Freedom In Exile

2 Pages 599 Words

For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

-Tibetan prayer

Tibet was a predominantly Buddhist county located to the west of China and north-east of India. I say was only because Tibet is now considered an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China. Going back to a time before China’s occupation of the Tibetan plateau the Tibetans had an organized central government located in Lhasa. Accordingly Tibetan traditions stipulate that the Dalai Lama is head of Tibetan government. In addition to being the leader of government the Dalai Lama is also a Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.

The book begins with a brief statement from the Dalai Lama about what the title Dalai Lama means to him and why he wrote the book. From there the Dalai Lama goes right into the First Chapter talking about his being selected as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama at the age of two. He includes a brief history of his family and outlines the selection process used to find him amongst the people of Tibet. He talks of the signs that the selection committee saw leading the way to him and the objects that he was shown to verify his being the Fourteenth Reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

With in the first chapter many side notes are inserted to give an idea of what being the Dalai Lama means. He describes his education and mixes in stories relating ideas of Buddhist thought. He tells of the procession of over a hundred people that followed him when ever he left the Potala, the 1,000 roomed winter place of the Dalai Lama and seat of Tibetan government.

By the second chapter the book starts into more detail regarding the official duties of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan traditions. Included are recounts of official ceremonies and festivals over which the Dalai Lama presides. He also tells of the relationships betw...