Dalai Lama:
Spiritual Leader of Tibet

In 1936 Buddhist monks searched Tibet for the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama-the living embodiment of the deity of compassion. They discovered the Dalai Lama in the person of a two-year-old farm boy. The boy was brought to the capital city of Lhasa, where he was raised among monks to be the religious and governmental leader of his country. But in 1950, when the Dalai Lama was only 15 years old, the Chinese Communists invaded his country. Nine years later, he was forced to escape into exile.

Whitney Stewart recounts the Dalai Lama's fascinating story-his isolated childhood in a palace, his teenage years negotiating with China's Chairman Mao, his flight into India, and his life in exile. For his tireless efforts in promoting nonviolence and human rights, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1989. He is a spiritual leader known and loved around the world.

Related Topics

To The Lion Throne -
Whitney's out of print biography for third and fourth graders. Look for it here.

International Campaign For Tibet: http://www.savetibet.org
Excellent website providing current news and history about Tibet and the situation of the exile community and opportunities for people to get involved in the movement to help the Tibetans.

Lucid Cafe's Site on the 14th Dalai Lama:  http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jul/dalailama.html#elated

A website giving a brief history of the 14th Dalai Lama, linked to other pages about him, as well as an excellent bibliography.

Tibet House:  http://www.tibethouse.org

A New York based organization dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture.  This site has a list of libraries, educational organizations and museums that specialize in Tibet, and current news articles about the region.

Tibet Information Network: http://www.tibetinfo.net
An independent news and research service reporting on a wide variety of Tibetan issues, including culture, economy, education, environment, prisoners, and religion.  They have a free subscription service.

Tibet Online:  http://www.tibet.org
Provides excellent information on the plight of Tibet and serves as a virtual community space for the movement.  Includes an extensive list of websites on Tibet and thorough information on Tibetan culture and environment.

Tibet Fund:  http://www.tibetfund.org/
A major fundraising organization for Tibetans.  It assists the social and economic advancement of the Tibetans, both in and outside Tibet, through programs in health, education, and economic and community development

The Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism: http://www.drikung.org/index.html
Includes some lovely pictures of Tibet and a list of Tibetan centers worldwide.