Assignment 3: Part 1: The Dalai Lama
AA100 The Arts Past and Present Assignment 3
Part 1 – The Dalai Lama.
Which aspects of the Dalai Lama’s reputation are assumed in this exchange between the Dalai Lama and a Tibetan questioner?
In this short exchange, various elements of the Dalai Lama’s reputation are being assumed, though perhaps the Lama’s response may be more surprising than the question to those unfamiliar with
Buddhism. For instance, I would suggest that in Western culture, it is an infrequent occurrence for a political leader to equate themselves to an ‘ordinary person’. However, the Dalai Lama’s role in Tibetan culture is such that any Tibetan would always have addressed him formally, and I hope by the end of this attempt to provide some level of understanding as to …show more content…
Having attended a Jesuit school, I was drawn to the comparable usage of this formal style in the Roman Catholic
Church, where it is used only to address the Pope. From this it may be fair to say, that the aspect of the Dalai Lama’s reputation being assumed here is his role as Tibet’s spiritual leader. The questioner then refers to the Dalai Lama ‘as the recognized reincarnation of the
Thirteenth Dalai Lama’. Fundamental to this statement is the traditional Tibetan belief in the Dalai Lama and other high status lamas having ‘the ability to determine the specific nature and place of their future rebirths’ (Waterhouse, 2008, p.209), coupled with the
Buddhist belief in samsara – the cycle of age, death and rebirth in which we are all present. The breaking of this cycle is referred to as becoming ‘enlightened’, and is the principle philosophy of
Buddhism. When the Tibetan questioner acknowledges the Dalai
Lama as a ‘realised being’, we can again see spiritual aspects of his reputation being assumed. The Tibetan questioner would, I believe,
Page 1 of 3
find difficulty in questioning how the Dalai Lama understands matters, if for no other reason than that of
Part 1 – The Dalai Lama.
Which aspects of the Dalai Lama’s reputation are assumed in this exchange between the Dalai Lama and a Tibetan questioner?
In this short exchange, various elements of the Dalai Lama’s reputation are being assumed, though perhaps the Lama’s response may be more surprising than the question to those unfamiliar with
Buddhism. For instance, I would suggest that in Western culture, it is an infrequent occurrence for a political leader to equate themselves to an ‘ordinary person’. However, the Dalai Lama’s role in Tibetan culture is such that any Tibetan would always have addressed him formally, and I hope by the end of this attempt to provide some level of understanding as to …show more content…
Having attended a Jesuit school, I was drawn to the comparable usage of this formal style in the Roman Catholic
Church, where it is used only to address the Pope. From this it may be fair to say, that the aspect of the Dalai Lama’s reputation being assumed here is his role as Tibet’s spiritual leader. The questioner then refers to the Dalai Lama ‘as the recognized reincarnation of the
Thirteenth Dalai Lama’. Fundamental to this statement is the traditional Tibetan belief in the Dalai Lama and other high status lamas having ‘the ability to determine the specific nature and place of their future rebirths’ (Waterhouse, 2008, p.209), coupled with the
Buddhist belief in samsara – the cycle of age, death and rebirth in which we are all present. The breaking of this cycle is referred to as becoming ‘enlightened’, and is the principle philosophy of
Buddhism. When the Tibetan questioner acknowledges the Dalai
Lama as a ‘realised being’, we can again see spiritual aspects of his reputation being assumed. The Tibetan questioner would, I believe,
Page 1 of 3
find difficulty in questioning how the Dalai Lama understands matters, if for no other reason than that of