Can anyone enlighten me about the Dalai Lama. Is he really a god-king of Tibet? Who chooses the Dalai Lama? Does he really remember previous incarnations? How many lama’s are there in Tibet? Are there non-Tibetan lama’s? How does the Karmapa Lama and Panchen Lama fit into all of this? Why do godless communists of China think they are qualified to select lama’s? Will Bill Murray reach “total conciousness” on his deathbed for appearing in the movie Caddyshack?
Try ‘The government in exile : Tibet’ for many answers to your questions.
Lamaism is also practiced in Mongolia. It was taken there from Tibet in the 16th century.
Work is the curse of the drinking classes. (Oscar Wilde)
You might enjoy the 1997 film Kundun. It is the story of the current Dalai Lama, and it seems to be regarded as pretty accurate.
I will attempt to answer some of your questions with the little knowledge I have.
Tibet, before the Chinese invasion of 1950, was a feudal theocracy. (You probably already know that the Dalai Lama, and many prominent Tibetans, fled the country in 1959 to set up a government in exile in India.) The political leaders of the country were also the religions leaders, i.e. buddhist priests (lamas). Some of the priests are recognized as reincarnated lamas, or tulkus. Typically tulkus hold a high position in Tibetan society, with the Dalai lama being the head of government. The Panchen Lama is another reincarnated lama, traditionally second in importance in religious authority. I’m not that familiar with the Karmapa Lama, but I believe that he is also a tulku.
Tulkus are recognized by search committees. For example, after the Dalai lama dies, a search committe of lamas will travel the countryside looking for a child that is his reincarnation. There might be several children that are possible reincarnations of the Dalai lama, and a decision will have to be made as to which is the right one. Some criteria might be, does the child seem to recognize people or remember events from the life of the previous Dalai lama.
Chinese communists are interested in selecting tulkus because, since Tibet is traditionally a theocracy, the religious leader and the political leader are the same. One example of this conflict between the Tibetan government in exile and the Chinese government is the choice of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. In 1995, six years after the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, the Dalai Lama announced that the search for his reincarnation was complete, and that six-year old Gendun Choekyi Nyima was the 11th Panchen Lama. The leader of the search committee (who, remember, is still in Tibet) was detained by chinese officials under suspicion of having communicated with the Dalai Lama in the matter of the selection. The boy seems to have disappeared since, and some people suspect that he is incarcerated in China. In the meantime, other monks have selected another candidate as the 11th Panchen Lama, and this candidate has the approval of the chinese government.
(You can read an Amnesty International letter-writing action on the Panchen Lama at this link.)
Another country, besides Mongolia, in which buddhist priests have traditionally been involved in government would be the kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan is not a theocracy, but the state Buddhist monastic order is also involved in government at many levels.
As far as Bill Murry goes, becoming a living Buddha requires total detachment from things of the world, and I don’t believe his role in Caddyshack is sufficient in him attaining that status.
What if they pick him and he turns out to be Jewish or Moslem or Christian? Seriously?
My understanding is that the tulkus are at a very advanced level of enlightenment (for example, the Dalai Lama is a bodhisattva or “buddha-to-be”, who only defers realization of Nirvana to work for the salvation of others), so after many lifetimes of following “the way” I doubt they would have much incentive to start a new path. I suppose it’s possible, but I’m not well-enough versed in buddhism to be able to answer that question.
The previous link by funneefarmer provides a lot of information- there’s one by the Panchen Lama on choosing the reincarnate.
And Martin Scorcese’s “Kundun” is a beautiful film translation of the Dalai Lama’s story, quite accurate.
To elaborate on Arnold’s informative post, and to add some useful definitions:
LAMA is the Tibetan term for spiritual teacher. DALAI is Mongolian for “ocean”. “Dalai Lama” roughly translates as “Ocean of Wisdom”. The Dalai Lama is viewed by Tibetans as the present incarnation of Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion. “Buddha” is not the equivalent of God. A Buddha is one who has reached enlightenment, and so there can be many sorts of Buddhas. It doesn’t imply a “Creator” hierarchy of Diety.
Many lamas are TULKUS, enlightened beings who choose to reincarnate in order to help others, but not all lamas are. Tulkus are really advanced teachers, who’ve decided that helping our poor yeeha selves is worth coming back for.
To help differentiate all the lamas now travelling proliferate in the West:
Tibetan Buddhism has four main sects; listing, in age, starting from the 11th century: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelugpa.
Like our more familiar Christian divisions, these are groups that have established interpretations of canon, and apart from conventional Christianity, specific methods in how to advance the capabilities of the human mind.
Since there are different branches of Buddhism in Tibet, there are different heads of these sects. The Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelugpa, the most scholarly of the sects. He is also the head of the Tibetan government. All branches also have their own heads, though. So, the Karmapa, head of the Kagyu sect, also has an important position. The current 17th Karmapa, in his teens, recently made an exodus from Tibet to India, becoming a political embarrassment to China.
The Panchen Lama, in relation to the Dalai Lama, is generally secondary, although the difference in age has lent itself to political complication. Historically, it’s been a tutor-pupil relationship, with one recognizing the reincarnate of the other, and helping in the training of the other. The current reincarnate of the Panchen Lama as recognized by the Dalai Lama spent much of his childhood as a political prisoner in China, and reportedly has died at 10 in a Chinese prison some months ago . The Chinese Government recognized a different child as the Panchen Lama.
As to how a reincarnate is officially recognized is pretty difficult to wrap the Western mind around. Those who are adept at recognizing such things have a well-evolved network of external significant factors, and sharply honed meditational practice to guide in the location of the sought after individual. I can’t pretend to understand it, but from what I’ve seen, it’s quite rational, if not on our Western terms. There are physical attributes, as well as remembrance of people and objects.
This system has it’s drawbacks as a method of government, however. Many of the Dalai Lamas- the current is the 14th- have suffered through the period in which a regent governed through their childhood. Many Dalai Lamas never survived to take power. In view of this, the current Dalai Lama , being a well-read modern guy, has taken steps to make the Tibetan Government(in exile) a democracy. His quote:“Tibetans should decide whether the institution of the Dalai Lama should continue or not.” A clause was added in the newly drafted constitution of 1961 that allowed for impeachment (of the Dalai Lama) by a 2/3 majority if deemed necessary. The Tibetan people found this hard to accept, but the Dalai Lama persuaded it to be enacted. I bring this up in order to show that the Dalai Lama is not trying to be a God-King. If anything, he is trying to use the position he’s found himself in, and make a more equitable place for Tibetans, and by constantly travelling, to make a better place for all.
To answer the OP, there are many Western, both American and European Buddhists who have undergone training, so are titled lamas. And a few Westerners are now recognized tulkus. This is well expected. Buddhism has always adapted to the parameters of neccesity. There’s a healthy debate in the Buddhist community as to how things are morphing in the West.
A great book on the recent travails of Tibetan culture: “Land of the Snows” by John Avedon
As to Bill Murray; I dunno bout Caddyshack, but he might get bonus points for The Razor’s Edge!