Dalai Lama to quit role as head of the exiled Tibetan government

The Dalai Lama, 75, has stated he is seeking to quit his role as ceremonial leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile. This was reported by one of the Dalai Lama's aides on Tuesday. It is being speculated that this represents another step in the process of the aging Dalai Lama in passing the torch of succession.

As the leader of the dominant Gelug arm of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is the top religious leader in Tibet. However, many of the Dalai Lama's predecessors also served as Tibet's ruler. This Dalai Lama was ruler of the country when Chinese troops forced him into fleeing to India in 1950.

The New York Theological Seminary is an institution dedicated to religious tolerance, multiculturalism, diversity and social justice. The mission of the seminary is to prepare men and women, from every background, for careers in ministry.

14th Dalai Lama recently celebrated 75th birthday

Last week, on July 6th, the 75th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was celebrated worldwide by the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhists, but His Holiness has made his impact felt globally insofar as preaching messages of peace and religious tolerance to many nations.

The current Dalai Lama was recognized as a future Dalai Lama in 1937, but has officially reigned from 1950 up to now. He succeeded the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubtan Gyatso, who reigned from 1879-1933.

The first Dalai Lama was named in 1578 by the Mongoil ruler Atlan Khan, who bestowed the title upon Sonam Gyatso.

NYTS VP of Institutional Advancement Peter Zehren had an opportunity recently to be blessed by the Dalai Lama at Riverside Church.

The New York Theological Seminary has remained committed to interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance. For more information, go to the seminary's website.

Dalai Lama's next East Coast visit will be to Emory

For those interested in the Dalai Lama's next visit to the Eastern U.S., he will be taking part in a "short teaching" on The Nature and Practice of Compassion at Emory University, in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 17th.

The Dalai Lama will subsequently be taking part in the Pursuit of Happiness Conference at Emory, also on the 17th, as well as a panel discussion at the university on October 19th.

For more information, Emory has a special web page dedicated to the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit.

The Dalai Lama, Hands of Peace

By Peter Zehren

I was honored to be in the receiving line when the Dalai Lama came to Riverside Church. Riverside and New York Theological Seminary have has a long relationship and it was extraordinary to feel the presences of peace as his hand blessed me.

Speaking mostly to the Tibetans in the New York Metro area, the Dalai Lama made a plea to heal dishonesty and take personal responsibility. As a people, “it is our responsibility to help.” He asked for understanding and patience with the Chinese government, with being kept out of Tibet, and with continuing to stand up for justice by the way we lead our lives.

“Dialogue,” he said, “is the critical function and only solution” to the political troubles in Tibet. I found that most poignant as my own person reflections have taken me through an exploration of Daniel Yankelovich’s book, The Magic of Dialogue: Transforming Conflict Into Cooperation. Yankelovich outlines dialogue as a method of communicating where both sides honor the other, where opinions and concepts are melded together, combining all aspects of conversation. In the colloquial, it’s a “both and.”

The thrust of what was said centered around being a good person. An appeal was made to teach “Tibetan ways” to the next generation with an admonition that “our survival as Tibetans depends on it.” Then, honoring the greater good, the Dalai Lama added, “Please keep doing well. Always do the best you can. Do the right thing and remember, this must be taught to the community.



Peter Zehren is Vice President for Development and Institutional Advancement at New York Theological Seminary.