Dalai Lama Captures America’s Attention, Admiration

c. 2005 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Sporting his signature red robe, large eyeglasses and playful smile, the Dalai Lama shuffled into a packed news conference to face a barrage of flashing cameras and questions. In broken but forceful English, the exiled spiritual and political leader of Tibet, now 70, had the rapt attention of […]

c. 2005 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Sporting his signature red robe, large eyeglasses and playful smile, the Dalai Lama shuffled into a packed news conference to face a barrage of flashing cameras and questions.

In broken but forceful English, the exiled spiritual and political leader of Tibet, now 70, had the rapt attention of journalists representing major news outlets that once ignored him, along with most Americans, and their government.


When asked about his increasing popularity in the U.S., the man who describes himself “as a simple Buddhist monk” chuckled.

“Of course, everywhere I’ve found many friends,” he said at the Tuesday (Nov. 8) news conference. “And on the street I may be passing through, people seem to realize my face.”

Long after his first, almost unnoticed, visit to the U.S. in 1987, the Dalai Lama appears to have captured the country’s attention and admiration.

His rise to the status of spiritual superpower and instantly recognized celebrity has resulted from an unfaltering, consistent message, says Sallie King, professor of religion and philosophy at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

“You have to keep saying the same thing over time to get people to notice,” King said. “And the Dalai Lama’s stuck with the same message no matter how difficult it was over these decades.”

The Dalai Lama, whose title literally means “ocean teacher” or one whose religion is as great as the ocean, has become a spiritual guide for people of all faiths.

Born Tenzin Gyatso in 1935, the Dalai Lama is the 14th head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people in an unbroken chain dating to 1391. After China annexed Tibet in 1959, he fled to India and began traveling the world to gain support for Tibetan autonomy _ a mission he continues to this day.


Noting that there has been some progress in talks with China, the Dalai Lama said at the Washington news conference that things are still “very, very repressive” and Chinese officials show “no sign of improvement or some leniency inside Tibet.”

During a 10-day visit to Washington, the nation’s capital rolled out the red carpet. It hasn’t always been this way.

But as American policies shifted throughout the second half of the 20th century, so too did official American rhetoric regarding the Dalai Lama.

After President Nixon’s 1972 trip to China opened relations between the two nations, the United States dropped all discourse with the Dalai Lama, who is regarded by the Chinese government as a political refugee attempting to rally support for Tibetan independence. Subsequent presidents refused to meet with the Tibetan leader until 1991, when President George H. W. Bush invited dialogue.

Today, it is a forgone conclusion that the American president will meet with the Dalai Lama when he visits Washington, said John Ackerly, president of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet. The organization tries to advance the cause of Tibet and the Dalai Lama.

On Wednesday, the Dalai Lama sat down with President Bush for the third time since the president took office in 2000, with the Dalai Lama describing the visit as “a reunion of old friends.”


The Dalai Lama briefed Bush on his talks with the Chinese government, and urged the president to ask the Chinese for more substantive dialogue with the Tibetan spiritual leader. Bush is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao Nov. 19-21.

After the White House visit, the Dalai Lama and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met at the State Department to discuss similar objectives.

While the United States officially supports a “One China” policy, the Bush Administration named China a serious violator of religious freedoms in a report to Congress on Tuesday (Nov. 8). The 2005 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom condemned Chinese policies that forcibly suppress Tibetan religious practices, including “such religious activities as venerating the Dalai Lama.”

“Most importantly,” Ackerly said, “the secretary of state and president are speaking out more seriously and that makes it easier for heads of state all over the world to do the same.”

Such closed-door meetings may be off-limits to much of the nation, but “His Holiness” has captured America’s attention in other ways, Ackerly said.

“The Dalai Lama’s support in the United States is certainly widespread compared to 15 or 20 years ago,” he said, noting the Dalai Lama’s bestselling books, including the newly released “The Universe in a Single Atom” and the 1997 film “Seven Years in Tibet” helped popularize him in popular culture.


“I think the American people appreciate an affirmation of fundamental human values,” said Mary Beth Markey, executive director of the International Campaign for Tibet. “I think he has a larger audience all the time.”

MO/JL END RNS

Editors: To obtain file photos of the Dalai Lama, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject.

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!