation of mine as an infant was to pack things as if I was going on a long journey. 'I'm going to Lhasa, I'm going to Lhasa,' I would say".
When a search for the Dalai Lama incarnate lead searchers to his small village, and eventually his home, an evaluation of the child convinced them that they had found him. The child Lhamo Dhondrub, along with his family, traveled to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, where he began his educational and spiritual training.
The Dalai Lama as Spiritual Leader
Much of his early life was been spent peaceably as a spiritual leader, however, when the Chinese invaded Tibet in 1959, the Dalai Lama was forced into exile. It was then that the Dalai Lama began to ask for assistance in the fight against the Chinese from other countries. The Tibetans, known as a peaceful people by their very religious beliefs wanted only support against the Chinese invasion.
Today, the Dalai Lama is recognized as a champion of human rights, and has proved to be a man of compassion, the very heart of the Buddhist philosophy. Even throughout the monstrosities of the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he spoke about the Chinese as his brothers. It was on a visit to the Republic of Mongolia, which under Russian rule at that time, that he felt an immediate kinship with the people there. In an attempt to provide hope to those so oppressed, he initiated a link between their two countries. "Mongolia has a similar relationship with Tibet as Tibet has with India. With this in mind, I arranged for an exchange between students from our respective communities, thereby reviving an ancient link between our two countries".
While he is recognized as a great spiritual leader, he considers himself simply a "human being, and incidentally a Tibetan, who chooses to be a Buddhist monk ". He follows the life of a Buddhist monk, residing at his small home in Dharamsala where he rises early each morning to meditate. Very often he is asked to speak on current issues facing the world today such as racial discrimination, religious hatred and environmental protection. He ends each day with meditation, often reciting one of his favorite verses, a commitment to a life of compassion, from the writings of the Buddhist saint Shantideva:
For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide to dispel the misery of the world.