Everything about Dalai Lama totally explained
The
Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the
Tibetan people. Often referred to simply as "
His Holiness" (HH), or "His Holiness The Dalai Lama", Tibetans usually call the Dalai Lama by the
epithets
Gyalwa Rinpoche, meaning "Precious Victor", or
Yeshe Norbu, meaning "Wish-fulfilling Jewel."The Dalai Lama is believed to be the
current incarnation of a long line of
Tulkus, or Buddhist Masters, who have become exempt from the wheel of death and rebirth. These
ascended masters have chosen of their own free will to be reborn to this plane in order to teach humanity. "
Lama" (meaning "
Teacher") is a title given to many different ranks of Tibetan Buddhist clergy.
Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the
Tibetan Government, administering a large portion of the country from the capital
Lhasa, although the extent of the lineages political authority and rulership over territory has been contested. Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has presided over the
Central Tibetan Administration in exile from India. The Dalai Lama is often thought to be the head of the
Gelug School, but this position officially belongs to the
Ganden Tripa, which is a temporary position appointed by the Dalai Lama (who in practice exerts more influence).
Nomenclature
"Dalai" means "Ocean" in
Mongolian, and is a translation of the Tibetan name "Gyatso," while "
Lama" is the Tibetan equivalent of the
Sanskrit word "
guru," and is commonly translated to mean "spiritual teacher." Putting the terms together, the full title is "Ocean Teacher" meaning a teacher who is spiritually as deep as the ocean.
History
In
1252,
Kublai Khan granted an audience to Pagba and Garma Pakshi, a highly regarded monk with the Garma Gagyu Sect. Garma Pakshi, however, sought the patronage of Monge Khan who bestowed him a gold-rimmed black hat and a golden seal of authority.
Before his death in
1283, Garma Paksli wrote a will to protect the established interests of his sect by advising his disciples to locate a boy to inherit the black hat. His instruction was based on the premise that Buddhist ideology is eternal, and a Buddha would be reincarnated to complete the missions he'd initiated. Garma Pakshi's disciples acted in accordance with the will and located the reincarnated boy of their master. The event marked the introduction of the Living Buddha reincarnation system for the Black-Hat Line of
Tibetan Buddhism and during the
Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle bestowed the title
Great Treasure Prince of Dharma, the first of the three
Princes of Dharma upon the Black-Hat living Buddha
Karmapa. Various sects of Tibetan Buddhism responded to the introduction of the Living Buddha reincarnation system by creating similar lineages. The most influential reincarnation system has since been the Dalai Lama lineage.
Bestowment of the title
The title "Dalai Lama" was bestowed by the
Mongolian ruler
Altan Khan upon
Sonam Gyatso, the 3rd Dalai Lama, in 1578. Sonam Gyatso was invited to visit
Amdo (in modern
Qinghai province) by Altan Khan, Upon his arrival, the Khan addressed Sonam Gyatso in Mongol by the name of Dalai Lama,
dalai being the Mongolian equivalent of the Tibetan
gyatso ("ocean"). Altan, knowing that the lama's predecessor had also the word
gyatso in his name, mistook it for a family name; and this 'mistake' has been perpetuated. Hence, the origin of the title of Dalai Lama since given to all the reincarnations of the Grand Lama. This interpretation of the name Dalai Lama has been confirmed by
Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: "So I don't really agree that the Mongols actually conferred a title. It was just a translation." However, the extended title conferred by Altan Khan was "Dalai Lama
Vajradhara," the latter a
Sanskrit word meaning "holder of the thunderbolt." This relationship between the Mongol ruler and the Gelug Tibetan lama is also historically significant, as it marks the beginning of the
Mongol-Tibetan alliance and a mass conversion of Mongols from traditional
shamanism to
Tibetan Buddhism.
Sonam Gyatso was an Abbot at the
Drepung Monastery who was widely considered one of the most eminent lama of his time. Although Sonam Gyatso became the first lama to hold the title "Dalai Lama" as described above, as he was the third member of his lineage he became known as the "Third Dalai Lama." The previous two titles were conferred posthumously upon his earlier incarnations.
Yonten Gyatso(1589 – 1616), the 4th Dalai Lama and a non-Tibetan, was the grandson of
Altan Khan.
Verhaegen (2002: p.5-6) states that the
tulku tradition of the Dalai Lama has evolved into, and been inaugurated as, an
institution and is recognized as a "
cornerstone of Tibetan identity and culture":
Gyalwa Rinpoche ('Precious Victor'),
Kundun ('Presence')
Yishin Norbu ('
Wishfulfilling Gem'), and so on.
Unification of Tibet
The Fifth Dalai Lama, with the support of
Gushri Khan (1582-1655), a
Mongol ruler of
Kokonor, united Tibet.
Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of the present 14th Dalai Lama, describes these unfortunate events as follows:
Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama, assumed ruling power from the monasteries which previously had great influence in the Regent, in 1895. Due to his two periods of exile in 1904-1909, to escape the British invasion of 1904, and from 1910-1912 to escape a Chinese invasion, he became well aware of the complexities of international politics and was the first Dalai Lama to become aware of the importance of foreign relations. After his return from exile in India and
Sikkim in January, 1913 he took control of foreign relations and dealt directly with the
Maharaja and the British Political officer in Sikkim and the king of
Nepal rather than letting the
Kashag or parliament handle it.
Thubten Gyatso issued a Declaration of Independence from China in the summer of 1912, and standardized the Tibetan flag in its present form. He deported all Chinese residents in the country including the
Ambans, and instituted many measures to modernise Tibet.
The Dalai Lamas continued to rule
Tibet until the People's Republic of China invaded the region in 1949 and then took full control in 1959. The 14th Dalai Lama then fled to India and has since ceded temporal power to an elected
government-in-exile. The current 14th Dalai Lama seeks greater autonomy for Tibet.
Verhaegen (2002: p.6) frames the trans-
polity influence that the Institution of the Dalai Lama has had historically in areas such as
western China,
Mongolia,
Ladakh in addition to the other
Himalayan Kingdoms.
Residence
Starting with the
5th Dalai Lama and until the 14th Dalai Lama's flight into exile in 1959, the Dalai Lamas spent the winter at the
Potala Palace and the summer at the
Norbulingka palace and park. Both are in
Lhasa and approximately 3 km apart.
In 1959, after the start of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge in
India. The then Indian Prime Minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru, was instrumental in granting safe refuge to the Dalai Lama and his fellow Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has since lived in exile in
Dharamsala, in the state of
Himachal Pradesh in
northern India, where the
Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government-in-exile) is also established. Tibetan refugees have constructed and opened many schools and Buddhist temples in Dharamsala.
Searching for the reincarnation
In the Himalayan tradition,
phowa (Tibetan) is the discipline that transfers the mindstream to the intended body. Upon the death of the Dalai Lama and consultation with the
Nechung Oracle, a search for the Lama's
reincarnation, or
yangsi (
yang srid), is conducted. Traditionally it has been the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa Tradition and the Tibetan government to find his reincarnation. The process can take around two or three years to identify the Dalai Lama, and for the 14th
Tenzin Gyatso it was four years before he was found. The search for the Dalai Lama has usually been limited historically to Tibet, although the third tulku was born in
Mongolia. Tenzin Gyatso, though, has stated that that there's a chance he won't be reborn although if he's reborn it won't be in a country run by the People's Republic of China.
The High Lamas used several ways in which they can increase the chances of finding the reincarnation. High Lamas often visit the holy lake, called
Lhamo La-tso, in central Tibet and watch for a sign from the lake itself. This may be either a vision or some indication of the direction in which to search and this was how Tenzin Gyatso was found. It is said that
Palden Lhamo, the female guardian spirit of the sacred lake,
Lhamo La-tso, promised
Gendun Drup, the 1st Dalai Lama in one of his visions "that she'd protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas." Ever since the time of
Gendun Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the system, the Regents and other monks have gone to the lake to seek guidance on choosing the next reincarnation through visions while meditating there.
The particular form of Palden Lhamo at Lhamo La-tso is Gyelmo Maksorma, "The Victorious One who Turns Back Enemies". The lake is sometimes referred to as "Pelden Lhamo Kalideva", which indicates that Palden Lhamo is an emanation of the goddess
Kali, the
shakti of the
Hindu god
Siva.
» "Lhamo Latso . . . [is] a brilliant azure jewel set in a ring of grey mountains. The elevation and the surrounding peaks combine to give it a highly changeable climate, and the continuous passage of cloud and wind creates a constantly moving pattern on the surface of the the waters. On that surface visions appear to those who seek them in the right frame of mind."
It was here that in 1935, the Regent,
Reting Rinpoche, received a clear vision of three Tibetan letters and of a monastery with a jade-green and gold roof, and a house with turquoise roof tiles, which led to the discovery of
Tenzin Gyatso, the present
14th Dalai Lama.
High Lamas may also have a vision in a dream or if the Dalai Lama was cremated, that'll often monitor the direction of the smoke as an indication of the direction of the rebirth.
List of Dalai Lamas
There have been 14 recognised reincarnations of the Dalai Lama:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Dalai Lama'.
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