The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who lives as a refugee in India.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,273 |
The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who lives as a refugee in India.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,273 |
The Dalai Lamas Lama is considered to be the successor in a line of tulkus who are believed to be incarnations of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,274 |
The Dalai Lamas Lama was an important figure of the Geluk tradition, which was politically and numerically dominant in Central Tibet, but his religious authority went beyond sectarian boundaries.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,275 |
Dalai Lamas has worked to overcome sectarian and other divisions in the exiled community and has become a symbol of Tibetan nationhood for Tibetans both in Tibet and in exile.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,276 |
The Dalai Lamas headed the Tibetan government afterwards despite that, until 1951.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,277 |
Dalai Lamas Lama is known in Tibetan as the Rgyal-ba Rin-po-che or simply as the Rgyal-ba.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,278 |
Dalai Lamas established the method by which later Dalai Lama incarnations would be discovered through visions at the "oracle lake", Lhamo Lhatso.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,279 |
Dalai Lamas made himself known as the tulku of Gendun Gyatso and was formally recognised and enthroned at Drepung in 1546.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,280 |
Dalai Lamas studied Buddhist philosophy extensively and in 1405, ordained by Narthang's abbot, he took the name of Gendun Drup.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,281 |
Dalai Lamas was based there, as its Abbot, from its founding in 1447 until his death.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,283 |
Dalai Lamas's mortal remains were interred in a bejewelled silver stupa at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, which survived the Cultural Revolution and can still be seen.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,284 |
Dalai Lamas spoke in mystical verses, quoted classical texts out of the blue and said he was Dromtonpa, an earlier incarnation of the Dalai Lamas.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,285 |
Dalai Lamas was then 8, but until his 12th year his father took him on his teachings and retreats, training him in all the family Nyingma lineages.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,286 |
Dalai Lamas was accorded all the loyalty and devotion that Gendun Drup had earned and the Gelug school remained as united as ever.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,287 |
Dalai Lamas stayed in Kongpo and Dagpo and became known all over Tibet.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,288 |
Dalai Lamas spent his winters in Lhasa, writing commentaries and the rest of the year travelling and teaching many thousands of monks and lay people.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,289 |
Dalai Lamas was made abbot of Tashilhunpo and stayed there teaching in Tsang for 9 months.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,290 |
Dalai Lamas attracted many students and disciples 'from Kashmir to China' as well as major patrons and disciples such as Gongma Nangso Donyopa of Droda who built a monastery at Zhekar Dzong in his honour and invited him to name it and be its spiritual guide.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,291 |
Dalai Lamas died in meditation at Drepung in 1542 at 67 and his reliquary stupa was constructed at Khyomorlung.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,292 |
Third Dalai Lamas Lama, Sonam Gyatso was born in Tolung, near Lhasa, as predicted by his predecessor.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,293 |
Dalai Lamas's influence grew so quickly that soon the monks at Sera Monastery made him their Abbot and his mediation was being sought to prevent fighting between political power factions.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,294 |
Dalai Lamas then instituted a custom whereby on the last day of Monlam, all the monks would work on strengthening the flood defences.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,295 |
Dalai Lamas promised them he would be incarnated next in Mongolia, as a Mongolian.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,296 |
Fourth Dalai Lamas Lama, Yonten Gyatso was a Mongolian, the great-grandson of Altan Khan who was a descendant of Kublai Khan and King of the Tumed Mongols who had already been converted to Buddhism by the Third Dalai Lamas Lama, Sonam Gyatso.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,297 |
Yonten Gyatso died at the age of 27 under suspicious circumstances and his chief attendant Sonam Rapten went on to discover the 5th Dalai Lamas Lama, became his chagdzo or manager and after 1642 he went on to be his regent, the Desi.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,299 |
Dalai Lamas died on the way, in 1634 but his vassal Choghtu Khong Tayiji, continued to advance against the Gelugpas, even having his own son Arslan killed after Arslan changed sides, submitted to the Dalai Lama and become a Gelugpa monk.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,301 |
Dalai Lamas attacked Choghtu Khong Tayiji at Kokonor in 1637 and defeated and killed him, thus eliminating the Tsangpa and the Karmapa's main Mongol patron and protector.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,302 |
At an enthronement ceremony in Shigatse he conferred full sovereignty over Tibet on the Fifth Dalai Lamas Lama, unified for the first time since the collapse of the Tibetan Empire exactly eight centuries earlier.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,303 |
However, Gushi Khan's other eight sons had settled in Amdo but fought amongst themselves over territory so the Fifth Dalai Lamas Lama sent governors to rule them in 1656 and 1659, thereby bringing Amdo and thus the whole of Greater Tibet under his personal rule and Gelugpa control.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,304 |
The 5th Dalai Lamas Lama wanted to use the golden seal of authority right away.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,306 |
Dalai Lamas criticised the words carved on this gift as being faultily translated into Tibetan, writing that "The Tibetan version of the inscription of the seal was translated by a Mongol translator but was not a good translation".
FactSnippet No. 1,741,308 |
Until 1674, the Fifth Dalai Lamas Lama had mediated in Dzungar Mongol affairs whenever they required him to do so, and the Kangxi Emperor, who had succeeded the Shunzhi Emperor in 1661, would accept and confirm his decisions automatically.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,309 |
The most dynamic and prolific of the early Dalai Lamas, he composed more literary works than all the other Dalai Lamas combined.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,311 |
Dalai Lamas taught and travelled extensively, reshaped the politics of Central Asia, unified Tibet, conceived and constructed the Potala Palace and is remembered for establishing systems of national medical care and education.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,312 |
Dalai Lamas pretended the Dalai Lama was in retreat and ruled on his behalf, secretly selecting the 6th Dalai Lama and presenting him as someone else.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,313 |
Sixth Dalai Lamas Lama was born near Tawang, now in India, and picked out in 1685 but not enthroned until 1697 when the death of the Fifth was announced.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,314 |
The regent was then murdered by Lhazang or his wife, and, in 1706 with the compliance of the Kangxi Emperor the Sixth Dalai Lamas Lama was deposed and arrested by Lhazang who considered him to be an impostor set up by the regent.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,315 |
In 1708, in accordance with an indication given by the 6th Dalai Lamas Lama when quitting Lhasa a child called Kelzang Gyatso had been born at Lithang in eastern Tibet who was claimed by local Tibetans to be his incarnation.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,317 |
The Sixth Dalai Lamas Lama was taken to Amdo at the age of 8 to be installed in Kumbum Monastery with great pomp and ceremony.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,318 |
Dalai Lamas studied and taught Buddhism there for the next seven years.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,320 |
Eighth Dalai Lamas Lama, Jamphel Gyatso was born in Tsang in 1758 and died aged 46 having taken little part in Tibetan politics, mostly leaving temporal matters to his regents and the ambans.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,321 |
Dalai Lamas is credited with the construction of the Norbulingka 'Summer Palace' started by his predecessor in Lhasa and with ordaining some ten thousand monks in his efforts to foster monasticism.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,324 |
Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lamas Lama, described these unfortunate events as follows, although there are few, if any, indications that any of the four were said to be 'Chinese-appointed imposters':.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,325 |
Each of the four [Dalai Lamas] to die young expired shortly after his visit to the lake.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,326 |
The 13th [Dalai Lamas Lama] did not visit Lhamtso until he was 25 years old.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,327 |
Dalai Lamas was adequately prepared by spiritual exercise and he had faithful cooks.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,328 |
Further, if Tibetan nobles murdered any of them, it would more likely have been in order to protect or enhance their family interests rather than out of suspicion that the Dalai Lamas were seen as Chinese-appointed imposters as suggested by Norbu.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,329 |
Finally, from the Buddhist point of view, Mullin says, "Simply stated, these four Dalai Lamas died young because the world did not have enough good karma to deserve their presence".
FactSnippet No. 1,741,330 |
Dalai Lamas ascribes the probable cause of these early deaths to negligence, foolishness and lack of proper medical knowledge and attention.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,331 |
Dalai Lamas passed all the tests and was brought to Lhasa but official recognition was delayed until 1822 when he was enthroned and ordained by the Seventh Panchen Lama.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,333 |
The 10th Dalai Lamas Lama mentioned in his biography that he was allowed to use the golden seal of authority based on the convention set up by the late Dalai Lamas Lama.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,334 |
Dalai Lamas identified with ordinary people rather than the court officials and often sat on his verandah in the sunshine with the office clerks.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,335 |
Dalai Lamas was enthroned as ruler of Tibet in 1855, on orders of the Xianfeng Emperor.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,336 |
Dalai Lamas died after just 11 months, no reason for his sudden and premature death being given in these accounts, Shakabpa and Mullin's histories both being based on untranslated Tibetan chronicles.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,337 |
Dalai Lamas came to the notice of the search team, was investigated, passed the traditional tests and was recognised as the 12th Dalai Lama in 1858.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,338 |
Dalai Lamas's minority seems a time of even deeper Lhasan political intrigue and power struggles than his predecessor's.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,339 |
Dalai Lamas then ruled with "absolute power" for three years, quelling a major rebellion in northern Kham in 1863 and re-establishing Tibetan control over significant Qing-held territory there.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,340 |
The 13th Dalai Lamas Lama assumed ruling power from the monasteries, which previously had great influence on the Regent, in 1895.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,341 |
Dalai Lamas expelled the ambans and all Chinese civilians in the country and instituted many measures to modernize Tibet.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,342 |
On 18 April 1959, the 14th Dalai Lamas Lama issued statement that in 1951, the Dalai Lamas Lama and the Tibetan government were pressured into accepting the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet by which it became formally incorporated into the People's Republic of China.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,343 |
In 2001 the 14th Dalai Lamas Lama ceded his partial power over the government to an elected parliament of selected Tibetan exiles.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,344 |
Dalai Lamas continued to seek greater autonomy from China, but Dolma Gyari, deputy speaker of the parliament-in-exile, stated: "If the middle path fails in the short term, we will be forced to opt for complete independence or self-determination as per the UN charter".
FactSnippet No. 1,741,345 |
In March 2019, the Dalai Lamas Lama spoke out about his successor, saying that after his death he is likely to be reincarnated in India.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,346 |
Dalai Lamas warned that any Chinese interference in succession should not be considered valid.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,347 |
The Fifth Dalai Lamas Lama began construction of the Potala Palace on this site in 1645, carefully incorporating what was left of his predecessor's palace into its structure.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,348 |
The Dalai Lamas Lama has since lived in exile in McLeod Ganj, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where the Central Tibetan Administration is established.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,349 |
Rather, they felt that since the Dalai Lamas Lama is a national institution it was up to the people of Tibet to decide whether the Dalai Lamas Lama should reincarnate.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,350 |
In 1995, the Dalai Lamas Lama chose to proceed with the selection of the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama without the use of the Golden Urn, while the Chinese government insisted that it must be used.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,351 |
Consequently, the Dalai Lamas Lama has alluded to the possibility of a referendum to determine the 15th Dalai Lamas Lama.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,352 |
Dalai Lamas has given reference to a possible vote occurring in the future for all Tibetan Buddhists to decide whether they wish to recognize his rebirth.
FactSnippet No. 1,741,353 |