Recently, the 14th Dalai Laman, Tenzin Gyatso, went viral for a video in which he had asked a boy to suck his tongue. He later apologised for teasing the child.
The 87-year-old is certainly no stranger to making the news.
Source: Dalai Lama on Facebook
In his early adulthood, he had been displaced from Tibet due to China’s invasion of the country.
Following this, he made a name for himself by fighting for Tibet’s liberation using non-violent means.
At the peak of his advocacy, he was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
According to the official Dalai Lama website, Tenzin Gyatso was born on 6 July 1935.
Besides completing the highest doctorate in Buddhist philosophy in 1959, he was also forced into exile that same year.
Source: OHHDL via Dalai Lama
Due to the Chinese armed invasion of Lhasa in March 1959, the Dalai Lama and his convoy fled their home base in search of safety.
According to a report by The Singapore Free Press on 28 March 1959, the Dalai Lama had left with a “20-man entourage”.
Safe to say, the Dalai Lama survived the ordeal as he arrived in Mussoorie, India more than a month later.
On 22 April 1959, The Straits Times (ST) reported that he had trekked across over 2,500km of mountains and dusty plains.
Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso remained in exile for most of his adult years.
By the 1980s, he had built a new sanctuary in Dharamshala, India.
In fact, he was still in exile when he visited Singapore for the first time on 30 July 1982.
According to ST, he had been on his way to the Borobudur temple in Indonesia.
Speaking to reporters, he asserted that the visit was strictly non-political.
While in Singapore, Berita Harian reported that he visited Sultan Mosque, where he met Singapore’s Mufti at the time.
Furthermore, his travels around the world did not stop in the Southern Hemisphere.
On 21 December 1987, he visited Washington DC, USA to present his Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet.
His points were as such:
The following year, he presented the same plan in Strasbourg, France, this time addressing the European Parliament.
Source: Dalai Lama
His Five Point Peace Plan would be recognised two years later in Oslo, Norway as a keystone of his peaceful struggle for Tibet.
On 10 December 1989, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the non-violent liberation of Tibet from China.
According to the Nobel Peace Prize website, he had been given the award “for advocating peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people”.
At the award ceremony, the 14th Dalai Lama introduced himself as a “simple Buddhist monk from Tibet”.
However, he acknowledged that he had committed a lot of work to protect the fate of Tibet, its people, and its culture.
“This award represents worldwide recognition and support for the just cause of the Tibetan people’s struggle for freedom and self-determination,” he said.
Furthermore, he also declared that he hopes and prays every day for “enduring peace” in the world.
In his older age, the Dalai Lama has made the news twice for making inappropriate remarks about women.
He made the first comment in 2015, saying that a female successor following him would have to be attractive.
Source: BBC News
Four years later, he echoed this in another interview with BBC News.
He has since apologised for these transgressions.
Given his long history of being in the public eye, the 14th Dalai Lama has experienced his fair share of public scrutiny.
For most of his golden days, he was praised for his non-violent approaches — he even met prominent statesmen around the world.
Source: Dalai Lama on Facebook
However, in more recent times, it appears as though he has caught a bit of bad press.
In light of all the good that he has done, his recent actions come across as perplexing.
Do you accept the explanation that the tongue incident was just an innocent joke? Let us know in the comments.
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Featured image adapted from Dalai Lama on Facebook.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
He crossed the border daily in hopes of buying a house for his family.
On a few days, the thundery showers might extend into the night.
His church has urged parishioners to refrain from visiting him as he heals.
The kitten will be put up for adoption after its injuries are cured.
The toasts were barely a few centimetres thick.