Reputation of Dalai Lama in Tibet, China and West - Essay Example

Dalai Lamas Reputation Reputation of Dalai Lama in Tibet, China and West There are many people in West, China and Tibet that pursue Dalai Lama as their spiritual as well as a political superhero. The beaming squares and countenance, monastic robes and unfashionable glasses attract the attention of thousands of photographers. People consider the Dalai Lama in the league of some international personalities, which contains people like Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. The Dalai Lama also has a certain reputation in Bollywood, being supported by personalities like Steven Segal and Richard Gere. The people who have actually interacted with the Dalai Lama describe him as a charismatic personality. It is hard to escape the notion that Dalai Lama is viewed as a Santa Claus by many people across the world. His reputation has been of a smiling man with cherubic look and an infectious laugh. He is often defined as quite a photogenic and an engaging man. His reputation in the West has been of a smart and intelligent man. He is also considered to be a forward looking political leader. It can be difficult to imagine that many lives in the west are seeking to adopt a spiritual boost in this age of materialism. Dalai Lama is known for granting a path and the sense of fulfillment to the people that the modern industrialized society fail to provide the people. When an individual searches for the books of Dalai Lama, one may certainly find a list of self-help and spiritual tracts. It is true about him that he is not been unstained by the worldly desires and therefore his books are considered be the source of enlightenment for the readers. It is because of all these things that he is considered to possess the qualities of a good leader and established leader not only in Tibet but also in West. However the reputation of Dalai Lama in China has always been a topic of discussion. Since the time of the Chinese invasion he has taken several actions for the purpose of establishment of an autonomous Tibetan state inside China. It was in the year 1963 that a draft constitution was issued by the Dalai Lama for Tibet that contained a number of different reforms in order to democratize the government, which it called the Charter of Tibetans present in Exile. This charter provides guidelines for all the Tibetans that are living in exile. It happened during the 1960’s that the Central Intelligence Agency started funding and training the Tibetans forces to fight against the Chinese invasion. This all happened with the full support of Dalai Lama. All these events affected the reputation of Dalai Lama in China, as he was no longer perceived as a leader working for the establishment of peace in the region (Rohrer). Factors contributing in the fame of Dalai Lama There are several factors that contribute in making Dalai Lama a successful leader in China and in the West. Dalai Lama has always preached that it is the nature of a person’s motivation that actually determines the character of his work. In business as well as in our daily lives, this emphasizes on the fact that an individual must think critically about the results of his objectives as well as the purpose behind ones daily procedures. This also indicates that an individual must not only be concerned about his own interests but also of the people he is leading. The teaching of Dalai Lama not only implies to our daily lives but also to the business activities. His teaching state that it is important to make the people you are leading agree to a single term and in an organization cross-department and companywide brain storming session is considered to be the ways of ensuring that all the employees agree to and understand the direction that the leader is taking the organization to (Dalai Lama). Dalai Lama states that the negative cerebral activity can be controlled by training your mind or by meditating. He also emphasizes that a leader must start his morning by increasing the quality of his thoughts and decreasing the irrational impulses. Dalai Lama as a leader knows how to control his anger, impatience, frustration, jealousy, etc. that begins to influence his mind and thoughts in any situation. Controlling these emotions is necessary as such negative emotions not only lead an individual towards wrong decisions but also waste the energy of their mind. He also inspires the leaders to adopt some simple meditation techniques such as relaxing muscles, taking a deep breathes and dealing with negative emotions at the time of distress. Dalai Lama does not only possess all these leadership qualities, but he also lets others know about them, so that more people can benefit out of them. All these discussed factors not only contribute in making him a good leader but also contribute towards his fame in China as well as in Tibet (Cannon). Dalai Lama’s reputation affected by West The Western countries are all in the continent of Europe, North and South American and even Australia. Together this area makes up quite a large population. The reputation of Dalai Lama is most affected by the West, as what happens in the Western countries is being broadcasted almost everywhere in the world, whereas the local issues of the Eastern regions may not be given that important. The Western countries influence the views and perception of a number of people irrespective of the fact that where there location is. This is the reason why the image of the Dalai Lama is so much affected by the West. America is considered to be the super power in today’s world. Therefore it is important for Dalai Lama to build strong relations with the country or at least try not to do anything that will that will affect its image in the eyes of the Western countries (FlorCruz). Reputation of Dalai Lama- Myth or Reality There is no doubt about the fact that myth and reality can co-exist in the process of reputation construction. On one hand Dalai Lama is considered to be a political and spiritual leader by the Tibetans, whereas on the other hand the Chinese consider him a person who is conspiring to destroy their sovereignty. It is not a big deal for a person to have different reputation in the minds of different people. For example the leader demanding freedom from the government is considered to be a traitor in their eyes, whereas on eth other hand he is considered to be a hero in the mind of his people. Therefore it is no big deal for the leaders, as well as for the people to maintain a reputation which is merely a myth. Reflection of the Paper The paper presents the information about the reputation of Dalai Lama in Tibet, China and in Western countries. It is certain that the reputation of Dalai Lama is not the same in every country. The Tibetans consider Dalai Lama there spiritual as well as their political leader. They believe in the teachings of Dalai Lama and consider his words as commandments. However on the other side the reputation of Dalai Lama in China is not as same as in Tibet, as they consider the Dalai Lama as a wolf dressed in the clothing of monk who is on the mission of destroying the sovereignty of the country by demanding to make Tibet a separate autonomous state. However Dalai Lama does not agrees with the Chinese view but argues that he is not asking for independence but his mission is to achieve an autonomous state for the Tibetans. Work Cited Cannon, Drew. Leadership Lessons from the Dalai Lama. 2013. 12 November 2014 . Dalai Lama. 2014. 11 November 2014 . FlorCruz, Jaime. Analysis: Why the Dalai Lama angers China. 2010. 12 November 2014 . Rohrer, Ffinlo. Why does the West love the Dalai Lama? 2014. 11 November 2014 . Read More