From conflict with China to Nobel Peace Prize: Journey of the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama was born Lhamo Thondup on July 6, 1935, in Taktser, Tibet to a peasant family.

Lhamo Thondup was the fifth of 16 children, seven of whom died at a young age.

At age 2, he was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso by the religious officials. 

Tenzin began his journey to becoming the Dalai Lama and began his religious education at the age of six.

His subjects included logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine and Buddhist philosophy, which is divided into five other categories dealing with the perfection of wisdom, monastic discipline, metaphysics, logic and epistemology, also known as the study of knowledge.

At 11, he met his tutor Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian mountaineer. Harrer taught him about the outside world. They remained friends until Harrer's death in 2006. 

In 1950, at the age of 15, Tenzin assumed full political power as the Dalai Lama.

But Dalai Lama's governorship was short lived till October of that year as the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet against little resistance.

In 1954, the Dalai Lama went to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders. However, in 1959, continued suppression of the Tibetan people by Chinese troops led to an uprising.

The Dalai Lama and his closest advisers believed the Chinese government was planning to assassinate him so he and several thousand followers fled to Dharamshala in northern India and established an alternative government there.

In 1963, Dalai Lama issued a draft constitution for Tibet containing several reforms to democratize the government. He called the Charter of Tibetans in Exile, it grants freedom of speech, belief, assembly, and movement. It also provides detailed guidelines for Tibetans living in exile.

In September 1987, the Dalai Lama proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first steps in a peaceful solution to reconcile with the Chinese government and end the volatile situation there.

The plan proposed that Tibet would become a sanctuary where enlightened people can exist in peace and the environment can be preserved.

On June 15, 1988, the Dalai Lama addressed members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. There he proposed talks between the Chinese and Tibetans that would lead to a self-governing democratic political entity for Tibet.

Dalai Lama has been known for his Humanitarian works and is a known public speakers. He has authored many books and has met with several heads of other religions, including Pope John Paul II; Dr. Robert Runcie, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Gordon B. Hinckley, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and Patriarch Alexius II, of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts for the liberation of Tibet and his concern for global environmental problems.

In December 2008, the Dalai Lama announced his semi-retirement after having gallstone surgery.

On March 10, 2011, on the 52nd anniversary of his exile from Tibet, the Dalai Lama announced that he would give up his role as Tibet's political leader.

He said the decision came from a long-held belief that the Tibetans needed a freely elected leader, however, spokeswoman from the Chinese foreign ministry called his resignation "a trick."