H.H. Dalai Lama

The Manifestation of Love and Compassion

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935)

H. H. the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet.

He was born to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet. At the age of two the child, who was named Lhamo Dhondup at that time, was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

He began his monastic education at the age of six. In 1959 he passed his final examination in the Jokhang Temple, Lhasa with honours and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree.

In 1950 His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power after China's invasion of Tibet in 1949. In 1954 he went to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. But finally, in 1959, with the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, His Holiness was forced to escape into exile. Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India, the seat of the Tibetan political administration in exile.

In 1963 he presented a new democratic constitution: "The Charter of Tibetans in Exile”. In 1987 he proposed ”The Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet” as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. In his address to members of the European Parliament in 1988, he made another detailed proposal elaborating on the Five Point Peace Plan. He proposed talks between the Chinese and Tibetans leading to a self-governing democratic political entity for all three provinces of Tibet. This entity would be in association with the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Government would continue to remain responsible for Tibet's foreign policy and defence.

His Holiness has a responsibility to act as the free spokesperson of the Tibetans in their struggle for justice until a mutually beneficial solution is reached between the Tibetans and Chinese.

The Dalai Lama is seen as a manifestation of the Buddhist aspect of love and compassion: Chenrezig. The life vocation of H.H. the Dalai Lama is to promote human values as compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, appreciation and self-discipline.

In 1989 H.H. the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet. He has consistently advocated policies of non-violence, even in the face of extreme aggression.

He has met with presidents, prime ministers and crowned rulers of major nations. He has held dialogues with the heads of different religions and many well-known scientists.

Since 1959 he has received over 84 awards, honorary doctorates, prizes, etc., in recognition of his message of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion. He has also authored more than 72 books.

His Holiness describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk.

Quotations

• If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
• Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
• This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
• All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness ... the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.
• Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
• We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
• Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
• My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
• Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.
• In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.
• Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
• We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
• Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
• As human beings we all want to be happy and free from misery… we have learned that the key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion, while love and compassion and a sense of universal responsibility are the sources of peace and happiness.
• The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
• If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others.
• In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged.
• Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being ... The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. That's the way.
• Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.
• Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
• It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.
• The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis.

Links

The Website of the Office of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama:
http://www.dalailama.com/