I'm not a religious man but I find the 14th Dalai Lama to be one of the most inspirational people of all time and I've thought this for a number of years. Recently, with all of the news about China hosting the Olympics the world has been paying closer attention to the plight of Tibet as well as the awful human rights violations perpetrated by the Communist Chinese government. First off, I don't want anyone to think I have anything against Chinese people. I think that their culture is one of the most beautiful in the world. I along with millions of people have issues with the government of China itself, which leads back to Tibet. China invaded Tibet in 1959 and the Dalai Lama was forced to go into exile in India and has been in exile for 49 years while continuing to be the spiritual leader of his people, striving for a peaceful resolution to China's occupation of Tibet.

There have been protests (mostly peaceful) throughout the decades but the recent ones have turned very violent with many deaths as the Chinese government tries to quell the uprisings with force so their hosting of the Olympics can go off without incident. All of this is brought before the world to see thanks to the media machine of the 21st century. China can hope all they want that the world will view them favorably but arguably, the truth of it all is on your tv, in your magazines and newspapers and on the internet. The Dalai Lama has recently said, "the world community has a real responsibility to bring China into the mainstream." He added, "the whole world stands to gain from a peaceful and unified China, not least the 6 million Tibetans in China and Chinese-occupied Tibet." The Dalai Lama is firm on his view that violence can never ultimately solve a problem, as is the philosophy of all Buddhists. He has said, "genuine harmony must come from the heart. It cannot come from the barrel of a gun." He has recently stated that if the bloodshed gets out of control that he will step down as a political leader. A symbolic act as he will still be the actual leader of the Tibetan people and the democracy that he has set up in exile has already elected a Prime Minister. In China, Tibetans can face years of imprisonment just for having a picture of the Dalai Lama. Some Tibetans have been gunned down while traveling across the mountains to visit family in exile.

The Dalai Lama is currently the longest ruler in history, having led his people for 68 years. That is longer than Queen Elizabeth II and Fidel Castro. He was 4 years old when he came to the throne after being recognized by his fellow Tibetans that he was the 14th Dalai Lama, the mortal incarnation of the Buddha of compassion. He was 11 when fighting with the Chinese erupted around him in Lhasa and at 15 he was the full time political leader of his people. At 23 he fled Tibet to prevent further violence with China and worked hard to preserve the culture of his people while in exile. He strives for peace but he is a realist. He is also a bit of a controversial figure from a strictly religious standpoint. He has stressed that the Buddha's own words should be thrown out in they are shown by science to be flawed. He tells people not to become unneccessarily confused or distracted by religion. He has said, "even without religion, we can become a good human being." He has also suggested that the old Tibet may have contributed to the country's current state.

The Dalai Lama has asserted that we live in a new reality where the concept of "we" and "they" is gone. We have to think as a global community for the benefit of all humanity. The central principle of Buddhism is interdependence -- that all beings are linked in a network. He has said that, "destruction of your enemy is destruction of yourself." Another idea of Buddhism is that we can change our world by changing how we choose to look at the world. Exile to most people would mean loss but the Dalai Lama looks at his exile as an opportunity. He drew up a new democratic constitution for Tibet (which included the possibility of impeachment of the Dalai Lama and more rights for women). He threw out outdated or needlessly ritualistic principles or procedures.

The Dalai Lama has not requested independence from China for over 20 years --he asks only for autonomy. China could control Tibet's defense and foreign affairs as long as Tibetans have control over everything else. He is 72 years old and although he is healthy, he will likely die before the issue with China is resolved. The belief is that when he does pass that if the political climate is unchanged, the 15th Dalai Lama will be selected by the Chinese and will be a puppet of that government and not the true Dalai Lama. 

This man and his people are an inspiration to me. While I will likely never call myself a Buddhist I do consider the Dalai Lama the closest thing I could have as a spiritual leader. Buddhism is more to me a science of the mind than a religion. The teachings of the Dalai Lama are a way I want to live my life. I might fall off the path of enlightenment from time to time but I sure will try to get my butt back on it when I do.