Dalai Lama | 08 Jul 2024

Source:PIB

Recently, the 89th birthday of Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama was celebrated.

  • The Dalai Lama belongs to the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the largest and most influential tradition in Tibet.
  • There have been only 14 Dalai Lamas in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, and the first and second Dalai Lamas were given the title posthumously.
    • The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
  • The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet.
    • Bodhisattvas are realised beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.
  • The Dalai Lama (14th) who fled from Tibet to India with thousands of followers during the Tibetan uprising 1959, has been residing in India since then.

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