The Dalai Lama is known for his compassion. He embodies empathy and encourages mutual respect. Why is the Dalai Lama a good leader? He is considered a phenomenal leader because he doesn’t force his opinions on others. He is known to let them take their path from their knowledge and experience.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
His ideology lies in being compassionate not only in the personal sphere but also in business life. This means our actions should not only be for our good but should have a greater cause. He believes in the reverence of all people, which is based on the Buddhist principles of Peace and Freedom.
1. His Holiness the Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama, known as Gyalwa Rinpoche, is the current Dalai Lama. He is considered a living Bodhisattva. He is the highest spiritual leader of Tibet and the incumbent Buddhist leader. He lives in exile as a refugee in India and is the most popular Buddhist monk. This is because of his ideology, which encourages harmony, but most importantly, his history, where he fought for the rights of his people.
2. History
The origin of the word ‘Dalai’ orignated from the third Dalai Lama. He was named Dalai Lama Soinam Gyamco, where Gyamco means Sea according to the Tibetan language. Mongolian noble Althan Khan ruled Qinghai; he was very interested in Tibetan Buddhism and invited the third Dalai Lama. He wanted to appreciate him for his faith and work. He therefore gave him the title, ‘Overseer of the Buddhist Faith’.
Dalai Lama hence means Ocean of Wisdom as passed down from the third Dalai Lama. It means that the Dalai Lamas are the leading spiritual figures. It is believed that the Dalai Lamas are a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion who are born to serve the people.
The fourteenth Dalai Lama is now the current Dalai Lama. His purpose is to spread compassion among human beings. He is a spiritual leader of many extraordinary qualities who has also ruled the Tibetan parliament. Still, he refers to himself as a simple Buddhist monk.
He was the tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama, who was taught about Tibetan Buddhism from a very young age by their predecessor in 1937. In 1939, he was publicly declared the 14th Dalai Lama. He is known for his words of wisdom and remarkable intelligence.
Until the 1950s, the Dalai Lamas, with their regents, headed the government of Tibet in Lhasa, which is a major administrative city in Tibet Autonomous Region of China. In 1913, Tibet and Mongolia signed a mutual treaty which gave them independence from the Republic of China. The declaration and legitimacy of this treaty were not accepted by the People’s Republic of China, and therefore it was only in 1951 that the Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet.
3. China’s Annexation of Tibet
3.1 Invalidation of The Mongol-Tibetan Treaty January 11, 1913
Due to the invalidation of the treaty by China, they asserted their national sovereignty over the region of Tibet on 1st January 1950. The talks between the leaders of the two nations were held in India, Kalimpong on 7th March 1950.
Chamdo, officially Qamdo is a city in the eastern region of Tibet Autonomous region. The Chinese troops captured the city on 7th October 1950 when Tibetan representatives refused to go to Beijing.
3.2 Peaceful Liberation of Tibet Treaty
The Dalai Lama referred to the United Nations which condemned the annexation of Qamdo on November 18. On 23rd May 1951, the People’s Republic of China and Tibet signed the Agreement of the Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet in Beijing. But like many treaties, China did not end up following its part of the end.
3.3 Role of United Nation

The Dalai Lama had talks with Mao Tse Tung and other Chinese leaders. This gave the Dalai Lama the power to control Tibet’s internal affairs. He thus returned to Lhasa from India. This led to the uprising of Tibetan people against the People’s Republic of China.
The Dalai Lama, hence, returned to India to ask for assistance between November 1956 and February 1957. Until 1958, the U.S. provided military help to Tibetans, and the United Nations approved the resolution ending the Chinese oppression of Tibet.
3.4 Tibetan National Uprising
In the year 1959, there was a constant rebellion from Tibetans towards China and counter-attacks from China towards Tibets. China ended up capturing Lhasa on 29th March 1959. They then dissolved the government led by the Dalai Lama, and the Panchen Lama took control over China.
3.5 Rule of Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama is second in spiritual authority to Dalai Lamas over Tibetan Buddhism. They are an important figure in the Gelug tradition.
The People’s Republic of China used the Panchen Lama to take control of Tibet. They used them to manipulate the people of Tibet. This could be done by taking control over the 11th Panchen Lama.
4. Exile To India
Dalai Lama with other Buddhist monks took refuge in India in 1959 fearing their life. They were then stationed in Tezpur, Assam. Later in 1960, he built his own Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh where he resides now with other Tibetan refugees.
Although the Indian Government could not allow all of them to reside in the same area, they created space for the refugees in different parts of the Indian subcontinent. The refugees now have opened up various monasteries and spread their culture across the continent.
Initially, he travelled little and resided in India but gradually started visiting abroad. After taking exile in India, he travelled to the United States in 1979 for the first time. He soon started going to many other countries and met with their leaders and religious representatives. His major aim was for his principles of Buddhism to not die.
He continues to do so by publishing various books on Buddhist philosophy, human values and his principles. He has also published two of his autobiographies titled My Land and My People in 1962 and Freedom in Exile in 1991.
The Dalai Lama has explained how he primarily wrote the book, to tell the truth regarding the Tibet and China conflict. He also wanted people to know the struggle Tibetans went through during this time until they took refuge in India. He also wrote about how, around 2000, the Tibetans were killed during the China annexation. It was a lot of work to sustain their culture and keep it going in the Indian subcontinent.
5. Nobel Peace Prize
The Dalai Lama also received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his efforts during the Tibet unrest. He advocated non-violent liberation and found peaceful solutions for the Tibetan people. He was successful in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the Tibetans.
In his speech during the Nobel Peace Prize, held at the University of Oslo on 10th December 1989, he said;
“I believe the prize is a recognition of the true values of altruism, love, compassion and nonviolence, which I try to practise through the teachings of the Buddha and the great sages of India and Tibet.”
He also went on to say that even though the popular movement of democracy was oppressed by China in June 1989, it wasn’t a failure. This is because many people came together to protest against the Chinese government, from students to other organisations. Even though the Tibetans might have lost their land, they still have their culture and heritage to learn from.
6. Peace for Tibetan People
The Dalai Lama signifies peace, love and compassion from the country of Tibet. Buddhism started centuries ago in Tibet. It has transformed it into one of the most beautiful countries which is enriched in culture and heritage due to the Buddhist philosophy.
He believes the self-governing democratic Tibet to be a land of peace and non-violence whose inter-religious harmony was harmed by the invasion of ethnic Chinese leaders. He thinks despite these afflictions, it is his duty to protect the aspirations of the country and his people. This made him introduce the five-point peace plan.
6.1 Five-Point Peace Plan
1. The first component is to create Tibet into a peace zone, especially northeastern Tibet which includes the provinces Kham and Amdo. Following the principles of Buddhism, he wants the region to follow ‘Ahimsa’, which means peace and non-violence in Hindi. He wants people to follow this principle not only in Tibet but also in Nepal, India and China.
The illegal region occupied by China in Tibet gives it a free way to invade India therefore this point is to ensure regional peace and safety among the neighbouring countries.

2. Both in eastern Tibet and Tibet Autonomous Region China (capital Lhasa) now outnumber Tibetans. This was a very systematic planning of the Chinese leader to diminish the distinctive culture of Tibetans. This was implemented to solve the problem of the People’s Republic of China. So that Tibetans would stop protesting when the number of their people would gradually decrease in these regions.
The second component of this plan was to stop this population transfer of Chinese people to Tibet. This was against the Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects the people in armed conflicts from any sort of brutality against themselves or their nation.
3. This point protects the fundamental rights, human rights and democratic freedoms of the Tibetan people. This has been a huge problem since China annexed Tibet. The central government does allow monasteries to be made, but there has been a huge decrease in monastic discipline. They don’t allow religious studies to a large extent.
This has become a grave problem since the Tibetans have started becoming minorities in their land. They are being discriminated against and segregated from their religion and culture.
4. China is one of the permanent members of the Security Council (UNSC), which is a nuclear State. It is one of the countries with the largest military expenditure and constant development of weapons. However, we all know such developments are harmful to sustaining the environment and nature of a country when experimented with.
Such is the concern of the Dalai Lama who wishes to protect the wildlife of Tibet; the flora and fauna which he believes is being harmed after the annexation. Tibet was a naturally beautiful country that worked on Buddhist principles of non-violence and peace. This component is to ensure that the land in Tibet is not used for experiments and the development of nuclear weapons which will harm its diversity.
5. The majority of Tibetan Buddhists have fled to India to take refuge, and the Chinese government has taken over Tibet. The Dalai Lama still believes there is a possibility of restoration. This might not be a full restoration of the land but of sentient beings and culture.
This component is to encourage peaceful and realistic negotiations between China and Tibet. The Dalai Lama believes that both countries have varying cultures, heritage, people and languages. It is important to maintain this distinctiveness to keep the individual history of both nations.
One culture doesn’t need to suffer due to another’s culture’s dominance. This can only be done with frank dialogues and conversations which is beneficial for both sides.
7. What has the Dalai Lama Done for the World?
He drafted a democratic constitution for good Tibetan administration. It was based on complex legal systems inculcating Buddhist principles of moral training. His main motive was national unity. This couldn’t be proclaimed as territorial integrity due to China’s annexation. But he believed where people reside, the principle follows.
He has resided in Dharamshala in India since the 1960s and spread messages of love and compassion throughout Asia and the world. He didn’t let the territory of Tibet being snatched away from him and his people act as a hindrance.
He has conducted many meetings with people all across the country spreading Buddhist principles. He has met with religious leaders, political representatives of the country and even scientists. Dalai Lama has also written several books to advocate his policies.
He has put up various religious and cultural institutions to spread the notions of compassion and peace. These also include Western countries other than Asia, such as the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. In London, he also met with leaders of the Anglican Church to talk about the importance of faith.
He wants Tibet to be demilitarized and believes it to be a realistic plan after visiting Costa Rica which uses its military budget for education and heritage.
8. The Next Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lamas believe they are reincarnated for the welfare of people. They, therefore, have the choice to choose the body in which this reincarnation took place in the form of their successor.
Now, because of the Chinese annexation, it is believed that the next Dalai Lama might not be born or, if so, not on Chinese land. It is the responsibility of the leaders of the Gelugpa tradition and the higher Lamas to fund the next Dalai Lama. It is a very lengthy process which takes years to complete. The next Dalai Lama takes over after the current Dalai Lama.
Now, according to the fourteenth Dalai Lama, it is the people who believe in the necessity of the next Dalai Lama. If they don’t wish so, there will be no Dalai Lama. However, he thinks people would want the next successor which makes things complicated as he resides outside of Tibet.
He thinks the Chinese government will take over and appoint the next Dalai Lama as they did with the Panchen Lama. This would be done to manipulate the people as early as possible and would deceive the whole purpose as there will be two Dalai Lamas, the actual reincarnated one and the other appointed by the Chinese government.
Traditionally, the chosen person must go through tests to see if he is the actual Dalai Lama. In the end, it is only hoped that the next Dalai Lama is a person with great capacity and self-discipline. He can empower people and have a leadership style which is utilised for the betterment of the culture.
9. The enduring and long lasting leadership of The Dalai Lama
We can see how the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of peace and compassion. He is a good leader because he doesn’t impose his principles on the people. He tends to make people aware of Buddhist principles through learning by visiting them or through the various books he has written.
He is both a spiritual leader and diplomat. He formed and ruled the Tibetan government due to his leadership qualities. His genuine sense for a better world and his self-confidence only increased his respect among the people.
His main motive is a happy life, which he advocates for people. He believes people should not be self-centred and think about the greater goodness of the world.

“The purpose of all major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts.”
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Last Updated on by Mithilesh