The Dalai Lama: Divinity Incarnate

The two words in the title of this holy figure describe his position perfectly, Dalai is the Mongolian word for "ocean" and lama, in the Tibetan language, means "man of profound wisdom". The Dalai Lama is, therefore, a mortal man whose wisdom is believed to be as deep as the ocean. he is also thought to be a divine being, an aspect in human form of the absolute Buddha.

Fourteen Dalai Lamas have occupied the position of the Tibetans' chosen leader since 1391. Each is said to be the reincarnation of his predecessor, and the search for a successor begins the moment the reigning Dalai Lama dies. Guided by omens, dreams and an official oracle, the Tibetan priests hunt for a boy, born at the precise moment of the Dalai Lama's death, who has specific physical traits and who can pick out the late incumbent's possessions from an assortment of objects.

The most recent Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, born in 1935, was recognised as the next ruler when he was two years old; he was enthroned at the age of five and governed from the Potala until the rising of 1959, whe nhe sought refuge from the Chinese army in India. He established a government-in-exile in Dharmsala, Pakistan, where a Tibetan colony has formed. Deeply revered by the monks in the new Namgyal Monastery there, and by devout Tibetans who worship him from afar or travel to Dharmsala as pilgrims, the exiled Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for hi tireless campaign for world peace and Tibetan freedom.

“The very purpose of our life is happiness, which is sustained by hope. We have no guarantee about the future, but we exist in the hope of something better. Hope means keeping going, thinking, ‘I can do this.’ It brings inner strength, self-confidence, the ability to do what you do honestly, truthfully and transparently.” - Dalai Lama