Dalai Lama The fourteenth Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, was born on July 6, 1935, in Takster, Amdo, Tibet. At age five, he was proclaimed the reincarnation of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, and at age fifteen, was enthroned as Tibet's Head of State. Meanwhile, Tibet faced occupation by the Chinese government. Following the collapse of Tibet’s resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India to establish the Central Tibetan Administration, working to preserve Tibet’s education and culture along with thousands of other Tibetan refugees. While exiled in India, the Dalai Lama appealed to the United Nations and proposed a Five-Point Peace Plan, proposing that Tibet become a "zone of peace;" for the "respect for fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms" and "the end of China's use of Tibet for nuclear weapons production, testing." The Dalai Lama has toured the world to promote a free Tibet and the peaceful relations of all religions. He has met with Pope John Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and most recently, Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. He has also met the Archbishop of Canterbury, as well as Jewish and senior Catholic officials. On June 22, 2006, Dalai Lama became an honorary citizen of Canada. Despite traveling the world, the Dalai Lama has not returned to his homeland of Tibet, as the People's Republic of China has not agreed to release their preconditions for his return.
The Dalai Lama speaks English as a second language, which has aided him in spreading his message of universal tolerance and peace. It has also helped him gain support from the west, particularly from high-profile celebrities such as Richard Gere. On April 18, 2005, Gere provided a write-up on the Dalai Lama for TIME magazine, which named him one of the world’s most influential people, alongside a diverse makeup of scientists, religious leaders, athletes, and artists. Although he is not directly involved with the Dalai Lama Foundation, the Dalai Lama endorses this foundation, which aims to promote peace and ethics on a global scale. In September of 2006, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress. The medal, which is bestowed upon people who perform an outstanding act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States, is the highest award from the Legislative Branch of the United States government. Previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. The Dalai Lama’s efforts have also been recognized with several humanitarian awards throughout the years, most notably, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. YUDDY |
