"Ocean of Wisdom" – Dalai Lama

XIVth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the religious and temporal leader of the Tibetan people. He was born in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet on July 6, 1935. Dekyi Tsering and Choekyong Tsering were his parent. Dalai Lama wasn’t initially known by this name but his name was Lhamo Dhondup, which meant wish-fulfilling goddess. He was followed after Palden Lhamo, the protector goddess of Tibet. He was later called as "Taktser Rinpoche". Rinpoche means valuable one. Although he was the 13th child to his parent but not all of his older brothers and sisters had survived. Born in a peasant family, at the age of two his Holiness was recognized in accordance with Tibetan tradition as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama.

He started his education at the age of six and finished the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Doctorate of Buddhist Philosophy) when he was 25 years old. At age of 24, he gave the preliminary examination at each of the three monastic universities: Drepung, Sera and Ganden. The final examination was at Jokhang. He was tested by 30 scholars on logic. After that he debated with 15 scholars on the subject of the Middle Path and then 35 scholars checked his knowledge of the canon of monastic discipline and the study of metaphysics. He passed the examinations with honors, which was conducted among vast number of monk scholars.

In 1950, at 16, he was supposed to be a full political power as Head of State and Government when Tibet was threatened by the China. In 1954 he went to Peking to discuss with Mao Tse-Tung and other Chinese leaders. While visiting India to be present at the 2500th Buddha Jayanti, he had a series of meetings with Prime Minister, Nehru about worsening conditions in Tibet. In 1959 he was compulsory pushed into exile in India after the Chinese military occupation of Tibet. Since 1960 he has been residing in Dharamsala is called as "Little Lhasa". In the early years of exile, he requested to the United Nations on the question of Tibet, resulting in three resolutions accepted by the General Assembly in 1959, 1961 and 1965. In 1963, he circulated a draft constitution for Tibet which ensures a democratic form of government. In the last two decades, he has set up educational, cultural and religious institutions which made major contributions towards the preservation of the Tibetan identity and its rich heritage. He has given many teachings and initiations which includes the rare Kalachakra Initiation.

He took number of initiatives to solve the Tibetan problems. At the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1987, he projected a Five-Point Peace Plan as a first step towards resolving the future status of Tibet. This plan calls for the description of Tibet as a zone of peace ,an end to the massive transfer of ethnic Chinese into Tibet, restoration of fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for nuclear weapons production. In Strasbourg, France, on June 15, 1988, he convoluted on this Five-Point Peace Plan and proposed the creation of a self-governing democratic Tibet.

Unlike his predecessors, he talked with many Westerners and visited the United States, Canada, Western Europe, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Greece, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Vatican, China and Australia. He visited religious leaders from all these countries. He also visited the late Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in 1973 and Pope John Paul II in 1980, 1982, 1986 and 1988. He also visited leaders of the Roman Catholic and Jewish communities and discussed at an interfaith service in his honors by the World Congress of Faiths. His talk paid attention on the commonality of faiths and the need for unity among different religions. In the early 1970s after his visit to the west, his image as a scholar and man of peace has grown steadily. In recent years, a number of western universities and organizations have rewarded Peace Awards and honorary Doctorate Degrees upon his holiness in recognition of his distinguished writings in Buddhist philosophy and of his distinguished leadership in the service of freedom and peace.

During his travels abroad paid attention on better understanding and respect among different faiths of the world. Towards this end, he made number of appearances in interfaith services, imparting the message of universal responsibility, love, compassion and kindness.