People in Religion: Dalai Lama - Essay Example

Dalai Lama is referred to as the spiritual and temporal Leader of the Tibetan people. Dalai Lamas are a succession of incarnation. They are not elected or appointed; they are born to the position (Tenzin, 1996). Each Dalai Lama is an incarnation of the previous one. The Tibetans regard the Dalai Lamas as the human embodiment of Avalokiteshvara or the deity of compassion who chooses to return to the world to serve the humanity. Before the Dalai Lama passes away, he leaves indication where he would take birth again. The Tibetans choose and train their lamas. Senior Tibetan monks receive information during meditation which helps them to track down the new Dalai Lama. They have an indication of who is going to be the next Dalai Lama and after verification through their secret set of criteria, they take him away. Familiarity with the same possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is considered a confirmation of the reincarnation. The reincarnation takes place a few years after the death of the previous Dalai Lama. A Dalai Lama has a short lease of life as a childhood before he is taken away from the family and plunged into endless ceremonies and an intensive education (Richardson, 1962). Dalai means ocean and Lama is the Sanskrit equivalent of Guru and hence Dalai Lama means a spiritual teacher (Wikipedia). The present Dalai Lama was educated in Lhasa in a 1000-room palace surrounded by doting monks who educated him in subjects like philosophy, medicine and metaphysics (NYTimes, 2007). Although the present Dalai Lama is defined by his Tibetan identity his roots were firmly anchored in reality (Chopra, 2001). He believes that all human beings have an equal right to happiness and freedom from suffering but money should not be a part of the definition of success and happiness (Dalailama, 2006). The world is undergoing transformation and the Dalai Lama emphasizes that one way of being diligent is to pursue knowledge. The freedom campaign that he is pursuing is based on non-violence. One must always maintain truth because that alone will fill a person with a sense of pride. Dalai Lama is an advocate of non-violence and believes the truth, courage and determination should be the weapons for liberation (CNN, 2001). Dalai Lama is considered the most skilled and successful of all religious leaders; he is tolerant and informed and can enchant anyone at the very first instance but he is intent upon forcibly subjecting the world to its law. Religion and history are not separated from one another in the Tibetan world view, nor politics and ritual, symbol and reality. Dalai Lama uses religion and his meditative power to influence people. Dalai Lama imposes sanctions and punishments and views social equality as a spiritualism struggle to realize God’s kingdom on earth (Siblerman, Higgins & Dweck, 2005). He urges the people of the world to promote better understanding and respect among the different faiths of the world. At interfaith services he imparts the message of universal responsibility, love, compassion and kindness (FOT, 2000). He stresses on simple human to human relationship as the world is becoming smaller and interdependent. Without a sense of universal responsibility the survival identifies threatened. At the root of this message is that all beings want the same thing that we want and that another person’s sufferings should be treated as our won. He urges to create a positive atmosphere because hostility hurts both sides of the conflicts (Dalailama, 2006). Dalai Lama has been living in exile since 1959 outside of Tibet due to repression from the Chinese rulers who invaded Tibet. Despite this, the Dalai Lama has more than 100,000 followers who follow his teachings. These followers include Tibetans from Tibet, Indians, nuns, monks and others from different foreign countries (Dalailama, 2006). The Dalai Lama has worldwide followers mainly because his message of peace and happiness is more self-help than religion. One must learn to analyze one’s life and the world of emotions (CBC, 2004). Through awareness one develops an attitude of peace, compassion and friendship. The spirituality concepts of compassion and holistic care are incorporated into the nursing profession. They need to interact with other health professionals constructively. Nursing education has recognized the importance of the development of the self as a nurse. Dalai Lama believes that nurses must develop as people first and then as nursing magicians. According to Him, spirituality involves such qualities as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, harmony, humility, contentment, and responsibility (Hermann, 2003). Reflection on these attributes is essential for professional nursing. It is important to be a good human being and conducting oneself while recognizing others’ interests also. Of we constantly get into the practice of questioning ourselves before and action, we might want to reconsider our actions. His also stresses that we need to turn away from preoccupation with the self. We do need to care for ourselves but not becomes obsessed with ourselves. The society should not influence us to foster selfishness and an inflated sense of self-importance. He insists that nurses expel the negative emotions as they become the basis for anxiety. At times one may have to accept the reality of an unpleasant situation or a negative emotion but the nurse must be able to realize that the cause is a web of interrelated variables. Helpless anger can embitter the heart, poison the mind and enfeeble the will, he says. Hence the nursing students should be given an opportunity to constantly reflect on the qualities of spirituality through out the nursing education. Insights from the spiritual advisors should be incorporated into the nursing curricula to nurture spiritual qualities in the nursing students. Even though the Tibetans are becoming more vocal in their protests against the Chinese rule, Dalai Lama maintains that hunger strike and economic sanctions are illegitimate means of political protest (NYTimes, 2007). His followers refer to him as the first leader of Tibet to become a world leader without a political base purely on his moral force. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion. References: CBC (2004), INDEPTH: THE DALAI LAMA, 18 Oct 2007 Chopra, S., (2001), Ancient Wisdom, Modern Mind, 18 Oct 2007 CNN (2001), The Dalai Lama: a spiritual leader in exile, 18 Oct 2007 Dalailama (2006), The Dalai Lama, in Woodstock, Calls for Peace and Compassion, 18 Oct 2007 FOT (2000), His Holiness: the Dalai Lama, 18 Oct 2007 Hermann, M. L. S., (2003), Keeping the Magic Alive in Nursing Care, NURSE EDUCATOR Volume 28, Number 6, pp 245-246 NYTimes (2007), Dali Lama, 17 Oct 2007 Richardson, H., (1962), Reviewed Work(s): My Land and My People: The Autobiography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The China Quarterly, No. 12. (Oct. - Dec., 1962), pp. 244-248 Silberman, I., Higgins, E. T., & Dweck, C. S. (2005), Religion and World Change: Violence and Terrorism versus Peace, Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 61, No. 4, 2005, pp. 761--784 Tenzin (1996), A Brief Biography of the Dalai Lama, 18 Oct 2007 Wikipedia, Dalai Lama, 18 Oct 2007 Read More