Freedom In Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet

by Dalai Lama XIV

The autobiography of the Dalai Lama of Tibet, a fascinating insight into the mind of one of the greatest contemporary spiritual leaders

'An extraordinary story' Daily Mail

'Compelling, fascinating, eye-opening' Washington Post

'A vital historical witness, not only to inhumanity but to compassion' Los Angeles Times

'Forthright... often amusing' New York Times

In 1938 a two-year-old boy was recognised through a traditional process of discovery as being the reincarnation of all previous Dalai Lamas, the spiritual rulers of Tibet. Taken away from his parents, he was brought up in Lhasa according to a monastic regimen of rigorous austerity and in almost total isolation. Aged seven he was enthroned in the 1000-room Potala palace as the supreme spiritual leader of a nation the size of Western Europe, with population of six million. And at fifteen, he became head of state.

With Tibet under threat from the newly Communist Chinese, there followed a traumatic decade during which he became the confidant of both Chairman Mao and Jawaharal Nehru as he tried to maintain autonomy for his people. Then in 1959, he was finally forced into exile - followed by over 100,000 destitute refugees.

Here, in his own words, he describes what it was like to grow up revered as a deity among his people, reveals his innermost feelings about his role, and discusses the mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2023

About the author

Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub), the 14th Dalai Lama, is a practicing member of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism and is influential as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the world's most famous Buddhist monk, and the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India.

Tenzin Gyatso was the fifth of sixteen children born to a farming family. He was proclaimed the tulku (an Enlightened lama who has consciously decided to take rebirth) of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two.

On 17 November 1950, at the age of 15, he was enthroned as Tibet's ruler. Thus he became Tibet's most important political ruler just one month after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet on 7 October 1950. In 1954, he went to Beijing to attempt peace talks with Mao Zedong and other leaders of the PRC. These talks ultimately failed.

After a failed uprising and the collapse of the Tibetan resistance movement in 1959, the Dalai Lama left for India, where he was active in establishing the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan Government in Exile) and in seeking to preserve Tibetan culture and education among the thousands of refugees who accompanied him.

Tenzin Gyatso is a charismatic figure and noted public speaker. This Dalai Lama is the first to travel to the West. There, he has helped to spread Buddhism and to promote the concepts of universal responsibility, secular ethics, and religious harmony.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, honorary Canadian citizenship in 2006, and the United States Congressional Gold Medal on 17 October 2007.

Reviews

[Mark My Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this was an inspiring if somewhat difficult read for me. The words of the 14th Dalai Lama tell his early story and then the story of Tibet as it is "invaded" by China. The underlying theme, regardless of the atrocities inflicted on the Tibetan people, is one of hope. It is inspiring, if what sometimes difficult to fathom how someone can still look to a future where Tibet is returned to its people despite the overwhelming insidious control that is currently dictating life there. The disgusting loss of life and subjugation of monks and the Tibetan community is (almost) unbelievable but unfortunately true. I did some research into some of the events.
Two excerpts that are EXTREMELY powerful for me (please stop here if you are not prepared to read of some atrocity!) are
"Then the (Chinese) military opened fire, not indiscriminately this time. With precision they singled out and shot several protesters. There followed running battles which caused hundreds of Tibetan casualties. At around noon, police stormed the Jokhang (a Buddhist shrine) and murdered at least twelve monks. One they beat severely, before tearing both his eyes out and hurling him from the roof. Tibet's holiest shrine became like a butcher's shop."
Pretty powerful writing. Some of the Tibetan people still living in Tibetan later protested and attacked the police and security forces, which the Dalai Lama states: " This made me Very sad. It makes no sense whatever for Tibetans to resort to violence." He goes on to write: "It would be much more constructive if people tried to understand their supposed enemies. Learning to forgive is much more useful than merely picking up a stone and throwing it at the object of one's anger, the more so when the provocation is extreme. For it is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others." He is even critical of his own people's actions. He is diplomatic in the face of an event some people might think justifiable because he cares about all people equally.
What an inspirational thing to say, when over a million Tibetans have lost their lives directly or indirectly as a result of China's invasion of Tibet. China continues to assimilate and outnumber the Tibetan people with a massive influx of Chinese people. They have ravaged the delicate environmental landscape by clearing forests and using up resources and many indigenous animals are now lost or extremely vulnerable. They are using Tibet to manufacture nuclear weapons and dump not only their own nuclear waste but are accepting other countries nuclear waste to be dumped there also, for a fee, of course.
Please don't get me wrong, I don't hate China at all; I have many links to China and have visited the country several times. I love the culture and (most) of its history but in this day and age I hope that all countries should be able to coexist peacefully and without violence. I really don't understand mankind's inhumanity to mankind, if that makes sense.
The Dalai Lama, even today, is still hopeful of reconciliation and the restoring of Tibet to the Tibetan people.
This book is an amazing read but be prepared for the frustration of events portrayed. It is a real eye-opener of the recent story of Tibet and an absolute inspiration of the patience, compassion, wisdom, non-violent approach and above all the belief in hope, of, in my opinion, one of the most respected leaders we have.

[Luisa Fernanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. It explains the question of Tibet and the main pillars of Tibetan culture.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly interesting to read this while staying in Dharamshala (“Little Lhasa”) and combining the reading with visits to Tibetan history centers.
Such high regard for the Dalai Lama.