His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso | |
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The 14th Dalai Lama | |
![]() Gyatso in 2012 | |
14th Dalai Lama | |
Reign | 22 February 1940 – present |
Predecessor | Thubten Gyatso |
Regent | Lobsang Sangay as Sikyong (political functions)
previously Kalön Tripas
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Head of state of the Central Tibetan Administration | |
In office | 1959–2012 |
Predecessor | New creation |
Successor | Lobsang Sangay (as Sikyong) |
Director of the Preparatory Committee for the Tibet Autonomous Region | |
In office | 1956–1959 |
Predecessor | New creation |
Successor | 10th Panchen Lama (acting) |
1st, 2nd Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress | |
In office | 15 September 1954–21 December 1964 Exile to India in March 1959 |
Born | Lhamo Thondup 6 July 1935 Taktser, Amdo, Tibet[1][2] |
Father | Choekyong Tsering |
Mother | Diki Tsering |
Religion | Tibetan Buddhism (Gelug school) |
Signature | ![]() |
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Basic terms | |
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People | |
Schools | |
Practices | |
The Dalai Lama /ˈdɑːlaɪ ˈlɑːmə/[3][4] is a religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism. He is its highest spiritual teacher of the Gelugpa school. A new Dalai Lama is said to be the reborn old Dalai Lama. This line goes back to 1391. The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government. During the winter, the Dalai Lamas stayed in the Potala palace. In the summer they lived in the Norbulingka palace. These two palaces are both in Lhasa, Tibet. In 1959, the Dalai Lama had to escape from Tibet to Dharamsala, India. This is still his base to this day.
Dalai Lama is the title of the Tibetan Buddhism leader. "Dalai" is originally from Mongolian which means "ocean" and "Lama" is original from Tibetan which means "the highest principle". In 1653, during the Qing Dynasty, this title was authorized to Dalai Lama V by the Chinese Emperor for the first time.