|
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
Chronology of Tibet and the Dalai Lama
| 1935 |
Birth of Lhamo Dhondrub
in Takster, in the Northeast Tibetan region of Amdo |
| 1937 |
Recognized as the 14th Dalai
Lama |
| 1949 |
Mao Zedong’s Communists
found People’s Republic of China |
| 1950 |
China invades Tibet. The
Dalai Lama becomes prematurely Chief of State and negotiates
sovereignty of Tibet |
| 1959 |
Anti-Chinese revolt spreads
in Lhasa; Tibetan victims are numbered in thousands.
The Dalai Lama flees and seats his government-in-exile
in Dharamsala, India |
| 1960 |
The International Commission
of Jurists observes “acts of genocide committed
to destroy the Tibetan people as a religious group.” |
| 1963 |
The Dalai Lama approves
a democratic constitution for the Tibetan community
in exile. No countries recognize its legitimacy |
| 1966 |
During the “Great
Cultural Revolution”, 2,692 Tibetan monasteries
are destroyed |
| 1984 |
The government-in-exile
declares that 1.2 million Tibetans are dead as a direct
result of Chinese occupation |
| 1987 |
The Dalai Lama proposes
the Five-Point Peace plan before the US Congressional
Human Rights Caucus to resolve the issue of Tibet |
| 1989 |
The Dalai Lama accepts the
Nobel Peace Prize |
| 1995 |
Controversy over the 10th
reincarnation of the Panchen Lama: for the first time
in Tibetan Buddhism history, the Chinese intervene in
the choice of the reincarnation of a high Lama by jailing
the child recognized by the Dalai Lama and designating
another child instead |
| 2000 |
The 17th Karmapa flees from
the Chinese regime and arrives by foot in India |
He was born Lhamo Dhondrub, but was soon thereafter recognized
as the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, and his
name was changed to Tenzin Gyatzo. Upon reaching the age
of majority, he would become incontestably the spiritual
and temporal leader of Tibet. He would serve as the central
pillar of the Dalai Lama institution, which has ruled Tibet
with wisdom and compassion for more than three hundred years.
After the Chinese invasion and occupation, he exiled in
India to better serve his people. It was the shaking of
a kingdom out of time and space, the tremor of a culture,
a people, a philosophy. The fourteenth Dalai Lama was forced
to shatter the safe remoteness of the “Head of the
World” and face the challenges and paradoxes of modernity,
something no other Dalai Lama had ever done.
How did the Dalai Lama become the world’s most famous
Buddhist? He is not the “pope of Buddhists”
as some may say; the nation he commands his not recognized,
neither is the government-in-exile he formed. Chiefs of
state are often afraid to receive him officially, not wanting
to annoy the Chinese giant. However, his popularity has
never ceased to grow. He is the living example of non-violence
and compassion, accessible to all; he refuses to convert
anyone to his religion, and in fact preaches tolerance among
religions.
“I am a steadfast follower of the doctrine of non-violence
which was first preached by Lord Buddha, whose divine wisdom
is absolute and infallible and was practiced in our own
time by the Indian saint and leader, Mahatma Gandhi.”
Tibet is still his primary concern, but since his exile
and the resulting exposure to Western countries, his message
has reached the whole world. Arguably, he is not only one
of the greatest Dalai Lamas, but also one of the greatest
people to have lived in the 20th century. His leadergraphy
will trace the major steps of his accession to the rank
of political and spiritual leader, Tibetan and universal,
by emphasizing the transformative experiences that marked
the evolution of his thoughts and actions.
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