Guide Note

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama (1935 - present). The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama to be one of innumerable incarnations of Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.

On August 27, 2008, the Dalai Lama's office reported that the Dalai Lama had been diagnosed with exhaustion and that he would be taking at least three weeks off to rest.¹ On August 28, 2008, the Dalai Lama was admitted to hospital in Mumbai, India to undergo medical testing after experiencing "abdominal discomfort."²

Fast Facts

1. Religious and political leader of Tibet
2. Lives in exile in India
3. Leader of movement for Tibetan Independence
4. Helped the spread of Buddhism in the West
5. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989
6. Dalai" means "Ocean" in Mongolian
7. Dalai Lama is a translation of the Tibetan name "Gyatso"
8. "Lama" is equivalent to Sanskrit word "guru"
9. Commonly translated to mean "spiritual teacher"

In 2008, as protests in Tibet rocked the region, some said that the Dalai Lama should 'resign' from his position in protest. Since the role of Dalai Lama must be filled by an incarnation of Avalokiteśvara, and only one incarnation can exist at a time, he can only technically leave the position of Dalai Lama by dying. When he dies, Tibetan Buddhists believe an infant somewhere will be born with the soul of Avalokiteśvara and thus become the new Dalai Lama. Nonetheless, the Dalai Lama did threaten to "completely resign" if the Tibetans start an armed rebellion against China.

On April 25, 2008 the Xinhua News Agency, China's main news outlet, announced that the Chinese government would meet with a representative of the Dalai Lama. Despite this report, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama stated that they have had no recent contact with China and that, at this point, no arrangements for a meeting have been made.

Dalai Lama Exhaustion | Dalai Lama Hospitalized | Tibet | Buddhism | Tibet Protests 2008 | Tibetan Independence | Free Tibet | Buddhism | Buddha | Tibet