Who Is The Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama is considered to be the spiritual head of the people of Tibet a region in China where the people practice the Buddhist religion. The institution of the Dalai Lama is an ancient one dating from the 14th century to the present 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In the past the Dalai Lama was the religious as well as political leader of Tibet but since 1959 when the People's Republic of China started administering the region directly the Dalai Lama has been heading a government in exile in neighboring India.

The Dalai Lama is considered to be one of the reincarnations of the bodhisattva or enlightened being who has come on Earth to guide mankind. The meaning of the term Dalai in Mongolian is ocean and Lama means guru or preceptor; the title connotes infinite wisdom and compassion. The first Dalai Lama is considered to be Gendun Drup (1391-1474) though the title itself came to be used in the time of Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588), the 3rd Dalai Lama.