![]() The district of Dokham, which is in the northeast of Tibet, matched all of these signs. This was interpreted to mean that the next dalai lama could have been born somewhere in the northeastern part of Tibet.ĭisciples also checked Lhamoi Latso, a lake that is traditionally used to see visions of the location of the dalai lama’s rebirth. However, after a few days his head had tilted to the east and a fungus, viewed as unusual, appeared on the northeastern side of the shrine, where his body was kept. 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, in order 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 current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July 2023, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognizes the dalai lama’s successor.Īll dalai lamas are thought to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokitesvara. In 2011, the Chinese foreign ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next dalai lama and that no recognition should be given to any other candidate. After annexing Tibet in the 1950s, China has sought control over the spiritual lineages of Buddhist leaders, particularly the Dalai Lama himself. The previous Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the ninth to hold the title, died in 2012.ĭue to the tense relations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, however, recognizing someone as the reincarnation of a Buddhist figure is not only religiously significant, but politically fraught. More than 5,600 people had gathered for a March 2023 ceremony in Dharamsala, India, when the Dalai Lama indicated toward a young child beside him.Īccording to the Dalai Lama’s website, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism identified the boy as the latest reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoché, the faith’s leader in Mongolia.
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