“It’s like a rock star.” This is the response the Dalai Lama gives writer Victor Chan when asked why some people, upon seeing him, are moved to the point of tears. “When they (rock stars) appear, some people jump and cry. It is like that” compares the Dalai Lama, waving his arms as if he were a fan. “pop” answers like this one have made him an idol accessible to the masses. Like good music lyrics, his ideas are easily understood by followers of any creed or none at all. “All living beings are equal. All want happiness and none want to suffer.” His title explains its origin: Dalai Lama means “Ocean of wisdom” – which is even perceptible in his face, always inspiring and warm. From April 27-29 he will be in São Paulo to give teachings to Buddhists, speak about individual and community health issues and motivate inter-faith dialogue. It will be his third visit to Brazil, now with 46 books published in Portuguese. His mission, as always: show that happiness is not impossible.
A Lama Incarnate
In this way, the spiritual leader achieves his goal – not by bringing more believers to Buddhism, but by turning the Earth into an easier place to live. Praying, for him, is not enough. The 14th Dalai Lama says engagement and determination are necessary for any spiritual and social transformation.” Before anything else, we need to learn that negative behavior and emotions are detrimental to us – to society and also to the future – as well as the fact that positive emotions are beneficial,” he says.
The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondrup in 1935 in the village of Takster in Tibet, near the border with China. His father, “a man whose extreme goodness coexisted with an irritable temperament,” was a farmer who loved horses. During the months of his wife’s pregnancy, he was extremely ill up until the morning of the birth of his son when he awoke completely cured. It was also after this auspicious birth that the four years of disastrous harvests that plagued Takster reached their end. These two facts are considered signs, according to Tibetan superstition, that there would be a senior lama (Buddhist master) reincarnated.
His discovery was not by accident. After the death of the 13th Dalai Lama, in 1933, as is common in the Buddhist tradition, the search began for his reincarnation. In a sacred lake near Lhasa, a regent nominated by the National Assembly to govern Tibet until the reincarnation reached maturity, had visions that pointed to Takster. A mission was sent to the village, among them Lama Kewtsang Rinpoche, from the Sera monastery, arrived at Lhamo Thondup’s home disguised as a servant. His was quickly recognized by Lhamo Thondup, who was two years old at the time. “Sera – aga,” he said to the servant. “You are a lama from Sera.” Lhamo also recognized the mala (Tibetan rosary) that the disguised servant wore around his neck. “That’s mine,” he said, pointing at the mala that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama. It is common, according to Buddhism, that reincarnate children remember their personal possessions and people from previous lives, and these were only some of the signs that allowed Lhamo Thondup to be recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama. At four years of age, he was brought with his family to Lhasa. At Potala Palace, he took his vows as a monk and was given the name Jamphei Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso.
According to Buddhism, the first Dalai Lama, born in 1391 in the Christian calendar, was an incarnation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. Every Dalai Lama is the reincarnation of his predecessor and he is both the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. In the current form of the government, called Gaden-Phodrang, the Dalai Lamas succeed each other, and, during their absence or youth, Tibet is governed by regent monks or laypeople.
From this point on, Tenzin Gyatso would wear monks robes, shave his head, maintain vows of celibacy and, not eat in the evening, among other restrictions that are common to all Tibetan Buddhist monks – despite the fact that he confesses to eat a few cookies after sunset when he is very hungry. His education included logic, art and Tibetan culture, Sanskrit, medicine and Buddhist philosophy. Aside from his academic studies, he sought to understand more about the world. He was one of those children who loved to take toys apart; he was always fascinated by mechanical objects. Once, he received a crank-driven movie projector. After seeing a demonstration, he found the batteries that generated the projector’s electric light. “It was my first contact with electricity and I was able to discover on my own how it worked.”
Fight for Peace
In 1950, communist China decided to take back the independence that had been granted to Tibet in 1912 and make it part of the People’s Republic of China. This fact forced the Dalai Lama to assume his leadership role before he reached the age of majority, at 16 years of age. His first act was to declare amnesty to all those held in prison. “To be Dala Lama is a role instituted by men. I consider myself merely a simple monk.” At 24 years old, he took, with great success, the tests that concluded his monastic education – just before having to disguise himself as a Chinese soldier in order to flee, with only two monks robes in his bags, to India, in 1959. Since then, for 46 years, the simple monk who is the leader of the Tibetan people lives in exile in Dharmasala, a city in the north of India.
“I grew up knowing very little about what happened in the world, and it was under these conditions that, at 16 years old, I had to lead my country against an invasion by communist China.” Educated with rigorous discipline, Tenzin Gyatso affirms that, “it was not an unhappy childhood,” and he is grateful for the benevolence of his teachers, who provided all of their religious knowledge and “did everything possible to satisfy his healthy curiosity about other subjects.” As far as communist China is concerned, the Dalai Lama opted to take the path of non-violence and continues to follow this path to this day. “The principles of compassion and non-violence of the Dalai Lama shape his global vision,” explains Victor Chan, who worked closely with His Holiness in writing the book The Wisdom of Forgiveness.
As a result of China’s invading Tibet with 80,000 men versus a local army of 8,500 – approximately 1.2 million Tibetans died (the total population at the time was 6 million) and 6,400 monasteries (99.9% of the total number) were destroyed. Even so, the Dalai Lama does not like to spend time speaking about the Chinese atrocities. Consider enemies to be treasured teachers who can provoke the challenging situations necessary to cultivate qualities like compassion and forgiveness. “I am optimistic. China is changing. What I am requesting is not separation from China, but movement toward the middle path: maintain the economic link with The People’s Republic of China, at the same time that Tibet has complete autonomy and its own government.”
His recognition came with the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1989, promoting a global awareness of the Tibetan cause. The committee justified the prize in citing his defense of “pacific situations based on tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural legacy of his people.”
The Service of Compassion
His lighthearted giggle is his trademark. His playful spirit is a characteristic that the Dalai Lama says comes from the ways of the Tibetan people. Over the last half century, not a single day has gone by where he has not meditated on compassion. “I discovered that the highest level of inner peace comes from the practice of love and compassion. The more we concern ourselves with the happiness of our peers, the greater will be our own well-being. This is the main source of happiness.” He believes that he is the first one to benefit by fighting for the happiness of others.
When he is not travelling, his day starts at 3:30AM. Meditation and prayer occupies him until it is time for lunch. The kitchen in Dharmasala is vegetarian, but the Dalai Lama does not always follow a specific diet. The afternoon is reserved for audiences and interviews. Tea is served at 6PM, with a few cookies. Until 8:30, when he retires to sleep, he performs his evening prayers. This routine provides the foundation for his three commitments in life.
First, he has dedicated himself to promote the values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline for all beings. For him, these are the ethical values for the new millennium. Next, his concern is for the integrity of all the major religious traditions, believing that, despite their differences, all of them have the potential to promote the well-being of all human beings. This, in fact, is one of the themes of his visit to Brazil, in a free speech that will take place at the Cathedral da Sé. Finally, his third commitment, with the Tibetan people, is the only one that may end, in the event that a mutually beneficially solution for Tibet and China is reached. All this always with his unwavering smile imprinted clearly across his face.
(By Francesca Sperb, published by "Vida Simples" - ilustration by Artur Lopes)
