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Malaysian Reserve
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
'Simple monk': the Dalai Lama, in his translator's words
NEW DELHI — With his flowing red monk's robes, beaming smile and contagious laugh, the Dalai Lama (picture), Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has been the charismatic global face of his people's cause for decades. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk, Tenzin Gyatso, is expected to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6 with huge crowds in northern India, his base since leaving his homeland fleeing Chinese troops in 1959. While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a 'simple Buddhist monk'. Thupten Jinpa, his translator of nearly four decades, described a man who uses humour to calm, fierce intellect to debate, and combines self-discipline with tolerance of others. 'He's never deluded by being extraordinary,' said Jinpa, an eminent Buddhist scholar born in Tibet. The Dalai Lama treats those he meets in the same manner whether they are a president or a peasant, world leader or Hollywood star. 'When he's getting ready to go and see a president or a prime minister, everybody around him is all getting nervous he's just completely relaxed,' said Jinpa, who is now a professor at Montreal's McGill University. 'Once I asked him how is it that he's not nervous, and he said, basically, 'the person I'm meeting is just another human being, just like me!'' 'Self-confidence and humility' Despite being revered as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role stretching back more than 600 years, he does not act with a sense of superiority. 'He is one of the most self-confident people I've ever met in my life,' Jinpa said. 'Self-confidence and humility generally don't go together that well, but in him, they sit beautifully.' Jinpa highlighted the Dalai Lama's ability to bring people together through his 'contagious' sense of humour and famous giggling 'individual laugh'. 'He uses humour immediately, so he has this ability to make you feel at ease.' But the translator also described a man who applied the rigorous education and skills of philosophical debate learned as a monk to address the challenges of a complex world. 'He's gone through a formal academic training,' said Jinpa, who himself studied as a monk and holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. 'So when he's sitting down with scientists and philosophers and thinkers in deep conversation, his ability to get to the gist, and ask the question that points towards the next challenge, is an amazing display of his focus.' Jinpa described a man who pursues an austere monastic life with 'very high discipline'. 'He gets up at 3:30 am and has meditation. He doesn't eat after lunch, which is one of the precepts of monastic ethics,' he said. 'He has always maintained this strictly.' While he was born to a farming family, the Dalai Lama grew up in Lhasa's Potala Palace, a vast building reputed to have 1,000 rooms. Since then he has spent much of his life in a hilltop monastic complex in India's town of McLeod Ganj. 'His bedroom is actually a small corridor between two large rooms, doors on the two sides, and a three-by-six single bed attached to the wall, and next to it is a shower cubicle — and that's it,' Jinpa said. 'He has got his photographs of his gurus, teachers, above his bed — very simple.' 'Non-judgement' But the Dalai Lama balances that toughness towards himself with softness for those he meets. 'Generally when people are more pious, more disciplined, more pure, they also tend to be less tolerant,' Jinpa said. 'A lot of the intolerance really comes from puritanism in the world, whether it's religious or ideology,' he added. 'But again, in him, this understanding and non-judgement towards others — and expectation of a high standard for himself — it sits beautifully.' Jinpa added that as the holder of a centuries-old institution, the Dalai Lama places his people before himself. 'In all the negotiations that he has had with China, he has constantly made the point that the issue is not about his return, or his status,' he said. 'The issue is about the Tibetan people — there are over six million of us,' said Jinpa. 'Their ability to be self-governing on the Tibetan plateau, which is their historical home, and their ability to exist with dignity as a distinct people within the People's Republic of China.' — AFP
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
'Simple monk': The Dalai Lama, in his translator's words
NEW DELHI: With his flowing red monk's robes, beaming smile and contagious laugh, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has been the charismatic global face of his people's cause for decades. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk, Tenzin Gyatso, is expected to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6 with huge crowds in northern India, his base since leaving his homeland fleeing Chinese troops in 1959. While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a "simple Buddhist monk." Thupten Jinpa, his translator of nearly four decades, described a man who uses humour to calm, fierce intellect to debate, and combines self-discipline with tolerance of others. "He's never deluded by being extraordinary," said Jinpa, an eminent Buddhist scholar born in Tibet. The Dalai Lama treats those he meets in the same manner whether they are a president or a peasant, world leader or Hollywood star. "When he's getting ready to go and see a president or a prime minister, everybody around him is all getting nervous — he's just completely relaxed," said Jinpa, who is now a professor at Montreal's McGill University. "Once I asked him how is it that he's not nervous, and he said, basically, 'the person I'm meeting is just another human being, just like me!'" Despite being revered as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role stretching back more than 600 years, he does not act with a sense of superiority. "He is one of the most self-confident people I've ever met in my life," Jinpa said. "Self-confidence and humility generally don't go together that well, but in him, they sit beautifully." Jinpa highlighted the Dalai Lama's ability to bring people together through his "contagious" sense of humour and famous giggling "individual laugh." "He uses humour immediately, so he has this ability to make you feel at ease." But the translator also described a man who applied the rigorous education and skills of philosophical debate learned as a monk to address the challenges of a complex world. "He's gone through a formal academic training," said Jinpa, who himself studied as a monk and holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. "So when he's sitting down with scientists and philosophers and thinkers in deep conversation, his ability to get to the gist, and ask the question that points towards the next challenge, is an amazing display of his focus." Jinpa described a man who pursues an austere monastic life with "very high discipline." "He gets up at 3.30am and has meditation. He doesn't eat after lunch, which is one of the precepts of monastic ethics," he said. "He has always maintained this strictly." While he was born to a farming family, the Dalai Lama grew up in Lhasa's Potala Palace, a vast building reputed to have 1,000 rooms. Since then he has spent much of his life in a hilltop monastic complex in India's town of McLeod Ganj. "His bedroom is actually a small corridor between two large rooms, doors on the two sides, and a three-by-six single bed attached to the wall, and next to it is a shower cubicle – and that's it," Jinpa said. "He has got his photographs of his gurus, teachers, above his bed – very simple." But the Dalai Lama balances that toughness towards himself with softness for those he meets. "Generally when people are more pious, more disciplined, more pure, they also tend to be less tolerant," Jinpa said. "A lot of the intolerance really comes from puritanism in the world, whether it's religious or ideology," he added. "But again, in him, this understanding and non-judgement towards others – and expectation of a high standard for himself – it sits beautifully." Jinpa added that as the holder of a centuries-old institution, the Dalai Lama places his people before himself. "In all the negotiations that he has had with China, he has constantly made the point that the issue is not about his return, or his status," he said. "The issue is about the Tibetan people – there are over six million of us," said Jinpa. "Their ability to be self-governing on the Tibetan plateau, which is their historical home, and their ability to exist with dignity as a distinct people within the People's Republic of China."
France 24
a day ago
- Politics
- France 24
'Simple monk': the Dalai Lama, in his translator's words
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning monk, Tenzin Gyatso, is expected to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6 with huge crowds in northern India, his base since leaving his homeland fleeing Chinese troops in 1959. While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a "simple Buddhist monk". Thupten Jinpa, his translator of nearly four decades, described a man who uses humour to calm, fierce intellect to debate, and combines self-discipline with tolerance of others. "He's never deluded by being extraordinary," said Jinpa, an eminent Buddhist scholar born in Tibet. The Dalai Lama treats those he meets in the same manner whether they are a president or a peasant, world leader or Hollywood star. "When he's getting ready to go and see a president or a prime minister, everybody around him is all getting nervous he's just completely relaxed," said Jinpa, who is now a professor at Montreal's McGill University. "Once I asked him how is it that he's not nervous, and he said, basically, 'the person I'm meeting is just another human being, just like me!'" 'Self-confidence and humility' Despite being revered as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role stretching back more than 600 years, he does not act with a sense of superiority. "He is one of the most self-confident people I've ever met in my life," Jinpa said. "Self-confidence and humility generally don't go together that well, but in him, they sit beautifully." Jinpa highlighted the Dalai Lama's ability to bring people together through his "contagious" sense of humour and famous giggling "individual laugh". "He uses humour immediately, so he has this ability to make you feel at ease." But the translator also described a man who applied the rigorous education and skills of philosophical debate learned as a monk to address the challenges of a complex world. "He's gone through a formal academic training," said Jinpa, who himself studied as a monk and holds a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. "So when he's sitting down with scientists and philosophers and thinkers in deep conversation, his ability to get to the gist, and ask the question that points towards the next challenge, is an amazing display of his focus." Jinpa described a man who pursues an austere monastic life with "very high discipline". "He gets up at 3:30 am and has meditation. He doesn't eat after lunch, which is one of the precepts of monastic ethics," he said. "He has always maintained this strictly." While he was born to a farming family, the Dalai Lama grew up in Lhasa's Potala Palace, a vast building reputed to have 1,000 rooms. Since then he has spent much of his life in a hilltop monastic complex in India's town of McLeod Ganj. "His bedroom is actually a small corridor between two large rooms, doors on the two sides, and a three-by-six single bed attached to the wall, and next to it is a shower cubicle -- and that's it," Jinpa said. "He has got his photographs of his gurus, teachers, above his bed -- very simple." 'Non-judgement' But the Dalai Lama balances that toughness towards himself with softness for those he meets. "Generally when people are more pious, more disciplined, more pure, they also tend to be less tolerant," Jinpa said. "A lot of the intolerance really comes from puritanism in the world, whether it's religious or ideology," he added. "But again, in him, this understanding and non-judgement towards others -- and expectation of a high standard for himself -- it sits beautifully." Jinpa added that as the holder of a centuries-old institution, the Dalai Lama places his people before himself. "In all the negotiations that he has had with China, he has constantly made the point that the issue is not about his return, or his status," he said. "The issue is about the Tibetan people -- there are over six million of us," said Jinpa. "Their ability to be self-governing on the Tibetan plateau, which is their historical home, and their ability to exist with dignity as a distinct people within the People's Republic of China." © 2025 AFP
HKFP
27-04-2025
- Politics
- HKFP
As Dalai Lama approaches 90, Tibetans weigh future without Buddhist leader
When the Dalai Lama turns 90 in July, the Buddhist monk, who for many exiled Tibetans personifies dreams of a free homeland, will ask if they want a successor. For the charismatic Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader, his landmark birthday will be a time to encourage people to plan for an eventual future without him and address whether there will be another Dalai Lama. The answer, at least according to his translator of nearly four decades, is clear: yes. 'I know for a fact that he has received petitions from across the Tibetan Buddhism communities, including some from inside Tibet,' said Thupten Jinpa, 66, a Buddhist scholar who helped produce the leader's latest book, 'Voice for the Voiceless'. Jinpa believes the post, which he likens to a Buddhist 'papal institution' not only for Tibet but also encompassing the Himalayan regions of India, Bhutan and Nepal, as well as Mongolia and some Russian republics, will continue. 'My hope is that before his birthday, July 6, he will issue a final statement,' Jinpa said, speaking in India, where the Dalai Lama has been based since fleeing into exile in 1959. 'If my guess is right, and he says that the continuity of the institution will remain, that means then there will be a new Dalai Lama.' Many exiled Tibetans fear China will name a successor to bolster control over a land it poured troops into in 1950. 'Almost unthinkable' The current Dalai Lama was identified in 1936 when, aged two, he passed a test by pointing to objects that had belonged to the post's previous occupier. He was hailed as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role that stretches back more than 600 years. 'One constant in everybody's life has been the presence of the Dalai Lama,' said Jinpa, who fled Tibet with his parents as a baby, around the same time the Dalai Lama escaped. If there is to be a 15th, the Dalai Lama has said he will 'leave clear written instructions' on what will happen after his death. Jinpa, who trained as a monk before completing his doctorate at the University of Cambridge, said that a foundational principle of Buddhism was the contemplation of impermanence. 'Anything that comes into being will come to an end,' he said. 'Where there is birth, there will be death.' But he said the Dalai Lama — who has said he wants to live until he is 113 — also wants followers to confront a future, someday, without him. 'The idea of a world without him is almost unthinkable,' Jinpa said. 'But that will happen, and His Holiness has himself been very explicit in making sure that people are thinking about it.' 'Symbol of a nation' Jinpa said that plans for the future had long been in progress. The Dalai Lama stepped down as his people's political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by 130,000 Tibetans around the world. 'He has already prepared the formal political structure for carrying on the struggles of the Tibetan cause beyond his lifetime,' Jinpa said. 'But one of the things that he can't just transfer to an elected body… is the moral authority, and his status as the symbol of a nation, and a symbol of the aspiration of the Tibetan people,' he added. 'This is why the continuity of the Dalai Lama institution becomes important.' China, which says Tibet is an integral part of the country, insists the Dalai Lama 'has no right to represent the Tibetan people'. Jinpa said the Dalai Lama is only advocating for greater Tibetan autonomy. 'If we were asking for independence, it's a completely different thing,' he said. 'People's heart' The Dalai Lama has already said that if there 'is a consensus that the Dalai Lama institution should continue', then the Office of the Dalai Lama — the Gaden Phodrang Trust in India's Himalayan hill town of McLeod Ganj — would hold the responsibility for the recognition of the next leader. He has also made it clear that any successor would by necessity be 'born in the free world'. In 1995, Beijing selected its own child as the Panchen Lama, another influential Tibetan religious figure, and detained a Dalai Lama-recognised six-year-old, described by rights groups as the world's youngest political prisoner. 'The Chinese will choose another 'Dalai Lama', that's for sure,' Jinpa said. 'It will be ridiculous, but they will do it.' But he is confident that Tibetans will not acknowledge whoever Beijing selects. 'They can suppress, they can ban, they can force,' said Jinpa, noting that Beijing forbids the Dalai Lama's photograph in Tibet. 'But you can never change people's heart. What's in the heart belongs to the individual, and the loyalty will always be to this Dalai Lama, and whoever is going to be chosen through the traditional system.'
New Straits Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
As Dalai Lama approaches 90, Tibetans weigh future
NEW DELHI: When the Dalai Lama turns 90 in July, the Buddhist monk, who for many exiled Tibetans personifies dreams of a free homeland, will ask if they want a successor. For the charismatic Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader, his landmark birthday will be a time to encourage people to plan for an eventual future without him and address whether there will be another Dalai Lama. The answer, at least according to his translator of nearly four decades, is clear: yes. "I know for a fact that he has received petitions from across the Tibetan Buddhism communities, including some from inside Tibet," said Thupten Jinpa, 66, a Buddhist scholar who helped produce the leader's latest book, "Voice for the Voiceless." Jinpa believes the post, which he likens to a Buddhist "papal institution" not only for Tibet but also encompassing the Himalayan regions of India, Bhutan and Nepal, as well as Mongolia and some Russian republics, will continue. "My hope is that before his birthday, July 6, he will issue a final statement," Jinpa said, speaking in India, where the Dalai Lama has been based since fleeing into exile in 1959. "If my guess is right, and he says that the continuity of the institution will remain, that means then there will be a new Dalai Lama." Many exiled Tibetans fear China will name a successor to bolster control over a land it poured troops into in 1950. The current Dalai Lama was identified in 1936 when, aged two, he passed a test by pointing to objects that had belonged to the post's previous occupier. He was hailed as the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a role that stretches back more than 600 years. "One constant in everybody's life has been the presence of the Dalai Lama," said Jinpa, who fled Tibet with his parents as a baby, around the same time the Dalai Lama escaped. If there is to be a 15th, the Dalai Lama has said he will "leave clear written instructions" on what will happen after his death. Jinpa, who trained as a monk before completing his doctorate at the University of Cambridge, said that a foundational principle of Buddhism was the contemplation of impermanence. "Anything that comes into being will come to an end," he said. "Where there is birth, there will be death." But he said the Dalai Lama – who has said he wants to live until he is 113 – also wants followers to confront a future, someday, without him. "The idea of a world without him is almost unthinkable," Jinpa said. "But that will happen, and His Holiness has himself been very explicit in making sure that people are thinking about it." Jinpa said that plans for the future had long been in progress. The Dalai Lama stepped down as his people's political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by 130,000 Tibetans around the world. "He has already prepared the formal political structure for carrying on the struggles of the Tibetan cause beyond his lifetime," Jinpa said. "But one of the things that he can't just transfer to an elected body... is the moral authority, and his status as the symbol of a nation, and a symbol of the aspiration of the Tibetan people," he added. "This is why the continuity of the Dalai Lama institution becomes important." China, which says Tibet is an integral part of the country, insists the Dalai Lama "has no right to represent the Tibetan people." Jinpa said the Dalai Lama is only advocating for greater Tibetan autonomy. "If we were asking for independence, it's a completely different thing," he said. The Dalai Lama has already said that if there "is a consensus that the Dalai Lama institution should continue", then the Office of the Dalai Lama – the Gaden Phodrang Trust in India's Himalayan hill town of McLeod Ganj – would hold the responsibility for the recognition of the next leader. He has also made it clear that any successor would by necessity be "born in the free world." In 1995, Beijing selected its own child as the Panchen Lama, another influential Tibetan religious figure, and detained a Dalai Lama-recognised six-year-old, described by rights groups as the world's youngest political prisoner. "The Chinese will choose another 'Dalai Lama', that's for sure," Jinpa said. "It will be ridiculous, but they will do it." But he is confident that Tibetans will not acknowledge whoever Beijing selects. "They can suppress, they can ban, they can force," said Jinpa, noting that Beijing forbids the Dalai Lama's photograph in Tibet. "But you can never change people's heart. What's in the heart belongs to the individual, and the loyalty will always be to this Dalai Lama, and whoever is going to be chosen through the traditional system."
