The Dalai Lama Biography

The Dalai Lama biography could be described as an ongoing peaceful fight for freedom.

The 14th Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, was born on July 6, 1935 to a poor farming family in a small village called Pari Takster, in the Amdo region, in northeastern Tibet. He was the fifth of sixteen children born to this family, nine of whom survived infancy. He was determined to be the latest incarnation of his predecessor the Dalai Lama when he was two years old.

His formal education began at the age of six. He was trained in Tibetan art and culture, logic, medicine, Sanskrit and Buddhist philosophy. He also learned about astrology, poetry, music, drama and other topics.

By 1950, the Dalai Lama - still only 15 years old - was called upon to assume his full political duties. China had invaded Tibet in 1949. He traveled to Beijing to meet Mao Zedong and several other leaders in China in 1954 to talk about peace.

When Chinese troops suppressed a Tibetan uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama was forced to escape into exile. He appealed to the United Nations on Tibet's behalf three times. Three different resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations in regards to this situation, one in 1959, one in 1961 and one in 1965.

Dalai Lama Biography - In Exile

Since his exile, the Dalai Lama has lived in Dharamsala, India, where they have set up the Government of Tibet in Exile. He has spent time developing a Tibetan educational system for his followers and found settlements for the 80,000 Tibetans that followed him into exile.

He has instituted the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies. He has reopened 200 monasteries and nunneries to try and preserve the teachings of the Tibetan Buddhists and their way of life.

His Holiness proposed a Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet in September of 1987 which he delivered to the US Congress. He saw this as the first step in establishing a peaceful solution. His vision of Tibet as a harmonious sanctuary in the heart of Asia has yet to come to pass.

He went to Strasbourg, France in 1988 to deliver the Strasbourg Proposal to the European Parliament. In December of 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

* The Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace Norbulingka, outside Lhasa

In 1992, the Dalai Lama initiated several steps to establishing a democratic government for Tibet, including direct elections for the ministers of the government. Previously they were appointed by His Holiness. In 2001, the first direct elections were held by the Tibetan people to elect the Kalon Tripa, or Senior Minister.

The Dalai Lama biography would not be complete without mentioning that he has written over 70 books, received over 80 awards, prizes and honorary doctorates and met with many politicians at the highest levels and celebrities supporting the Tibetan cause. You can find a more detailed Dalai Lama biography on his website.

One of His Holiness' main interests has been supporting the SOS Children's Villages. There are over 450 worldwide. They provide a family type home for orphans all over the world as well as community programs and schools, medical centers and care for victims of disaster.

When I met the Dalai Lama, he agreed to write the foreword of my book Child of Tibet - a lost innocence.