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Who Was . . . ? Series
Who Is the Dalai Lama?
Get to know the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and one of the most popular world leaders today.
Two-year-old Lhamo Thondup never imagined he would be anything other than an ordinary child, but after undergoing a series of tests, he was proclaimed the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. By age 15, he found himself the undisputed leader of six million people who were facing the threat of a full-scale war from the Chinese. After the defeat of the Tibetan national uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet and went into exile in India. For nearly 50 years, he has aimed to establish Tibet as a self-governing, democratic state. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts for the liberation of Tibet and his concern for global environmental problems. As the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama continues to spend his life working to benefit humanity and preserving Tibetan culture.
Two-year-old Lhamo Thondup never imagined he would be anything other than an ordinary child, but after undergoing a series of tests, he was proclaimed the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. By age 15, he found himself the undisputed leader of six million people who were facing the threat of a full-scale war from the Chinese. After the defeat of the Tibetan national uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet and went into exile in India. For nearly 50 years, he has aimed to establish Tibet as a self-governing, democratic state. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts for the liberation of Tibet and his concern for global environmental problems. As the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama continues to spend his life working to benefit humanity and preserving Tibetan culture.
112 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2018
44 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Dana Meachen Rau
485 books30 followersDana Meachen Rau is an author, editor, and illustrator of children's books. She has written more than 100 books for children, many of them nonfiction in subjects including astronomy, history, and geography, as well as numerous biographies. She lives in Burlington, Connecticut, with her husband and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 19, 2024
Who Is ...? biography series for middle grade brings the incredible spiritual figure of Dalai Lama.
Dalai Lama is considered to be the political and religious leader of Tibet.
Siddhartha Gautama was a prince who founded Buddhism sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BC in northern India. He gave up a royal life to search for enlightenment. He taught others how to find peace within themselves. After he died, his followers continued to practice his lessons. The first Dalai Lama was Gendun Druppa.
Lhamo Tsering was born on July 6, 1935 in Tibet. His father was often angry and harsh with his children. On the other hand, his mother was gentle and kind.
In December 1933, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama had died. So Tibet had been without a leader for two years. The search to find the next Dalai Lama has continued. The monks and government members looked for signs to guide them to the right person.
The first sign was to head northeast. The following signs took them to Lhamo’s family. The boy was presented with some items and he picked up only those that belonged to the last Dalai Lama. Thus, he was chosen as the next Tibetan leader.
When he was four, he was taken with his family to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. He lived in the Potala Palace, which stood high on a hill overlooking Lhasa.
At six, he began his training as a Buddhist monk.
At fifteen, he was forced to become a leader as Communist China invaded Tibet in 1950 and wanted to rule it.
Communist Chinese tried to eradicate the Tibetan culture, language, and religion. When things got violent Lhamo left Tibet for India. In March 1959 he arrived with about 350 Tibetan refugees in India where they were welcomed to stay.
He asked the United Nations for help to protect Tibetans from China. With time, more Tibetans escaped to India where he set up a government-in-exile.
Throughout his life he looked for peaceful solutions, advocating for respect for one another’s beliefs and traditions and work together peacefully. He continued to travel to Europe, US and Canada and spreading the message of peace and compassion.
He wrote over 100 books, won many awards from more than 30 countries. His message continues to be to look inward to find happiness and look outward to help others throughout the world.
In 2011, the Dalai Lama stepped down as the political leader of Tibet, ending 350-year old tradition. He continues to be the spiritual leader.
The story of this incredible spiritual figure shines with the dimensions of kindness, compassion, understanding, forgiving, and peaceful coexistence for which he’s been advocating his whole life.
This illustrated biography series for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences and enriched with insightful inserts.
TRENDING INSPIRATION: Stand Up for Humanity Right
https://biopurposeland.blogspot.com/
Dalai Lama is considered to be the political and religious leader of Tibet.
Siddhartha Gautama was a prince who founded Buddhism sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BC in northern India. He gave up a royal life to search for enlightenment. He taught others how to find peace within themselves. After he died, his followers continued to practice his lessons. The first Dalai Lama was Gendun Druppa.
Lhamo Tsering was born on July 6, 1935 in Tibet. His father was often angry and harsh with his children. On the other hand, his mother was gentle and kind.
In December 1933, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama had died. So Tibet had been without a leader for two years. The search to find the next Dalai Lama has continued. The monks and government members looked for signs to guide them to the right person.
The first sign was to head northeast. The following signs took them to Lhamo’s family. The boy was presented with some items and he picked up only those that belonged to the last Dalai Lama. Thus, he was chosen as the next Tibetan leader.
When he was four, he was taken with his family to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. He lived in the Potala Palace, which stood high on a hill overlooking Lhasa.
At six, he began his training as a Buddhist monk.
At fifteen, he was forced to become a leader as Communist China invaded Tibet in 1950 and wanted to rule it.
Communist Chinese tried to eradicate the Tibetan culture, language, and religion. When things got violent Lhamo left Tibet for India. In March 1959 he arrived with about 350 Tibetan refugees in India where they were welcomed to stay.
He asked the United Nations for help to protect Tibetans from China. With time, more Tibetans escaped to India where he set up a government-in-exile.
Throughout his life he looked for peaceful solutions, advocating for respect for one another’s beliefs and traditions and work together peacefully. He continued to travel to Europe, US and Canada and spreading the message of peace and compassion.
He wrote over 100 books, won many awards from more than 30 countries. His message continues to be to look inward to find happiness and look outward to help others throughout the world.
In 2011, the Dalai Lama stepped down as the political leader of Tibet, ending 350-year old tradition. He continues to be the spiritual leader.
The story of this incredible spiritual figure shines with the dimensions of kindness, compassion, understanding, forgiving, and peaceful coexistence for which he’s been advocating his whole life.
This illustrated biography series for young readers, ages 8-12, is presented in a relatable way, with simple sentences and enriched with insightful inserts.
TRENDING INSPIRATION: Stand Up for Humanity Right
https://biopurposeland.blogspot.com/
April 8, 2018
4.0
This book is a great introduction to one of the world's most interesting and beloved figures. It does a nice job outlining the basics of the Dalai Lama's journey, although I wish there was a little more detail in areas. Obviously it is hard to make a book this short, and intended for a younger audience, do service to a figure of such grace, majesty and humility. The story of the Dali Lama, and Tibet is one that I worry one day will slowly fade away. The longer China controls the region the more I worry a people and their culture will be forgotten. I hope a book like this in some small way prevents that from happening.
This book is a great introduction to one of the world's most interesting and beloved figures. It does a nice job outlining the basics of the Dalai Lama's journey, although I wish there was a little more detail in areas. Obviously it is hard to make a book this short, and intended for a younger audience, do service to a figure of such grace, majesty and humility. The story of the Dali Lama, and Tibet is one that I worry one day will slowly fade away. The longer China controls the region the more I worry a people and their culture will be forgotten. I hope a book like this in some small way prevents that from happening.
April 28, 2018
This is a brief but thorough description of the life of a fascinating person, the Dalai Lama. Born in 1935, Lhamo Thondup’s life changed dramatically when, at age two, he was identified as the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. His early life, education, and his dramatic flight from Tibet during its takeover by Communist China are described, as well as the complicated political situation in which he has lived since then. As with the others in the series, the text is easily understood. Terms necessary to follow the narrative, such as Buddhism, Communism, and Nobel Prize are given full page treatment. Plentiful black and white drawings throughout the book clarify the text. There seemed to be even more illustrations than usual in the series which could prove helpful to readers trying to understand a life so different from their own. End pages include timelines as well as a Bibliography.
January 5, 2023
Imagin that you have just turned four years old and are living in a small village, all of the sudden you see this group of people coming towards your house to stay a couple of days. They give you a bunch of items that look familiar even though you have never seen them before today. Two years later that same group along with some other people and various dignitaries arrive with a special vehicle that takes you from your family to a house on a hill. This is what happened to the Dalai Lama. By age fifteen he had to make a very important decision if he, as leader of his country, would declare war against China or to remain a peaceful nation and submit to them taking over his people's lands. This book explores his life up to 2021. To find out more, you will need to explore more books.
May 22, 2021
This book was a good informational book about the Dalai Lama and his life. This book doesn't go that in detail about the events in his life but does go through the events in his life that mattered and also gives background information. It is a good book that gives a lot of general knowledge about the Dalai Lama. I recommend if anyone wants to quickly learn about the Dalai Lama but there are better books that are longer and go more in detail if you want.
July 25, 2019
This was a wonderful book about the Dalai Lama from birth to current. It shed light on his being discovered at age two to be the reincarnated Dalai Lama and at age four moving to the palace to learn how to become who he is meant to be. It's also a good education on the struggles of Tibet and how China has basically tried to wipe out the Tibetan way of life, religion, and customs.
November 19, 2021
I read this for the 2021 Read Harder Challenge task to read a book by/about a non-Western world leader. I found this at the local branch of the library, and am glad I read it. I didn't actually know much about the Dalai Lama, so this was a good introductory read for me (and I was running out of time to read an adult length/density book anyway)!
March 31, 2023
I borrowed this book for my daughter but she did not show much interest. Instead, I gave it a try since it was a quick read and surprisingly enjoyed it a lot. It served as a good guidance to grasp my interest on finding more about Dalai Lama, whom I embarrassingly admitted that I have never heard of.
April 23, 2018
This wonderful biography tells the history of this holy man...how he came to be chosen as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the troubles of his country, and how he fought for his people. It is a simplified version of his life, but it is great in detail also.
August 3, 2024
As with other books in this series, this one is filled with lots of background, well illustrated, and a great overview. I now understand what the job of the Dalai Lama is and why his leadership has been so important
April 28, 2025
it was very good because he showed peacefulness and compassion to everybody and everyone. he is a good man and person.long live the Adlai lama.
Dalai Lama is a good person. I love his work.he is so compassionate that’ll like him forever and ever and ever.
Dalai Lama is a good person. I love his work.he is so compassionate that’ll like him forever and ever and ever.
July 11, 2018
Got it for the kids—couldn’t put it down. I hope they read it!
December 29, 2018
I honestly knew very, very little about the Dalai Lama and this book was about the right amount of information for me to get an overview.
Read
January 6, 2020Good book great for readers about true people
February 23, 2021
So very interesting
February 28, 2021
I’m reading books from this series for a project I’m working on with a local elementary school. These are great nonfiction for grades 3-6.
March 27, 2021
A clear, fascinating introduction to the extraordinary life and influence of the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
February 6, 2022
A short but thorough and interesting bio of the Dalai Lama, especially as I didn't really know much about him!
November 22, 2024
I love this series.
This short biography offers a summary of the Dalai Lama's life, as well as Tibetan history.
I didn't feel that this one captured the subject's personal character quite as much as I would've liked, but it was appropriately informative nonetheless. A worthy read for all ages about a remarkable human.
This short biography offers a summary of the Dalai Lama's life, as well as Tibetan history.
I didn't feel that this one captured the subject's personal character quite as much as I would've liked, but it was appropriately informative nonetheless. A worthy read for all ages about a remarkable human.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews