Born Lhamo Thondup in 1935 to a peasant family of Taktser, a village in Tibet's Amdo province, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at the tender age of two. From then on, the child was groomed not only to rule as a regent but also to administer to the spiritual needs of his people, believed, as he is to be the manifestation of Avalokiteshwara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Dalai Lamas have traditionally been 'monk-kings' of Tibet, embodying a unique synergy of monastic life with state affairs. Little did the young Dalai Lama know that as his life unfolded, circumstances would arise that would try his political acumen and his spiritual faith to the utmost.In the summer of 1950, Communist China's People's Liberation Army marched into Tibet, ostensibly to 'liberate' the Tibetan people from a feudal regime, but actually as part of China's expansionist agenda.
After nine years of trying to work out a peaceful resolution, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India. He now lives in the picturesque Himachal town of Dharamsala, India, which also houses the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile.With hindsight, His Holiness, as he is often referred to, says in his autobiography Freedom in Exile: "When I look back to the time when Tibet was still a free country, I realize that those were the best years of my life.
Today I am definitely happy, but inevitably the existence I now lead is very different from the one I was brought up to. And although there is clearly no use indulging in feelings of nostalgia, I cannot help feeling sad when I think of the past. It reminds me of the terrible suffering of my people. The old Tibet was not perfect. Yet at the same time, it is true that our way of life was something quite remarkable. There was much worth preserving that is now lost forever."
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