How Dalai Lama's spiritual lineage makes him an icon for LGBTQ community: Queer Buddhist sociologist writes
Known as Chenrezig in Tibet, Guanyin in China, and Kannon or Kanzeon in Japan, Avalokitesvara originated in India as a man, but can be depicted as either a man, woman, or non-binary being in religious iconography. This gender fluidity has led to them being revered as a trans icon in the West, writes Stephen Kerry, lecturer in sociology at Charles Darwin University.
Conversation around the Dalai Lama tradition has grown busier since the latest and 14th incumbent, Tenzin Gyatso, turns 90 soon. And this has reigniting speculation over his eventual successor.
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva (as is Avalokitesvara, represented through the Dalai Lama) is a person or representation who denies themselves enlightenment until all beings can achieve enlightenment. "Avalokitesvara appears to living beings in whatever form could best save them,' Kerry writes in The Conversation.
'I have spent the past five years investigating the lives of queer Buddhists in Australia. As part of this research, I have surveyed and interviewed 109 LGBTQIA Buddhist Australians. The words of these individuals, and my own experience as a genderqueer Buddhist person, reveal how the Dalai Lama emerges an an unlikely inspiration for individuals sharing a trans and Buddhist identity,' he adds. 'Effeminate and handsome'
He also says that homosexual or non-binary Buddhist Australians are generally reluctant to disclose their gender identities to their communities, and may be told to remain silent about their identities.
'For some, Avalokitesvara's gender fluidity has been important for reaffirming both their queer and Buddhist selves. One Buddhist trans woman […] told me Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) had special significance for her. [She] spoke about Avalokitesvara travelling from India to China as a male, before 'transitioning' to the mainly female presentation of Guanyin over centuries.'
Another individual from the queer community told Kerry about how he was fascinated by depictions of Avalokitesvara 'looking effeminate and handsome, with a cute moustache'. Not everyone agrees
Some Buddhists deny Avalokitesvara's perceived queerness. Kerry recounts how a genderqueer Buddhist person told him about a teacher who called the theories 'just stories'.
Kerry adds, though: 'Despite being a cisgender man who has been somewhat inconsistent in his support of queer people, the Dalai Lama, as the manifestation of the bodhisattva of compassion, is a possible spiritual link between today's queer Buddhists and centuries-long traditions of gender transition and fluidity.'
Meanwhile, the controversy over how the next Dalai Lama will be chosen rages on. The 14th and current Dalai Lama has asserted that the temporal institution will continue after his death but his 'reincarnation' will 'not be chosen by China'. The Chinese government has said any successor will have to be approved by Beijing.
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Kerala achieved 'total literacy' in 1991 as per the National Literacy Mission (NLM) norms, which required 90% of a state's population aged between 15 and 35 years to be literate. Kerala had claimed that 90% of its population aged between 15 and 60 years was literate back then. • According to the 2011 Census, literacy in Kerala was 93.91% and 91.58% in Mizoram. Under the 'Household Social Consumption: Education' survey, a part of the National Sample Survey from July 2017 to June 2018, literacy among those aged 7 years and above in Kerala was 96.2%. This survey did not have data on Mizoram. • However, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey's annual report from July 2023 to June 2024, Mizoram's literacy rate for those aged 7 years and above was 98.2%, while Kerala's stood at 95.3%. Do You Know: • The Ministry of Education wrote to the states in August last year, defining 'literacy' and '100% literacy' for ULLAS. 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This, the petitioners have argued, amounts to 'theft'. • In their defence, tech companies say they are using the data to create 'transformative' AI models, which falls within the ambit of 'fair use' — a concept in law that permits use of copyrighted material in limited capacities for larger public interests (for instance, quoting a paragraph from a book for a review). • As leading publishers in the US and UK clamp down on artificial intelligence (AI) companies scraping news content without consent, Indian digital media houses are ramping up pressure on the government to step in and protect journalistic work from being 'exploited' by commercial AI models. Do You Know: • Under the Copyright Act, 1957, the 'author' of a work has a bundle of legal rights including the right to reproduce, issue copies, perform, adapt, or translate the work in question. Upon the death of the author, the ownership of the copyright falls to her legal heirs. Under Section 18 however, the author can 'assign' the copyright 'wholly or partially' to anyone she pleases, in return for compensation. The Act aims to safeguard creative works considered to be a creator's intellectual property. • A copyrighted work will be considered 'infringed' only if a substantial part is made use of without authorisation. In cases of infringement, the copyright owner can take legal action against any person who infringes on or violates their copyright and is entitled to remedies such as injunctions, damages, and accounts. An injunction is 'an official order given by a law court, usually to stop someone from doing something.' • Section 52 lists acts that don't constitute infringement, even in cases where one has a copyright over the work. Section 52(1)(a) exempts 'a fair dealing with any work' from being termed 'infringement' if it's for private or personal use, like research, criticism or review, or reporting of current events and affairs. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Knowledge nugget of the day: Copyright Act — the focus of Dhanush-Nayanthara dispute 📍'Urge govt to act against AI's unauthorised and rampant data scrapping': News publishers body Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: In a globalized world, Intellectual Property Rights assume significance and are a source of litigation. Broadly distinguish between the terms—Copyrights, Patents and Trade Secrets. (UPSC CSE 2014) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Mains Examination: General Studies-I: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times. General Studies-III: India and its neighbourhood- relations What's the ongoing story: The 14th Dalai Lama announced on Wednesday (July 2) 'that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue' and that the Gaden Phodrang Trust shall be the 'sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation'. Key Points to Ponder: • What do you understand by reincarnation? • Who is the Dalai Lama? • What is the angle of China in recognizing future reincarnation? • Why did the 14th Dalai Lama have to escape from Lhasa? • What are the established conventions in choosing the new Dalai Lama? • What is India's stand? • What is the role of Dalai Lama? • The Dalai Lama is associated with which school of Buddhism? • Who are Bodhisattvas? Key Takeaways: • The 'Statement Affirming the Continuation of the Institution of Dalai Lama' came four days before the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists turns 90. • The term Gaden Phodrang refers to the residential quarters of the Dalai Lama lineage from the second Dalai Lama onward at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa. • After the Potala Palace was built (by a decree of the fifth Dalai Lama), the Dalai Lamas moved away from these quarters, and stayed at Potala Palace in winter and Norbulingka (built by the seventh Dalai Lama about 100 years after Potala) in summer. This tradition was followed until the 14th Dalai Lama's escape from Lhasa to India in March 1959. • The Gaden Phodrang Trust is one of three institutions associated with the Dalai Lama. 'There are three registered institutions that are related to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There is Gaden Phodrang Trust, which is a registered body in India and operates from the office of His Holiness, there is another Dalai Lama Trust, which [too] is a non-profit organisation, and the third is Gaden Phodrang Foundation, which is registered in Zurich.' • The Gaden Phodrang Trust was registered in 2011 in Dharamshala with the aim of recognising the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. It is based in the office of the Dalai Lama, and is managed by the former Kalon Tripa (head of the CTA) Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, a senior monk and a close confidant of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama heads the trust, whose members include some other aides of the spiritual leader. • The foundation is a tax-exempt Swiss nonprofit with its registered office in Zurich, and is supervised by the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs. It is funded by charitable contributions made by the founder and the public. • The Dalai Lama is the founder and president of the foundation, and Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa (India), Kelsang Gyaltsen (Switzerland), and Jamphel Lhundup (India), are its co-vice presidents. • The foundation says on its website that its aim is to maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama, and to promote basic human values, mutual understanding among religions, peace and non-violence, and protection of the environment. • The Dalai Lama Trust is a non-profit charitable organisation founded by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2009. It is headquartered in New Delhi but works with a range of partners internationally, too. • The purpose of the trust is to support the welfare of the Tibetan people and to promote human values, interfaith harmony, and world peace, which have been key elements of the Dalai Lama's lifelong mission. Do You Know: • India Thursday asserted that the successor to the 14th Dalai Lama has to be decided by established practices and that no one but the present Dalai Lama 'has the right to decide'. • The statement comes after China, which describes the Dalai Lama as a separatist, stated that the spiritual leader's reincarnation must be approved by the Chinese Central government. • The Dalai Lama, literally 'Ocean of Wisdom, is believed to be the manifestation of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of compassion, and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are persons who are on the path to becoming a Buddha, but who put the liberation of other sentient beings ahead of entering nirvana themselves. • The institution of the Dalai Lama is part of the tulku concept in Tibetan Buddhism, in which spiritual masters are reincarnated upon their death, so that their teachings can be preserved and carried forward. • The first Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa, was born in 1391. Beginning with Lobsang Gyatso (1617-82), the fifth of the line, the Dalai Lama became both the spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists. • The present Dalai Lama was found by a search party in 1939, six years after the 13th Dalai Lama Thupten Gyatso passed away in 1933. The reincarnation was recognised by several signs, including a vision revealed to a senior monk. In 1940, the little boy was taken to Potala Palace in Lhasa and officially enthroned. • China denounces the 14th Dalai Lama as a 'splittist', 'traitor', and an exile with 'no right to represent the Tibetan people', and prohibits any public show of devotion towards him. • In his 2011 statement, the Dalai Lama had said that his reincarnation should be found in a 'free country, not under Chinese control'. He also said that 'no recognition should be given to a reincarnation selected for political purposes by the Chinese government'. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The Dalai Lama, his successor, and China Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (6) With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2016) 1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism. 2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment. 3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 2 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it What's the ongoing story: The difference in daily per capita calorie intake between India's top and bottom 5 per cent of consumers narrowed in 2023-24, with the former eating fewer calories and the latter increasing their intake. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the impact lesser calorie intake on the human body? • What is the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES)? • Who conducts the HCES? • How poverty level measured using the calorie intake in India? • What are the criticisms related to poverty estimation? Key Takeaways: • In 2023-24, the top 5 per cent of Indians urban areas, as measured by their Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE), consumed 3,092 kilocalories (Kcal) per day, 82.3 per cent more than the 1,696 Kcal of the bottom 5 per cent, according to nutritional intake data based on the statistics ministry's latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES). In 2022-23, the difference was 114.3 per cent. • In rural India, the daily calorie intake of the top 5 per cent was 2,941 Kcal, 74.2 per cent higher than that of the bottom 5 per cent's 1,688 Kcal. In 2022-23, the difference was 93.9 per cent. • Overall, the daily per capita calorie intake in rural India in 2023-24 was down 0.9 per cent from 2022-23 at 2,212 Kcal, while that in urban areas was 0.4 per cent lower at 2,240 Kcal. Compared to 2011-12, the daily per capita calorie consumption in urban areas was 1.5 per cent higher in 2023-24, although it was down 0.9 per cent in rural areas. • The narrowing of the gap in daily per capita calorie intake between the top and bottom 5 per cent in both rural and urban areas was primarily a result of lower consumption by the top 5 per cent and an increase in intake by the bottom 5 per cent. • According to the MoSPI data, the calorie intake of the top 5 per cent of Indians in urban regions fell by as much as 11.1 per cent in 2023-24 from 2022-23. The reduction in calorie intake of the top 5 per cent in rural areas was 5.6 per cent. • Interestingly, Indians in urban areas reduced their daily consumption of fat in 2023-24 to 69.8 grams (gm) from 70.5 gm in 2022-23, while those in rural areas increased it to 60.4 gm from 59.7 gm. • Protein intake, meanwhile, was largely steady. In rural areas, the daily per capita protein intake in 2023-24 was 61.8 gm as against 61.9 gm in 2022-23. The intake was higher in urban areas at 63.4 gm, marginally up from 63.2 gm in 2022-23. • This marks a departure from the situation in 2011-12, when daily per capita protein intake was slightly higher in rural India than urban. In 2011-12, the average daily protein intake was 60.3 gm in urban areas and 60.7 gm in rural areas. Do You Know: • Officially approved poverty measurement in India has involved estimating the level of consumption expenditure sufficient to enable the minimum calorie intake necessary for living and working. As calories measure the energy ingested through food and drink, the methodology represents a physiological approach. • The poverty line is the level of income used as a cut-off point for deciding who is poor in any economy. It represents the minimum income level necessary to meet basic needs, and varies across countries depending on their overall economic conditions. It is important to note here that the context (both time period and location) is critical to arriving at a meaningful poverty line. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Measuring poverty shouldn't be about calories. India needs a thali index 📍Knowledge Nugget: World Bank's revised poverty line and India — A must-know for UPSC Exam Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (7) In a given year in India, official poverty lines are higher in some States than in others because (2019) (a) poverty rates vary from State to State (b) price levels vary from State to State (c) Gross State Product varies from State to State (d) quality of public distribution varies from State to State The Land Pooling Policy, 2025 is a flagship initiative of the Punjab government with the stated aim of promoting 'planned urban development'. Unlike in traditional land acquisition, where the state simply acquires land for compensation, the pooling initiative is meant to be voluntary. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
