Synopses & Reviews
This exciting and often intense biography describes the Dalai Lama's rigorous education and his full assumption of power at the age of fifteen following the Chinese invasion in 1950. Though Tibetan tradition holds that the Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of his predecessors, one still marvels at the level of responsibility, maturity, and wisdom he possessed at a very young age. Through Claude B. Levenson's account of his youth, illuminated by photographs and many recollections of the Dalai Lama in his own words, we begin to understand how a lama from Tibet has become the worldwide spiritual leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Synopsis
This inspiring account of the Dalai Lamas youth chronicles the 14th Dalai Lamas life through the Chinese occupation of Tibet, his exile, and his ensuing flight over the Himalayas to India. Born to peasants in the southeast corner of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso was chosen to succeed the 13th Dalai Lama when he was only three years old, continuing the reincarnation of the line of Dalai Lamas that began in 1391. In keeping with tradition, he was removed from his family and taken to Lhasa, the capital and spiritual center of Tibet. Claude Levenson recounts the events of the first 24 years of this spiritual leaders life, concluding with the Dalai Lamas exile from Tibet.
About the Author
Formerly a resident of Paris, Claude B. Levenson now lives in Switzerland. She was a scholar of Slavic and Eastern languages, including Sanskrit, before becoming a freelance journalist, and translator. She is the author of a number of other books about Tibet.