The Dalai Lama is the universally recognised face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy. AFP/Stringer
AFP
ON THE WEB, 22 February 2020
The Dalai Lama on Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of his enthronement as the spiritual leader of Tibet, a position held almost entirely in exile and as a target of constant vilification by the Chinese state.
Hundreds of miles from Lhasa’s imposing 1,000-room Potala Palace, the sandal-wearing monk now ministers to his fellow Tibetan exiles from Dharamshala in the foothills of the Indian Himalaya.
He remains the universally recognised face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy, but the global spotlight he enjoyed after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 has dimmed and the deluge of invitations to hobnob with world leaders and Hollywood stars has slowed.
Partly because the ageing leader has cut back on his punishing travel schedule, but also due to China’s growing economic and political clout.
Beijing accuses the 84-year-old Dalai Lama of wanting to split China, and regularly refers to him as a “wolf in a monk’s robe”.
His office said there would be no commemoration of the anniversary and a teaching event scheduled for March — that usually would attract devotees from across the world — has been cancelled over coronavirus fears.
Born into a peasant family in the Tibetan village of Taksar on 6 July 1935, he was identified as the incarnation of Tibetan Buddhism’s supreme religious leader at the age of two after picking out objects that belonged to his predecessor.
He was given the name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso — Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Compassionate Defender of the Faith and Ocean of Wisdom — and two years later arrived in Lhasa where he was formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama.
In 1950, aged 15, he was hastily enthroned as head of state after the Chinese army invaded Tibet.
For the next nine years he tried to keep Tibetans out of harm’s way. But the effort failed in 1959 when China crushed a popular uprising.
Fearing for his life, the young monk trekked through the Himalayas accompanied by a 37-strong entourage, and crossed into exile in India.
There he set up a government-in-exile and launched a campaign to reclaim Tibet that gradually evolved into an appeal for greater autonomy — the so-called “middle way” approach.
Successor?
It is unclear how, or even whether, the current Dalai Lama’s successor will be named, but few religious leaders have had to give the matter as much thought.
The centuries-old practice requires senior monks to interview sometimes hundreds of young boys to see whether they recognise items that belonged to the Dalai Lama and pick one as a reincarnation.
But the 14th Dalai Lama announced in 2011 that he may be the last, seeking to preempt any attempt by China to name its own successor.
Formal negotiations with Beijing broke down in 2010 after making no headway.
The following year the Dalai Lama announced he was retiring from politics, ending centuries of Tibetan tradition to make way for a new leader elected by exiled Tibetans around the world.
In his India exile he has been treated as an honoured guest — an official policy stance that has been a source of tension with Beijing.
The Dalai Lama was enthroned by the Tibetan people in 1940. It demonstrated that Tibet was an independent nation carrying out the nation’s duty to select its leader. He became the political leader of Tibet at the tender age of 15 as the nation faced mortal danger from the emerging communist China. The Dalai Lama faced a daunting task of how to save Tibet against a force which saw religion as poison and the Tibetan people as barbarians. This is a classic Chinese racism. It is common knowledge that Chinese are perhaps the most racist people in the world. The China towns across the world are a stark reminder that Chinese see only themselves as compatible to live in harmony and always looks with suspicion on others who aren’t Chinese. As a result of this racism, the PLA committed unimaginable atrocities against innocent Tibetans which are recorded by the Panchen Lama in his 70,000 character petition to Mao. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in the aftermath of the Lhasa uprising and let the Tibetan struggle till 2011. It is to his credit that the issue of Tibet is still alive and kicking. His charm and incredible personal charisma has kept the Tibetans in Tibet hopeful of an outcome that would save the Tibetan people and their religion and culture. The Dalai Lama’s tactic to fight the violent Chinese commies is thru non-violence which makes all their military power obsolete. Through the power of loving the enemy, it has made the Chinese humiliated and upstaged at every instance. Out of frustration, they called him names and tried to portray him as a “wolf in sheep’s skin”. The world didn’t buy the racist taunts and instead loved the Dalai Lama. He became an International icon and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Tibetans are blessed to have such a dynamic leader.