![]() ![]() Enlightenment is the attribute of them all, even of the Dalai Lama who, possessed of oceanic breadth and depth of knowledge, attains the same state of enlightenment as a bodhisattva. Not merely that the Dalai Lama is the highest office of the present day Buddhism, it is also one of its three most significant institutions, the other two being the Buddha and the Bodhisattva, that emerged in Buddhism over centuries. The epithet was used not only for Sonam Gyatso and his eleven subsequent reincarnations but also for the two preceding ones - Gendun Drubpa and Gendun Gyatso, posthumously.ĬONTINUATION OF LIFE, BODHISATTVA, DALAI LAMA AND TIBETAN PREFERENCES Then onwards, though the term 'Gyatso' was retained as before to comprise the later half of the name in the Dalai Lama lineage but it was the epithet 'Dalai Lama' that gave the lineage its unique distinction ever since. Influenced by Sonam Gyatso's profound knowledge and spiritual energy king Altan Khan honoured him with 'Dalai Lama' as his epithet. He invited Sonam Gyatso, the best known Buddhist monk of his time, to his court and wished that by his teachings he led his blood-thirsty subjects to the path of peace, love and humanity. King Altan Khan, a descendant of the known Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, a follower of Tibetan Buddhism in early thirteenth century, was tired of bloodshed and warfare and wished to have peace on his soil. 'Gyatso' had the same meaning as 'Dalai'. 'Dalai' was actually the Mongolian equivalent of 'Gyatso', a Tibetan term that emerged in use as an epithet during the lifetime of the second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso, as the distinction of the Lamas in reincarnation lineage of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Paragraph form with links to related content that the reader might be interested giving them contextĪnd related information here and tk copy link to article here and here tk copy here and here.Dalai Lama, an epithet used for the first time in 1578 by the Mongol ruler Altan Khan for Sonam Gyatso, the Third Dalai Lama, or the third in the bodhisattva reincarnation line later identified as the Dalai Lama lineage, is a combination of two terms, 'Lama' meaning a Buddhist monk, and 'Dalai', ocean-like profound, wide and deep, that is, the monk having ocean-like breadth and depth of knowledge. Tk copy here about related articles cpy here and here in While other Buddhist teachers have gained some celebrity for their accomplishments, spiritual and political, none have received the same level of attention and international sympathy as the Dalai Lama. Renowned as a spiritual adept, he is also a charismatic and intelligent international spokesman for the plight of Tibet and for Tibetans and their religion, and in 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet in 1959 and established the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, in northern India. In the 1950s, the Chinese invaded Tibet and began a systematic destruction of the region’s religion and culture, which included laying waste to monastic cities and universities, murdering and jailing monks and nuns, and punishing ordinary Tibetans for practicing Buddhism. Still, the Dalai Lama is certainly the world’s most famous Buddhist, in large part because of his status as the leader of the Tibetan community in exile. For monastics and lay students in other traditions-Thai or Zen Buddhism, for instance-the Dalai Lama may be a respected figure, but he is not necessarily a leader in the context of their practice. Tibetan Buddhists see the Dalai Lama as their spiritual head, and he is revered by millions of people around the world who have read his books or heard him speak.īut Buddhism is a family of religions with countless doctrinal variations, and there is no such thing as a single leader, just as there is no one leader of Christianity as a whole. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Dalai Lama is a prominent figure in one important school within Tibetan Buddhism, known as the Gelug order, and is believed by his followers to be the embodiment of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. National Geographic Image Collection / Alamy Stock Photo Is the Dalai Lama the leader of Buddhism? ![]()
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