PROFILE DALAI LAMA:The world's most recognisable monk is either a powerful ambassador for peace or, in the eyes of his enemies, 'a wolf in monk's robes'. But nearly 50 years after fleeing Tibet, it is still unlikely he will ever return
'I AM just a simple Buddhist monk - no more, nor less." He is one of the world's most powerful and influential religious figures, but Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has turned understatement into an art form. With his maroon robes and distinctive glasses, the Dalai Lama has become an icon in the international peace movement, a symbol of peaceful opposition and a struggle for freedom, Nobel Peace Prize winner and a wandering soul who travels the globe drumming up support for his cause. And for the Chinese government, he is a reviled separatist who wants to take Tibet away by whatever means necessary.
Monks at Labrang monastery during last week's independence riots chanted "Dalai Lama" as they worked up their energies before taking on the Chinese security forces.
Despite the more radical approach of the younger monks, the Dalai Lama has consistently reiterated his message of peace. "I am totally committed to a mutually beneficial solution. I have repeated 1,000 times I am not seeking independence," he said.
However, autonomy needs to be more than "a mere word on paper". "We are seeking the preservation of Tibetan culture. China must realise that in Tibetan areas, there is so much strong resentment. It's not too late. I am fully committed to eliminating negative feeling among Tibetans, fully committed to building a happy society."
A typical day for the Dalai Lama starts at 4am with meditation, then meetings, private audiences with the faithful, teaching and ceremonies, then more prayer before he goes to bed. This remarkably simple life is in stark contrast to his enormous international stature and weighty political influence - he is regularly named alongside Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi in the pantheon of great advocates of peaceful resistance.
The level of devotion to the Dalai Lama is intense. In monasteries in Tibetan areas, monks will sometimes quietly lead foreign visitors aside to areas out of sight of Han Chinese tourists and government spies, where they reveal pictures of the Dalai Lama. Sometimes they even go so far as to put them on the wall, risking harsh censure from the authorities.
To the Tibetans, the 14th Dalai Lama, or Ocean of Wisdom, is a god-king, the highest ranking religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism and a focal point for their desire for greater freedom.
The Chinese see the 72-year-old monk as a dangerous "splittist", or separatist, who wants to divide Tibet from China and establish an independent country. He has become the focus of Chinese anger over the violent protests in Tibet. They accuse "the Dalai clique" of masterminding the riots and say he wants to destroy all the work Beijing has done to improve its international image ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has signalled Beijing's willingness to hold talks, but only after the Dalai Lama gives up what is viewed in China as a campaign for Tibetan independence.
"A wolf in monk's robes, a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast," is how the Chinese Communist Party's chief in Tibet, Zhang Qingli, describes him. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch once referred to him as "a very political old monk shuffling around in Gucci shoes".
BORN A FARMER'S son on July 6th, 1935 as Lhamo Dhondrub, in the small village of Taktser in northeastern Tibet, he was discovered at the age of two to be the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, who is an incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the Buddha of Compassion.
When the Dalai Lama dies, his soul is believed to pass into the body of a child. And so it was that Lhama Dhondrub became Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso. He is also referred to as Yeshe Norbu, the Wishfulfilling Gem or Kundun.
He says he knew he was destined for great things. "A favourite occupation of mine as an infant was to pack things in a bag as if I was about to go on a long journey. 'I'm going to Lhasa, I'm going to Lhasa,' I would say," he wrote in his autobiography, Freedom in Exile.
Like all Tibetan Buddhist monks, he was educated at a monastery and went on to achieve the Geshe Lharampa Degree, a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy.
The Dalai Lama assumed his full powers at the age of 15, just as Mao Zedong's People's Liberation Army invaded the Himalayan enclave in 1950, smashing what little resistance the tiny Tibetan army was able to offer. He remained in Lhasa for nine years, and held negotiations with Mao during that time.
Next year it will be 50 years since the Dalai Lama was forced to flee Tibet on foot and on horseback in a daring escape after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
He was offered asylum by the Indian government and set up a government-in-exile in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala, "Little Lhasa", where he was joined by 80,000 Tibetans. There are 120,000 Tibetans there today.
In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the year of the crackdown on democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and shortly after the Chinese brutally crushed anti-government protests in Lhasa.
China's current president Hu Jintao was in charge of Tibet during that time and his tough response did much to improve his standing in the Communist Party and help with his rise to power.
"The prize reaffirms our conviction that with truth, courage and determination as our weapons, Tibet will be liberated. Our struggle must remain nonviolent and free of hatred," he said on accepting the award.
Non-violence is central to his efforts to win greater autonomy for Tibet, and for this reason last week's riots have left the Dalai Lama in a difficult position.
He has long advocated a "Middle Path" policy to resolve the status of Tibet - genuine self-rule for Tibet within China. He has also expressed his support for the Beijing Olympics, rejecting Chinese allegations he was trying to sabotage the games.
This week he said he was ready to meet Chinese president Hu Jintao over the crisis in Tibet. "Still, if concrete indications come from China, sure I will be happy. If there are concrete indications, I am ready, I am happy, after this crisis - in a few weeks, in a few months," he said. The scenes of violence in Lhasa and other areas must have rankled with the leader whose reputation in the world is that of a man of peace.
While the harsh crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators has damaged China's international standing, the footage of attacks on ethnic Han Chinese shopkeepers and residents in the Tibetan capital have caused widespread anger within China and prompted fears that the power in the Tibetan opposition movement within Lhasa may have shifted to the younger generation who want to rid Tibet of Han Chinese completely.
For the Chinese, Tibet was, is, and always will be Chinese and there is little room for debate on that subject. The Chinese government says the Dalai Lama is a hypocrite, who says one thing but does another, paying tribute to peace but secretly organising violent opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet.
This week he even threatened to resign - which was widely understood as an indication that he would resign as temporal, rather than spiritual leader. There are fears of a power vacuum when the Dalai Lama dies, which could be filled by young Tibetans who may espouse a more violent resistance than that of the Dalai Lama, and last week's turmoil in Lhasa has brought renewed attention to the succession issue. The Dalai Lama has no obvious successor and he has annoyed the Chinese by suggesting that he might choose his own successor before his death. This could involve senior lamas electing one of their number to succeed him, just like the cardinals elect a pope.
This is something Beijing could not tolerate and the Chinese are much more likely to try and impose their own candidate, just as they did with the second most powerful figure in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, the Panchen Lama, who was chosen in 1995 by Beijing as a reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, who died in 1989. However, the Dalai Lama chose a rival reincarnation, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was also six years of age. Beijing imposed their choice and Gedhun disappeared and is believed to be in Beijing under house arrest.
EVEN BEFORE HE won the Nobel Prize, the Dalai Lama has always had a high international standing, remarkable when you consider that few Westerners met his predecessor and Tibet was effectively closed to the outside world until the middle of the last century.
He met Pope John Paul II on numerous occasions, while US president George Bush awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal last year, and he was warmly welcomed by German chancellor Angela Merkel. These events irritate the Chinese intensely, and Beijing angrily denounces Western governments who receive him. UK prime minister Gordon Brown said this week he would meet the Dalai Lama in May when he visits Britain, again angering the Chinese.
The Tibetan freedom cause has been espoused by numerous celebrities, from the actor Richard Gere to hip-hop act the Beastie Boys, and many well-known people have been received by him in Dharamsala. However, this kind of support carries little weight with the Chinese, and Western powers have been less than forthright in backing Tibetan autonomy claims, adopting what they see as prudent stances in the face of China's growing economic and political might.
Dialogue with China broke down in 1993, but over the years there have been sporadic talks between the two sides, although little of substance has come out of the negotiations.
While he regularly speaks of his desire to return to Tibet and to visit holy sites in China, most Tibetans are resigned to the fact that they will never see him in Tibet again, not in this incarnation.
"Of course, I pray for my people and for the return of Tibet. I pray for Tibet every day. But, also, I pray for China. I'm optimistic," he said.
