Carpe Diem #1211 The 14th Dalai Lama

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It is with sadness, but also with a kind of joy, that I present to you our new episode, the last episode of our wonderful magical experience through Tibet. To end this month I have chosen to tell you a little bit more about the 14th Dalai Lama, Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (as is his real name).

The 14th Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lamas are the manifestations of the Bodhisattva (Buddha) of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the humanity. This Dalai Lama is the 14th Dalai Lama. He is the 74th manifestation of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, the enlightened Buddha of compassion. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Yeshe Norbu, the Wishfulfilling Gem, or simply Kundun - The Presence.

The present Dalai lama was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at age two. In order to confirm his identity, Tibetan monks tested Gyatso by asking him to identify certain articles of clothing that belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama. He passed the series of tests, then changed his name, took the throne at age four and became a monk at age six.

The name Dalai lama is a combination of the Mongolic word dalai meaning "ocean" and the Tibetan word (bla-ma) meaning "guru, teacher, mentor". He was a vegetarian for a short time, but he developed jaundice. He had to go back to eating meat. Because of the lack of farming land in Tibet, meat has been a staple of their diet for many centuries.
The Dalai Lama enjoys collecting and repairing watches and is fascinated by science and has said that if he had not become a monk, he would have become an engineer.

Potala Palace, the residence of the Dalai Lama

In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for his work advocating nonviolent means to free Tibet from China. The residence of the Dalai Lama , Potala Palace and Norbulingka, are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

When the Dalai Lama was asked on his website what is the purpose of life, he answered "to be happy".

As you have seen in the above episode I have used two images, one of the Dalai Lama and one of his residence, Potala Palace (Nepal). I love to challenge you to create haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form inspired on these images. Say a kind of "Carpe Diem Imagination".

like an eagle's nest

high up in the Himalayas

a safe haven

© Chèvrefeuille

full of compassion
notwithstanding the annexation
the Dalai Lama smiles

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... now it is up to you my dear Haijin, visitors and travelers to let the images inspire you.

This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until July 3rd at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new "weekend-meditation", a new episode of our Time Travel feature, later on. Have fun!

Background information found HERE.