Books in English
(Monographs, Edited Lectures and Teachings, Co-Authored and Conference Publications) 
| My Land and My People - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Potala Publications, New York, 1962 | | 
| The Opening of the Wisdom Eye - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, The Theosophical Publishing House, Illinois, 1966 |  | The Buddhism of Tibet and the Key to the Middle Way - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Jeffrey Hopkins and Lati Rinpoche, Wisdom Publication, London, 1975 | | | Universal Responsibility and the Good Heart - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, 1977 |  | Advice from Buddha Shakyamuni - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharamsala, 1982 | | | Collected Statements, Interviews & Articles - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Department of Information & International Relations, Dharamsala, 1982 |  | Four Essential Buddhist Commentaries - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, 1982 | |  | Kindness, Clarity and Insight - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffery Hopkins, Snow Lion Publication, Ithaca, 1984 |  | Kalachakra Tantra Rite of Initiation - by H.H. the Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins, Wisdom Publication, Boston, 1985 | |  | Opening of the Eye of New Awareness - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Donald S. Lopez with Jeffrey Hopkins, Wisdom Publication London, 1985 |  | The Bodhgaya Interviews - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by Jose Ignacio Cabezon, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York, 1988 | |  | The Dalai Lama at Harvard - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffery Hopkins, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1988 |  | Transcendent Wisdom - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated, edited & annotated by B. Alan Wallace, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1988 | |  | The Union of Bliss & Emptiness - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1988 |  | Ocean Of Wisdom - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Clear Light Publications, New Mexico, 1989 | |  | The Global Community & the Need for Universal Responsibility - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1990 |  | The Meaning of Life - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Jeffrey Hopkins, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1990 | | | My Tibet - by H.H. the Dalai Lama & Galen Rowell, University of California Press, 1990 |  | The Nobel Peace Prize and the Dalai Lama - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled & edited by Sidney Piburn, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1990 | |  | Policy of Kindness - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled and edited by Sidney Piburn, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1990 |
| The Meaning of Life from a Buddhist Perspective - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1993 | |  | Mind Science - An East - West Dialogue - by H.H. the Dalai Lama with Herbert Benson, Robert A. Thurman, Howard E. Gardner, Daniel Goleman, Wisdom Publications, USA, 1991 |  | Path to Bliss - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1991 | |  | Freedom in Exile - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Harper Collins, New York, 1991 |  | Words of Truth - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1993 | |  | A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Shambala Publications, Boston, 1994 |  | Awakening the Mind, Lightening the Heart - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by John Avedon & Donald S. Lopez, Harper Collins, 1995 | |  | Commentary on the Thirty Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Acharya Nyima Tsering, edited by Vyvyan Cayley and Mike Gilmore, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, 1995 |  | Dialogues on Universal Responsibility & Education - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, 1995 | | | Dimensions of Spirituality - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Snow Lion Publication, Ithaca, 1995 | | | Essential Teachings - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, 1995 | |  | His Holiness the Dalai Lama ?Speeches Statements Articles Interviews from 1987 to June 1995 - by H. H. the Dalai Lama, Department of Information and International Relations, Dharamsala, 1995 |  | The Path to Enlightenment - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated & edited by Glenn H. Mullin, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1995 | |  | The Power of Compassion - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Harper Collins, India, 1995 |  | The Spirit of Tibet: Universal Heritage - Selected Speeches and Writings ?by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by A.A. Shiromany, Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Center, New Delhi, 199 | | | Violence & Compassion/Power of Buddhism - by H.H. the Dalai Lama with Jean Claude Carriere, Doubleday, New York, 1995 |  | The Way to Freedom - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by John Avedon & Donald S. Lopez, Harper Collins, New Delhi, 1995 | |  | The World of Tibetan Buddhism - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated, edited and annotated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1995 |  | Beyond Dogma - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Souvenir Press Ltd., London, 1996 | |  | The Good Heart - A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1996 |  | The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra - by H.H. the Dalai Lama & Alexander Berzin, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1997 | |  | Healing Anger: The Power of Patience from a Buddhist Perspective - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1997 |  | The Heart of Compassion by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Published by Foundation for Universal Responsibility, Delhi, India, 1997 | |  | The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by John Avedon & Donald S. Lopez, Harper Collins, New Delhi, 1997 |  | Love, Kindness and Universal Responsibility - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Paljor Publications, New Delhi, 1997 | |  | Sleeping, Dreaming and Dying - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited and narrated by Francisco Varela, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1997 |  | The Art of Happiness - by H.H. the Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler, Riverhead Books, New York, 1998 | |  | The Four Noble Truths - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, edited by Dominique Side & Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Thorsons, London, 1998 |  | The Path to Tranquillity ?Daily Meditations - by the H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled and edited by Renuka Singh, Penguin Books, New Delhi, 1998 | |  | The Political Philosophy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama-Selected Speeches and Writings - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by A.A. Shiromany, Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Center, New Delhi, 1998 |  | Ancient Wisdom, Modern World - Ethics for a New Millennium - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Little Brown and Company, London, 1999 | |  | Consciousness at the Crossroads - Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1999 |  | The Heart of the Buddha's Path by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, edited by Dominique Side & Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Thorsons, London, 1999 | | | The Little Book of Buddhism by H.H. the Dalai Lama, compiled and edited by Renuka Singh, Penguin Books, New Delhi, 1999 |
 | Training the Mind - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1999 | |  | The Dalai Lama's Book of Transformation - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thorson Publications, London, 2000 |  | A Simple Path - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thorson Publications, London, 2000 | |  | Transforming the Mind by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Dr. Thupten Jinpa, edited by Dominique Side & Dr. Thupten Jinpa, Thorsons, London, 2000 |  | An Open Heart - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by Nicholas Vreeland, Little Brown and Company, New York, 2001 | |  | Stages of Meditation - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated by Geshe Lobsang Jordhen, Lobsang Choephel Ganchenpa and Jeremy Russell, Snow Lion, Ithaca, 2001 |  | Advice on Dying - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Random House, London, 2002 | |  | Essence of the Heart Sutra - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2002 |  | How to Practice - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2002 | |  | Illuminating the Path to Enlightenment - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Thubten Dhargye Ling, Long Beach, 2002 |  | The Compassionate Life - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2003. | | | Warm Heart Open Mind - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama Trust NZ, 2003. |  | 365 Dalai Lama Daily Advice from the Heart - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by Mathieu Ricard, Element, London, 2003. | |  | Many Ways to Nirvana ?by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Penguin Books, India, 2004. |  | The Wisdom of Forgiveness by H.H. the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan, Riverhead Books, New York, 2004. | |  | The Universe in a Single Atom - The Convergence of Science and Spirituality - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Morgan Road Books, New York, 2005. |  | Yoga Tantra Paths to Magical Seats - by H.H. the Dalai Lama, Dzong-ka-ba and Jeffery Hopkins, Snow Lion Publication, Ithaca, 2005 | | |
|
|
Selected Foreign Dignitaries Met From Year 2000 to Present
| Date | Name of the Person | Title | Place of Meeting
| Country of Dignitary
| June 19, 2007 | Winston Peters | Foreign Minister of New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand | June 15, 2007 | John Howard | Prime Minister of Australia | Sydney | Australia | June 14, 2007 | Helen Clark | Prime Minister of New Zealand | Brisbane | New Zealand | June 12, 2007 | Kevin Rudd | Leader of Opposition in Australia | Canberra | Australia | May 4, 2007 | Walter Mondale | Former U.S. Vice President | Madison
| U.S.A. | May 3, 2007 | Jim Doyle | Governor of Wisconsin | Madison | U.S.A. | April 27, 2007 | Nancy Pelosi | U.S. Speaker | San Francisco | U.S.A. | Oct. 13, 2006 | Massimo D'Allema | Italian Foreign Minister | Rome | Italy | Oct. 13, 2006 | H.H. Pope Benedict XVI | The Pope | Vatican City | Vatican State | Oct. 12, 2006 | Franco Marini | President of the Italian Senate | Rome | Italy | Oct. 12, 2006 | Fausto Bertinotti | Speaker of the Italian Parliament | Rome | Italy | Oct. 10, 2006 | Sasha Vondra | Czech Foreign Minister | Prague | Czech Republic | Oct. 9, 2006 | Vaclav Havel | Former President of the Czech Republic | Prague | Czech Republic | Sept. 26, 2006 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Governor of California | Long Beach | U.S.A. | Sept. 22, 2006 | Bill Clinton | Former President of U.S.A. | New York | U.S.A. | Sept. 17, 2006 | H.M. Queen Noor | Former Queen of Jordan | Denver | U.S.A. | Sept. 16, 2006 | Oscar Arias Sanchez | President of Costa Rica | Denver | U.S.A. | Sept. 9, 2006 | Monte Solberg | Canadian Minister of Citizenship & Immigration | Vancouver | Canada | Sept. 9, 2006 | Jason Kenny | Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian P.M. | Vancouver | Canada | Sept. 8, 2006 | Gordon Campbell | Premier of British Columbia | Vancouver | Canada | June 22, 2006 | H.R.H. Prince Ghazi Bin Mohammed | Personal Envoy & Senior Advisor to H.M. the King of Jordan | Amman | Jordan | June 21, 2006 | H.M. King Abdullah II & Queen Rania | King & Queen of Jordan | Petra | Jordan | June 20, 2006 | H.H. Ahmad Helail | Imam to the Royal Hashemite Court and Supreme Judge | Amman | Jordan | June 1, 2006 | Mr. Armand De Decker | Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation | Brussels | Belgium | June 1, 2006 | Mr. Herman De Croo | President of the Belgian House | Brussels | Belgium | June 1, 2006
| Mrs. Anne Marie Lizen
| President of the Belgian Senate
| Brussels
| Belgium
| June 1, 2006
| Mr. Guy Verhofstadt
| Prime Minister of Belgium | Brussels
| Belgium
| May 31, 2006 | Mr. Josep Borrell | President of the European Parliament | Brussels
| Belgium | May 31, 2006
| Mr. Gunter Verheugen
| Vice President of the European Commission | Brussels
| Belgium
| May 30, 2006 | Mr. Wolfgang Schussel | Chancellor of Austria & President of the European Council | Brussels | Belgium | May 30, 2006 | Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso | President of the European Commission | Brussels | Belgium | | Mrs. Karin Gastinger | Austrian Minister of Justice | St. Veit | Austria | | Mrs. Maria Rauch-Kallat | Austrian Minister for Health | St. Veit | Austria | | Mr. Hubert Gorbach | Vice Chancellor of Austria | St. Veit | Austria | May 14, 2006 | Dr. Jorg Haider | Governor of Carinthia | St. Veit | Austria | May 11, 2006 | Mr. Mario Iguaran | Attorney General of Colombia | Bogota | Colombia | May 7, 2006 | Mrs. Elaine Karp de Toledo | First Lady of Peru | Lima | Peru | May 6, 2006 | Mr. Sergio Espejo | Chilean Minister of Transport | Santiago | Chile | May 5, 2006 | Mr. Felipe Harboe Bascunan | Chilean Deputy Minister of Interior | Santiago | Chile | May 5, 2006 | Cardinal Errazuriz Ossa | Archbishop of Chile | Santirago | Chile | May 5, 2006 | Mrs. Paulina Urrutia | Chilean Minister of Culture | Santiago | Chile | | May 5, 2006 | Mr. Martin Zilic | Chilean Minister of Education | Santiago | Chile | May 4, 2006 | Mr. Antonio Leal Labrin | President of the Chilean House of Chambers | Valpairaso | Chile | May 3, 2006 | Mr. Jaime Naranjo Ortiz | Vice President of the Chilean Senate | Santiago | Chile | May 1, 2006 | Mr. Adolfo Perez Esquivel | 1980 Nobel Peace Prize | Buenos Aires | Argentina | April 26, 2006 | Mr. Gilberto Gil | Brazilian Minister of Culture | Sao Paulo | Brazil | April 26, 2006 | Mr. Jose Luiz de Franco Pena | President of the Brazilian Green Party | Sao Paulo | Brazil | Feb. 19, 2006 | Rabbi Shlomo Amar | Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel | Jerusalem | Israel | | Rabbi Yona Metzger | Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel | Jerusalem | Israel | Nov. 18, 2005 | Dr. M.G. Buthelezi
| President of the Inkatha Freedom Party, South Africa | Edinburgh | U.K. | Nov. 16, 2005 | Mr. Harry Reid | U.S. Senate Minority Leader | Washington | U.S.A. | Nov. 16, 2005 | Mrs. Nancy Pelosi | U.S. House Minority Leader | Washington | U.S.A. | Nov. 16, 2005 | Mr. Dennis Hastert | Speaker of the U.S. Congress | Washington | U.S.A. | Nov. 9, 2005 | Ms. Condoleeza Rice | U.S. Secretary of State | Washington | U.S.A. | Nov. 9, 2005 | Mr. George W. Bush | President of the U.S.A. | Washington | U.S.A. | Nov. 6, 2005 | Mr. Jimmy Carter | Former President of U.S.A. | San Francisco | U.S.A. | Oct. 27, 2005 | Mrs. Renuka Chowdhury | Tourism Minister of India | New Delhi | India | Sept. 11, 2005 | Mr. Dirk Kempthorne | Governor of Idaho | Sun Valley | U.S.A. | Sept. 9, 2005 | Mr. Frank H. Murkowski | Governor of Alaska | Anchorage | U.S.A. | Aug. 16, 2005 | Mr. Natwar Singh | Foreign Minister of India | New Delhi | India | Aug. 4, 2005 | Mr. Pascal Couchepin | Interior Minister of Switzerland | Zurich | Switzerland | Aug. 1, 2005 | Mr. Giuliano Amato | Former Prime Minister of Italy | Bolzano | Italy | Jun. 18, 2005 | Mr. Wolfgang Thierse | President of the German Parliament | Berlin | Germany | Jun. 17, 2005 | Dr. Angela Merkel | Leader of the CDU/CSU Party | Berlin | Germany | | Jun. 15, 2005 | Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik | Prime Minister of Norway | Oslo | Norway | | Jun. 14, 2005 | Mr. Jorgen Kosmo | President of the Norwegian Parliament | Oslo | Norway | | May 19, 2005 | H.R.H. Prince Ghazi Bin Mohammed | Personal Envoy & Senior Advisor to H.M. the King of Jordan | Amman | Jordan | May 19, 2005 | Mr. Bill Clinton | Former President of the U.S. | Petra | USA
| May 18, 2005 | H.M. King Abdullah II & Queen Rania | King & Queen of Jordan
| Petra | Jordan | | May 18, 2005 | Mr. Bassem Awadallah | Finance Minister of Jordan | Petra | Jordan | Nov. 7, 2004 | Dr. M.G. Buthelezi | President of the Inkatha Freedom Party | Durban | South Africa | Nov. 5, 2004 | Mr. Nelson Mandela | Former President of South Africa | Johannesburg | South Africa | Oct. 5, 2004 | Mr. Santiago Creel | Secretary of Interior of Mexico | Mexico | Mexico City | Oct. 1, 2004 | Mrs. Maria del Carmen Acena | Education Minister of Guatemala | Guatemala City | Guatemala | Oct. 1, 2004 | Mr. Jorge Briz Abularach | Foreign Minister of Guatemala | Guatemala City | Guatemala | Oct. 1, 2004 | Mr. Eduardo Stein Barrillas | Vice President of Guatemala | Guatemala City | Guatemala | Oct. 1, 2004 | Mr. Oscar Jose Rafael Berger Perdomo | President of Guatemala | Guatemala City | Guatemala | | Sept. 29, 2004 | Mr. Francisco Lainez | Foreign Minister of El Salvador | El Salvador | San Salvador | | Sept. 29, 2004 | Mrs. Ana Vilma de Escobar | Vice President of El Salvador | El Salvador | San Salvador | Sept. 29, 2004 | Mr. Tony Saca | President of El Salvador | San Salvador | El Salvador | Sept. 27, 2004 | Mr. Mario Redondo Poveda | Speaker of the Costa Rican Parliament | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 27, 2004 | Mr. Gerardo Gonzalez Esquivel | President of the Costa Rican Congress | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 27, 2004 | Mr. Roberto Tova Faja | Foreign Minister of Costa Rica | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 27, 2004 | Lineth Sabario | Vice President of Costa Rica | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 27, 2004 | Mr. Abel Pacheco | President of Costa Rica | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 26, 2004 | Mr. Guido Saenz | Minister for Culture of Costa Rica | San Jose | Costa Rica | Sept. 23, 2004 | Mrs. Sila Calderon | Governor of Puerto Rico | San Juan | Puerto Rico | Sept. 17, 2004 | Mr. Jeb Bush | Governor of Florida | Miami | USA | Jul. 3, 2004 | Dr. Manmohan Singh | Prime Minister of India | New Delhi | India | Jul. 3, 2004 | Mrs. Sonia Gandhi | Chairperson of Ruling UPA | New Delhi | India | | May 28, 2004 | Mr. Michael Howard | Leader of U.K. Opposition | London | UK | | May 28, 2004 | H.R.H. Prince Charles | Prince of Wales | London | UK | | May 27, 2004 | Mr. Jack Straw | Foreign Secretary of U.K. | London | UK | | May 27, 2004 | Dr. Rowan Williams | Archbishop of Canterbury | London | UK | May 6, 2004 | Mr. Dalton McGuinty | Premier of Ontario | Toronto | Canada | May 6, 2004 | Mr. James Bartelman | Lt. Governor of Ontario | Toronto | Canada | | Apr. 23, 2004 | Mr. Paul Martin | Prime Minister of Canada | Ottawa | Canada | | Apr. 22, 2004 | Mr. Stephen Harper | Leader of the Conservative Party | Ottawa | Canada | | Apr. 18, 2004 | Mr. Gordon Campbell | Premier of British Columbia | Vancouver | Canada | | Nov. 28, 2003 | Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev | Former President of U.S.S.R. | Rome | Russia | | Nov. 27, 2003 | Mr. Marcello Pera | President of the Senate | Rome | Italy | | Nov. 27, 2003 | H.H. Pope John Paul II | The Pope | Vatican City | Vatican State | | Nov. 26, 2003 | Mr. Massimo D’Aleama | Former Italian Prime Minister | Rome | Italy | | Nov. 26, 2003 | Mr. Pier Ferdinando Casini Deputies | President of the Chamber of Rome | Rome | Italy | | Nov. 26, 2003 | Mrs. Margherita Boniver | Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy | Rome | Italy | | Oct. 15, 2003 | Mr. Jean Louis Debra | President of the French National Assembly | Paris | France | | Oct. 14, 2003 | Mr. Christian Poncelat | President of the French Senate | Paris | France | | Oct. 12, 2003 | Mr. Toledo | President of Peru | Madrid | Peru | | Sept. 11, 2003 | Mrs. Nancy Pelosi | Minority Leader of the U.S. House | Washington | USA | | Sept. 10, 2003 | Mr. George W. Bush | President of U.S. | Washington | USA | | Sept. 9, 2003 | Mr. Colin Powell | U.S. Secretary of State | Washington | USA | | Sept. 9, 2003 | Mr. Tom Daschle | U.S. Senate Minority Leader | Washington | USA | | Sept. 9, 2003 | Mr. Bill Frist | U.S. Senate Majority Leader | Washington | USA | Jun. 6, 2003 | Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen | Prime Minister of Denmark | Copenhagen | Denmark | Jun. 4, 2003 | Mr. Per Stig Moller | Foreign Minister of Denmark | Copenhagen | Denmark | Jun. 3, 2003 | Mr. Bjorn Von Sydow | Speaker of the Swedish Parliament | Stockholm | Sweden | | May 30, 2003 | Mr. Wolfgang Thierse | President of the German Parliament | Berlin | Germany | | May 30, 2003 | Mrs. Claudia Roth | German Commissioner for Human Rights | Berlin | Germany | | May 30, 2003 | Mr. Joschka Fischer | Foreign Minister of Germany | Berlin | Germany | | May 27, 2003 | Mr. George Fernandes | Defence Minister of India | Delhi | India | Nov. 7, 2002 | Nambar Enkhbayar | Prime Minister of Mongolia | Ulan Bator | Mongolia | | Oct. 13, 2002 | Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner | Foreign Minister of Austria | Graz | Austria | Oct. 8, 2002 | Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat | Vice President of India | New Delhi | India | Oct. 8, 2002 | Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | President of India | New Delhi | India | Jul. 8, 2002 | Mr. Ivica Racan | Prime Minister of Croatia | Zagreb | Croatia | Jul. 6, 2002 | Dr. Dimitrij Rupel | Foreign Minister of Slovenia | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Jul. 5, 2002 | Mr. Milan Kucan | President of Slovenia | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Jul. 4, 2002 | Mr. Borut Pahor | President of the National Assembly of Slovenia | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Jul. 4, 2002 | Dr. Janez Drnovsek | Prime Minister of Slovenia | Ljubljana | Slovenia | Jul. 2, 2002 | Mr. Vaclav Havel | President of Czech Republic | Prague | Czech Republic | | May 28, 2002 | Mr. Phil Goff | Foreign Minister of New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand | | May 28, 2002 | Mr. Jim Anderton | Prime Minister of New Zealand | Wellington | New Zealand | | Nov. 30, 2001 | Mr. Giovanni Alemanni | Italian Minister of Agriculture & Forestry | Pomaia | Italy | | Nov. 28, 2001 | Mr. Jorge Sampaio | President of Portugal | Lisbon | Portugal | | Nov. 27, 2001 | H.M. King of Portugal | King of Portugal | Fatima | Portugal | | Oct. 24, 2001 | Mr. Simeon II | Prime Minister of Bulgaria | Strasbourg | France | | Oct. 24, 2001 | Mrs. Nicole Fontaine | President of the European Parliament | Strasbourg | France | Jul. 3, 2001 | Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee | Prime Minister of India | New Delhi | India | | Jun. 24, 2001 | Mr. Valdas Adamkus | President of Lithuania | Vilnius | Lithuania | | Jun. 23, 2001 | Mr. Andris Berzins | Prime Minister of Latvia | Riga | Latvia | | Jun. 21, 2001 | Mrs. Vaira Vike-Frigbera | President of Latvia | Riga | Latvia | | Jun. 19, 2001 | Mr. Maart Laar | Prime Minister of Estonia | Tallinn | Estonia | | May 23, 2001 | Mr. George W. Bush | President of the U.S. | Washington | USA | | May 22, 2001 | Mr. Richard Armitage | U.S. Dep. Secretary of State | Washington | USA | | May 22, 2001 | Mr. Colin Powell | U.S. Secretary of State | Washington | USA | | May 13, 2001 | Mr. John Kitzhaber | Governor of Oregon | Portland | USA | | May 10, 2001 | Mr. Michael Leavitt | Governor of Utah | Salt Lake City | USA | May 9, 2001 | Mr. Jesse Ventura | Governor of Minnesota | St. Paul | USA | May 6, 2001 | Mrs. Ruth Dreifuss | Interior Minister of Switzerland | Basel | Switzerland | Apr. 7, 2001 | Mrs. Hsui-lien Annetta Lu | Vice President of Taiwan | Taipei | Taiwan | Apr. 7, 2001 | Mr. Chan Chung-hsung | Prime Minister of Taiwan | Taipei | Taiwan | Apr. 5, 2001 | Mr. Chen Shui-bian | President of Taiwan | Taipei | Taiwan | Apr. 2, 2001 | Mr. Wang Jin-pyng | Speaker of the Parliament | Taipei | Taiwan | | Jan. 29, 2001 | Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee | Prime Minister of India | New Delhi | India | | Oct. 21, 2000 | Mrs. McAleese | President of Ireland | Belfast | Ireland | | Oct. 16, 2000 | Mr. Vaclav Havel | President of Czech Republic | Prague | Czech Republic | | Oct. 13, 2000 | Mr. Janos Martonyi | Foreign Minister of Hungary | Budapest | Hungary | | Oct. 11, 2000 | Mr. Viktor Orban | Prime Minister of Hungary | Budapest | Hungary | Jul. 3, 2000 | Mrs. Madeline Albright | U.S. Secretary of State | Washington | USA | | Jun. 21, 2000 | Mr. Richard Holbrooke | U.S. Ambassador to U.N. | Washington | USA | | Jun. 20, 2000 | Mr. Bill Clinton | President of the U.S. | Washington | USA | | May 23, 2000 | Mr. Jens Stoltenberg | Prime Minister of Norway | Oslo | Norway | | May 22, 2000 | H.M. King Harold of Norway | King of Norway | Oslo | Norway | | May 22, 2000 | Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland | Foreign Minister of Norway | Oslo | Norway | | May 21, 2000 | Mr. Poul Nyrup Rasmussen | Prime Minister of Denmark | Copenhagen | Denmark | | May 17, 2000 | Mr. Goran Persson | Prime Minister of Sweden | Stockholm | Sweden | | May 16, 2000 | Mrs. Birgitta Dahl | Speaker of Parliament | Stockholm | Sweden | | May 16, 2000 | Ms. Anna Lindh | Foreign Minister of Sweden | Stockholm | Sweden | | May 11, 2000 | Mr. Jerzy Buzek | Prime Minister of Poland | Warsaw | Poland | | May 10, 2000 | Mr. Maciej Plazynski | Speaker of Parliament | Warsaw | Poland |
|
|
List of Major Awards and Honorary Conferments Received
Date
| Name of the Award | Awarded by | Country | June 8, 2007 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Southern Cross University, Melbourne | Australia | May 12, 2007 | BILD Award | BILD Magazine, Germany | Germany | May 9, 2007 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Smith College, Northampton | U.S.A. | December 10, 2006 | Order of the White Lotus | Republic of Kalmykia, Russian Federation | Kalmykia | October 14, 2006 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Rome 3, Rome | Italy | September 19, 2006 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Buffalo, New York | U.S.A. | September 9, 2006 | Honorary Citizenship | Canada | Canada | May 4, 2006 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Santiago, Santiago | Chile | February 16, 2006 | Ben Gurion Negev Award | Ben Gurion University, Be’er Sheva | Israel | November 6, 2005 | Inspiration & Compassion Award | American Himalayan Foundation, San Francisco | U.S.A. | September 25, 2005 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Rutgers University, New Jersy | U.S.A. | August 12, 2005 | Manhae Peace Prize | Manhae Foundation | South Korea | July 27, 2005 | Hessian Peace Prize | Parliament of Hesse, Wiesbaden | Germany | October 7, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City | Mexico | October 5, 2004 | The Gold Medal | National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City | Mexico | September 27, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Costa Rica, San Jose | Costa Rica | September 24, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Puerto Rico, San Juan | Puerto Rico
(U.S.A.) | September 23, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Miami | U.S.A. | September 18, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Nova Southeastern University, Miami | U.S.A. | May 28, 2004 | Humphreys Memorial Award for Services to Buddhism | Buddhist Society of U.K. | U.K. | April 27, 2004 | International Acharya Sushil Kumar Peace Award | University of Toronto | Canada | April 27, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Toronto | Canada | April 20, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Simon Fraser University, Vancouver | Canada | April 19, 2004 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Univerisity Of British Columbia, Vancouver | Canada | April 16, 2004 | 2nd Citizens Peace Building Award | University of California, Irvine | U.S.A. | October 9, 2003 | Award for Promotion of Human Rights | Foundation Jaime Brunet, Madrid | Spain | September 19, 2003 | Human Right Award | International League for Human Rights, New York | U.S.A. | September 5, 2003 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of San Francisco | U.S.A. | June 3, 2003 | Manfred Bjorkquist Medal | Sigtuna Foundation, Stockholm | Sweden | December 5, 2002 | Basavashree Award | Basavakendra, Sri Murugha Math, Chitradurga | India | November 7, 2002 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Mongolian University of Science & Technology | Mongolia | November 7, 2002 | Doctor Honoris Causa | National University of Mongolia | Mongolia | October 14, 2002 | Human Rights Prize | University of Graz | Austria | July 6, 2002 | Man of the Year | Croatian Academic Society | Croatia | May 21, 2002 | Peace Award 2000 | UN Association of Australia | Australia | December 5, 2001 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Tromso | Norway | November 26, 2001 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Lusiada Porto | Portugal | June 10, 2001 | Ecce homo Order | Kancelaria Kapituly Orderu | Poland | October 16, 2000 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Comenius University, Bratislava | Slovakia | December 12, 1999 | Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Award for International Peace & Harmony | Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust | India | November 24, 1999 | Life Time Achievement Award | Hadassah Women's Zionist | Israel | October 12, 1999 | Boddhi Award | American Buddhist Congress | U.S.A. | April 16, 1999 | Doctor of Theology | Florida International University | U.S.A. | April 9, 1999 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Buenos Aires | Argentina | April 7, 1999 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Brasilla | Brazil | November 11, 1998 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Seton Hill College, Greensburg | U.S.A. | May 15, 1998 | Doctor of Laws | University of Wisconsin, Madison | U.S.A. | May 11, 1998 | Doctor of Divinity | Emory University, Atlanta | U.S.A. | May 8, 1998 | Doctor of Humane Letters | Brandeis University, Boston | U.S.A. | May 8, 1998 | Juliet Hollister Award | Juliet Hollister Foundation, New York | U.S.A. | November 25, 1997 | Paulos Mar Gregorious Award | Paulos Mar Gregorious Committee | India | September 11, 1997 | Doctor of International Diplomatic Science | University of Trieste, Trieste | Italy | June 1, 1997 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Regis university, Denver | U.S.A. | May 31, 1997 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Colorado, Boulder | U.S.A. | March 23, 1997 | Doctor of Social Sciences | National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung | Taiwan | March 23, 1997 | Doctor of Honoris Causa | Chu San University, Kaohsiung | Taiwan | July 26, 1996 | The President's Medal for Excellence | Indiana University, Bloomington | U.S.A. | April 5, 1995 | Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy | Rissho University, Tokyo | Japan | January 2, 1995 | Doctor of Letters | Nagpur University | India | June 4, 1994 | Franklin D. Roosevelt, Freedom Medal | Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute | U.S.A. | April 27, 1994 | World Security Annual Peace Award | New York Lawyer's Alliance | U.S.A. | April 26, 1994 | Doctor of Humane Arts & Letters | Columbia University | U.S.A. | April 25, 1994 | Doctor of Humane Letters | Berea College, Berea | U.S.A. | March 20, 1994 | Fellow of University | Hebrew University, Jerusalem | Israel | March 14, 1993 | International Valiant for Freedom Award | The Freedom Coalition, Melbourne | Australia | September 17, 1992 | Honorary Professor | Novosibirsk State University | Buriat | September 11, 1992 | Honorary Professor | Kalmyak State University | Kalmyk | June 6, 1992 | Doctor Honoris Causa | University of Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | May 5, 1992 | Doctor of Laws | University of Melbourne | Australia | February 16, 1992 | Doctor of Sacred Philosophy | Lafayette University, Aurora | U.S.A. | October 10, 1991 | Wheel of Life Award | Temple of Understanding, New York | U.S.A. | October 10, 1991 | United Earth prize | Klaus Nobel United Earth | U.S.A. | August 23, 1991 | Peace and Unity Award | National Peace Conference, Delhi | India | April 17, 1991 | Advancing Human Liberty Award | Freedom House, New York | U.S.A. | March 25, 1991 | Shiromani Award 1991 | Shiromani Institute, Delhi | India | April 6, 1991 | Distinguished Peace Leadership Award 91 | Nuclear Age Peace Foundation | U.S.A. | December 8, 1990 | Doctor Honoris Causa | Karnataka University | India | January 14, 1990 | Doctor of Divinity | Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath | India | December 10, 1989 | The Nobel Peace Prize | Norwegian Nobel Committee | Norway | December 4, 1989 | Prix de la Memoire | Foundation Danielle Mitterrand, Paris | France | September 23, 1989 | Recognition of Perseverance of Times of Adversity | World Management Council | U.S.A. | June 21, 1989 | Raoul Wallenberg Congressional Human Rights Award | Human Rights Foundation | U.S.A. | June 16, 1988 | Leopold Lucas Award | University of Tuebingen | W. Germany | September 28, 1987 | Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award | Human Behavior Award | U.S.A. | January 16, 1984 | Honorary Doctor Degree | University of Paris | France | October 19, 1979 | Liberty Torch | Gilbert Di Luchia, Friends of Tibet | U.S.A. | October 4, 1979 | Doctor of Humanities | Seatle University | U.S.A. | September 27, 1979 | Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy | University of Oriental Studies | U.S.A. | September 17, 1979 | Doctor of Divinity | Carol College, Waukesh | U.S.A. | June 17, 1979 | Special Medal | Asian Buddhist Council for Peace | Mongolia | | Lakett Award | Norwegian Refugee Council | Norway | January 23, 1969 | Lincon Award | Research Institute of America | U.S.A. | September 16, 1959 | The Admiral Richard E. Byrd Memorial | Int'l Rescue Committee | U.S.A. | August 31, 1959 | Ramon Magaysay Award for Community Leadership | Ramon Magaysay Committee | Philippines | 1957 | Doctor of Letters | Benaras Hindu University | India |
|
|
|
From Birth to Journey into Exile
Source: Dalailama.com
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born on 6 July 1935, and named Lhamo Thondup, to a poor family in the small village of Taktser in the province of Amdo. The name, Lhamo Thondup, literally means ‘Wish-Fulfilling Goddess’. Taktser (Roaring Tiger) was a small and poor settlement that stood on a hill overlooking a broad valley. “Its pastures had not been settled or farmed for long, only grazed by nomads. The reason for this was the unpredictability of the weather in that area,” His Holiness writes in his autobiography Freedom in Exile. “During my early childhood, my family was one of twenty or so making a precarious living from the land there.”
His Holiness’ parents were small farmers who mostly grew barley, buckwheat and potatoes. His father was a man of medium height with a very quick temper. “I remember pulling at his moustache once and being hit hard for my trouble,” recalls His Holiness. “Yet he was a kind man too and he never bore grudges.” His Holiness recalls his mother as “undoubtedly one of the kindest people I have ever known.” She had a total of sixteen children, of whom seven lived.
His Holiness had two sisters and four brothers who survived their infancy. Tsering Dolma, the eldest child, was eighteen years older than His Holiness. “At the time of my birth she helped my mother run the house and acted as my midwife. When she delivered me, she noticed that one of my eyes was not properly open. Without hesitation she put her thumb on the reluctant lid and forced it wide fortunately without any ill effect,” His Holiness writes. His Holiness’ three elder brothers were Thupten Jigme Norbu - the eldest, who was recognised as the reincarnation of a high lama, Taktser Rinpoche - Gyalo Thondup and Lobsang Samten. The youngest brother, Tenzin Cheogyal was also recognised as the reincarnation of another high lama, Ngari Rinpoche.
“Of course, no one had any idea that I might be anything other than an ordinary baby. It was almost unthinkable that more than one tulku (reincarnation) could be born into the same family and certainly my parents had no idea that I would be proclaimed Dalai Lama,” His Holiness writes. Though the remarkable recovery made by His Holiness’ father from his critical illness at the time of His Holiness’ birth was auspicious, it was not taken to be of great significance. “I myself likewise had no particular intimation of what lay ahead. My earliest memories are very ordinary.” His Holiness recollects his earliest memory, among others, of observing a group of children fighting and running to join in with the weaker side.
“One thing that I remember enjoying particularly as a very young boy was going into the hen coop to collect the eggs with my mother and then staying behind. I liked to sit in the hens’ nest and make clucking noises. Another favourite occupation of mine as an infant was to pack things in a bag as if I was about to go on a long journey. ‘I’m going to Lhasa, I’m going to Lhasa,’ I would say. This, coupled with my insistence that I be allowed always to sit at the head of the table, was later said to be an indication that I must have known that I was destined for greater things.”
His Holiness is held to be the reincarnation of each of the previous thirteen Dalai Lamas of Tibet (the first having been born in 1351 AD), who are in turn considered to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, or Chenrezig, Bodhisattva of Compassion, holder of the White Lotus. Thus His Holiness is also believed to be a manifestation of Chenrezig, in fact the seventy-fourth in a lineage that can be traced back to a Brahmin boy who lived in the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. “I am often asked whether I truly believe this. The answer is not simple to give. But as a fifty-six year old, when I consider my experience during this present life, and given my Buddhist beliefs, I have no difficulty accepting that I am spiritually connected both to the thirteen previous Dalai Lamas, to Chenrezig and to the Buddha himself.”
When Lhamo Thondup was barely three years old, a search party that had been sent out by the Tibetan government to find the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama arrived at Kumbum monastery. It had been led there by a number of signs. One of these concerned the embalmed body of his predecessor, Thupten Gyatso, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who had died aged fifty-seven in 1933. During its period of sitting in state, the head was discovered to have turned from facing south to northeast. Shortly after that the Regent, himself a senior lama, had a vision. Looking into the waters of the sacred lake, Lhamo Lhatso, in southern Tibet, he clearly saw the Tibetan letters Ah, Ka and Ma float into view. These were followed by the image of a three-storied monastery with a turquoise and gold roof and a path running from it to a hill. Finally, he saw a small house with strangely shaped guttering. He was sure that the letter Ah referred to Amdo, the northeastern province, so it was there that the search party was sent.
By the time they reached Kumbum, the members of the search party felt that they were on the right track. It seemed likely that if the letter Ah referred to Amdo, then Ka must indicate the monastery at Kumbum, which was indeed three-storied and turquoise-roofed. They now only needed to locate a hill and a house with peculiar guttering. So they began to search the neighbouring villages. When they saw the gnarled branches of juniper wood on the roof of the His Holiness’ parent’s house, they were certain that the new Dalai Lama would not be far away. Nevertheless, rather than reveal the purpose of their visit, the group asked only to stay the night. The leader of the party, Kewtsang Rinpoche, then pretended to be a servant and spent much of the evening observing and playing with the youngest child in the house.
The child recognised him and called out ‘Sera lama, Sera lama’. Sera was Kewtsang Rinpoche's monastery. The next day they left only to return a few days later as a formal deputation. This time they brought with them a number of things that had belonged to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, together with several similar items that did not. In every case, the infant correctly identified those belonging to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama saying, “It’s mine. It’s mine.” This more or less convinced the search party that they had found the new incarnation. It was not long before the boy from Taktser was acknowledged to be the new Dalai Lama. The boy Lhamo Thondup was first taken to Kumbum monastery. “There now began a somewhat unhappy period of my life,” His Holiness was to write later, reflecting on his separation from his parents and the unfamiliar surroundings. “However, there were two consolations to life at the monastery.” First, His Holiness’ immediate elder brother Lobsang Samten was already there. The second consolation was the fact that his teacher was a very kind old monk, who often held his young disciple inside his gown.
Lhamo Thondup was eventually to be reunited with his parents and together they were to journey to Lhasa. This did not come about for some eighteen months, however, because Ma Bufeng, the local Chinese Muslim warlord, refused to let the boy-incarnate be taken to Lhasa without payment of a large ransom. It was not until the summer of 1939 that he left for the capital, Lhasa, in a large party consisting of his parents, his brother Lobsang Samten, members of the search party and other pilgrims.
The journey to Lhasa took three months. “I remember very little detail apart from a great sense of wonder at everything I saw: the vast herds of drong (wild yaks) ranging across the plains, the smaller groups of kyang (wild asses) and occasionally a shimmer of gowa and nawa, small deer which were so light and fast they might have been ghosts. I also loved the huge flocks of hooting geese we saw from time to time.”
Lhamo Thondup’s party was received by a group of senior government officials and escorted to Doeguthang plain, two miles outside the gates of the capital. The next day, a ceremony was held in which Lhamo Thondup was conferred the spiritual leadership of his people. Following this, he was taken off with Lobsang Samten to the Norbulingka, the summer palace of His Holiness, which lay just to the west of Lhasa.
During the winter of 1940, Lhamo Thondup was taken to the Potala Palace, where he was officially installed as the spiritual leader of Tibet. Soon after, the newly recognised Dalai Lama was taken to Jokhang temple where His Holiness was inducted as a novice monk in a ceremony known as taphue, meaning ‘cutting of the hair’. “From now on, I was to be shaven-headed and attired in maroon monk’s robes.” In accordance with ancient custom, His Holiness forfeited his name Lhamo Thondup and assumed his new name, Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso.
His Holiness then began to receive his primary education. The curriculum - same as that for all monks pursuing a doctorate in Buddhist studies - included logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine and Buddhist philosophy. The last and the most important (and most difficultî) was subdivided into further five categories: Prajnaparamita, the perfection of wisdom; Madhyamika, the philosophy of the Middle Way; Vinaya, the canon of monastic discipline; Abidharma, metaphysics; and Pramana, logic and epistemology.  On the day before the opera festival in the summer of 1950, His Holiness was just coming out of the bathroom at the Norbulingka when he felt the earth beneath begin to move. As the scale of this natural phenomenon began to sink in, people naturally began to say that this was more than a simple earthquake: it was an omen. Two days later, Regent Tathag received a telegram from the Governor of Kham, based in Chamdo, reporting a raid on a Tibetan post by Chinese soldiers. Already the previous autumn there had been cross-border incursions by Chinese Communists, who stated their intention of liberating Tibet from the hands of imperialist aggressors. “It now looked as if the Chinese were making good their threat. If that were so, I was well aware that Tibet was in grave danger for our army mustered no more than 8,500 officers and men. It would be no match for the recently victorious People’s Liberation Army (PLA).”
Two months later, in October, news reached Lhasa that an army of 80,000 soldiers of the PLA had crossed the Drichu river east of Chamdo. “So the axe had fallen. And soon, Lhasa must fall.” As the winter drew on and the news got worse, people began to advocate that His Holiness be given his majority, his full temporal power. The Government consulted the Nechung Oracle, ‘a very tense moment’, who came over to where His Holiness was seated and laid a kata, a white offering scarf, on His Holiness’s lap with the words ‘Thu-la bap’, ‘His time has come.’ At the young age of fifteen, His Holiness was on 17 November 1950 officially enthroned as the temporal leader of Tibet in a ceremony held at the Norbulingka Palace.
At the beginning of November, about a fortnight before the day of His Holiness’s investiture, his eldest brother arrived in Lhasa. “As soon as I set eyes on him, I knew that he had suffered greatly. Because Amdo, the province where we were both born, and in which Kumbum is situated, lies so close to China, it had quickly fallen under control of the Communists. …He himself was kept virtual prisoner in his m monastery. At the same time, the Chinese endeavoured to indoctrinate him in the new Communist way of thinking and try to subvert him. They had a plan whereby they would set him free to go to Lhasa if he would undertake to persuade me to accept Chinese rule. If I resisted, he was to kill me. They would then reward him.” To mark the occasion of his ascension to power, His Holiness granted general amnesty whereby all the prisoners were set free. “I was pleased to have this opportunity, although there were times that I regretted it. When I trained my telescope on the compound, it was empty save for a few dogs scavenging for scraps. It was as if something was missing from my life.” Shortly after the 15-year-old Dalai Lama found himself the undisputed leader of six million people facing the threat of a full-scale war, His Holiness appointed two new Prime Ministers. Lobsang Tashi became the monk Prime Minister and an experienced lay administrator, Lukhangwa, the lay Prime Minister. “That done, I decided in consultation with them and the Kashag to send delegations abroad to America, Great Britain and Nepal in the hope of persuading these countries to intervene on our behalf. Another was to go to China in the hope of negotiating a withdrawal. These missions left towards the end of the year. Shortly afterwards, with the Chinese consolidating their forces in the east, we decided that I should move to southern Tibet with the most senior members of the Government. That way, if the situation deteriorated, I could easily seek exile across the border with India. Meanwhile, Lobsang Tashi and Lunkhangwa were to remain in an acting capacity.” While His Holiness was in Dromo, which lay just inside the border with Sikkim, His Holiness received the news that while the delegation to China had reached its destination, each of the others had been turned back. “So it was almost impossible to believe that the British Government was now agreeing that China had some claim to authority over Tibet.” His Holiness was equally saddened by America’s reluctance to help. “I remember feeling great sorrow when I realised what this really meant: Tibet must expect to face the entire might of Communist China alone.” Frustrated by the indifference showed to Tibet's case by Great Britain and America, His Holiness, in his last bid to avoid a full-scale Chinese invasion, sent Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, governor of Kham, to Beijing to open a dialogue with the Chinese. The delegation hadn’t been given the power to reach at any settlement, apart from its entrusted task of convincing the Chinese leadership against invading Tibet. “However, one evening, as I sat alone… A harsh, crackling voice announced that a Seventeen-Point ‘Agreement’ for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet had that day (May 23, 1951) been signed by representatives of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and what they called the ‘Local Government of Tibet.’ As it turned out, the Chinese who even forged the Tibetan seal had forced the delegation headed by Ngabo into signing the agreement. The Chinese had in effect secured a major coup by winning Tibetan compliance, albeit at gunpoint, to their terms of returning Tibet to the fold of the motherland. His Holiness returned to Lhasa in the middle of August 1951 The next nine years saw His Holiness trying to evade a full-scale military takeover of Tibet by China on one hand and placating the growing resentment among Tibetan resistance fighters against the Chinese aggressors on the other. His Holiness made a historic visit to China from July 1954 to June 1955 for peace talks and met with Mao Zadong and other Chinese leaders, including Chou En-lai, Chu Teh and Deng Xiaoping. From November 1956 to March 1957 His Holiness visited India to participate in the 2500th Buddha Jayanti celebrations. But disheartening reports of increasing brutality towards his own people continued to pour in when the young Dalai Lama was giving his final monastic examinations in Lhasa in the winter of 1958/59. One winter day of 1959 (March 10) General Chiang Chin-wu of Communist China extended a seemingly innocent invitation to the Tibetan leader to attend a theatrical show by a Chinese dance troupe. When the invitation was repeated with new conditions that no Tibetan soldiers was to accompany the Dalai Lama and that his bodyguards be unarmed, an acute anxiety befell the Lhasa populace. Soon a crowd of tens of thousands of Tibetans gathered around the Norbulingka Palace, determined to thwart any threat to their young leader's life. On 17 March 1959 during a consultation with Nechung Oracle, His Holiness was given an explicit instruction to leave the country. The Oracle's decision was further confirmed when a divinity performed by His Holiness produced the same answer, even though the odds against making a successful break seemed terrifyingly high. A few minutes before ten o'clock His Holiness, now disguised as a common soldier, slipped past the massive throng of people along with a small escort and proceeded towards Kyichu river, where He was joined by the rest of the entourage, including his immediate family members.  Three weeks after leaving Lhasa, His Holiness and his entourage reached the Indian border from where they were escorted by Indian guards to Bomdila. The Indian government had already agreed to provide asylum to His Holiness and his followers in India. It was in Mussoorie that His Holiness met with the Indian Prime Minister and the two talked about rehabilitating the Tibetan refugees Realising the importance of modern education for the children of Tibetan refugees, His Holiness impressed upon Nehru to undertake the formation of an independent Society for Tibetan Education within the Indian Ministry of Education. The Indian Government was to bear all the expenses for setting up the schools for the Tibetan children. Thinking the ‘time is ripe for me to break my elected silence', His Holiness called a press conference on 20 June 1959 when His Holiness formally repudiated the Seventeen-Point Agreement. In the field of administration, too, I was able to make radical changes. For example, His Holiness saw the creation of various new Tibetan government departments. These included Departments of Information, Education, Home, Security, Religious Affairs and Economic Affairs. Most of the Tibetan refugees, whose number had grown to almost 30,000, were moved to road camps in the hills of northern India. On 10 March 1960 just before leaving for Dharamsala with the eighty or so officials who comprised the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, His Holiness began what is now a tradition by making a statement on the anniversary of the Tibetan People’s Uprising. “On this first occasion, I stressed the need for my people to take a long-term view of the situation in Tibet. For those of us in exile, I said that our priority must be resettlement and the continuity of our cultural traditions. As to the future, I stated my belief that, with Truth, Justice and Courage as our weapons, we Tibetans would eventually prevail in regaining freedom for Tibet.” |
|
|
|
