Dalai Lama, is the title given to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “yellow hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism. A Lama, in Tibetan Buddhism, is a spiritual leader and in Sanskrit, translates to “venerable one” or “guru” or “great teacher”, and hence applicable only to heads of monasteries.
Nowadays, the title is extended to any respected monk or priest. In the Tibetan tradition, some Lamas are considered reincarnations of their predecessors, because of the high levels of spiritual development they have achieved in their lifetime, and the highest lineage of reincarnated Lamas is that of the Dalai Lama.The Dalai Lama is considered the physical manifestation of the compassionate “bodhisattva” (buddha-to-be) or “Avalokiteshvara”.
The second highest in the line of succession is that of the Panchan Lama, of which there are several thousands, who are revered as reincarnations of great saints and ranked as lesser incarnations. According to tradition, the rebirths may take place any time from days to years, following the death of the previous Lama.
In the case of a Dalai Lama, after selection, the young child is given extensive monastic training from an early age, and during the years of search, education and training to become the Dalai Lama, a regent is appointed to rule in his stead.
The Tibetan sect that the Dalai Lama belongs to becomes known as the “Model-of-Virtue” and adheres to enforced celibacy, required wearing of yellow robes and a rigorous daily routine. Historically, this sect, eventually gained considerable influence in Mongolia during the lifetime of the first Tibetan Lama, Tsong-Khan Pa (born 1357, died 1419).
The land mass of the Tibetan platue is surrounded by the Himalayan mountains and roughly equates to the entire region of Western Europe. The term Dalai Lama, translates to “Ocean of wisdom or Knowledge.” Since the 11th century, it is widely believed among the dominant traditions of the Central Asian Buddhists countries that the Dalai Lama is the “bodhisattva of compassion” and he has a special relationship with the people of Tibet. The title of Dalai Lama was conferred on the first incumbent by the Mongolian emperor. Altan Khan in 1578, and the current Dalai lama is the 14th successor to the title.
The 14th Dalai Lama (born as Tenzin Gyatso), now lives in exile as a refugee, in Dharmasala, India in the foothills of the Himalayas, from where the Tibetan government-in-exile operates. From 1642 to the present day, until China annexed the whole of Tibet in the 1950s, the Dalai Lamas, have been both the spiritual as well as the temporal head of Tibet and have headed the Tibetan government from Lhasa, governing the Tibetan plateau with varying degrees of autonomy.