In the case of the 13th Dalai Lama, after his death his body lay facing south. There are usually predictions about where and when a dalai lama will be reborn, but further tests and signs are required to ensure the proper child is found. Disciples closest to the Dalai Lama set about to identify signs indicating the location of his rebirth. The search for him began soon after the 13th Dalai Lama died. The current Dalai Lama was enthroned when he was about 4 years old and was renamed Tenzin Gyatso.Īn undated photo of the future Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, born Lhamo Dhondrub on July 6, 1935, in the small village of Takster in northeastern Tibet. The 14 generations of dalai lamas, spanning six centuries, are linked through their acts of compassion and their wish to benefit all living beings. Tibetan Buddhism has hundreds if not thousands of such lineages, but the most respected and well-known is the dalai lama. Tibetan Buddhism has developed this idea of the bodhisattva further into identified lineages of rebirths called “tulkus.” Any person who is believed to be a reborn teacher, master or leader is considered a tulku. East Asian and Tibetan Buddhists, as part of the Mahayana sect, believe bodhisattvas have reached this highest realization.įurthermore, Mahayana Buddhists believe bodhisattvas choose to be reborn, to experience the pain and suffering of the world, to help other beings attain enlightenment. Bodhisattvas are beings who work solely for the benefit of others.įor Buddhists, the ultimate goal is enlightenment, or “nirvana” – a liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The dalai lamas in Tibetan BuddhismĪll dalai lamas are thought to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. The dalai lama is a highly influential figure, and choosing a successor is not just a religious issue, but a political one as well. As a scholar of transnational Buddhism, I have studied Buddhism and its refashioning in the context of globalization.
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