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Allison Vaughan Prof Presnell English 1103 18 November 2012 Como Se Lama?

My Messy thought process for this paper Okay, so bear with me on this, I have a very messy but somewhat understandable thought process. I am going to tell you exactly how I came to write about this very interesting and unusual topic, because I find it comical. In all honesty, my first thought for this paper had nothing to do on the Dalai Lama. I initially wanted to write about the Mandala Sand art done by Monks in Monasteries in the high hills of Tibet. Ive always been fascinated with different mediums of art but while trying to brainstorm on how I was going to write about sand art and make it interesting my mind started to wander like it often does. I started thinking about how I want to travel to the Himalayan Mountains and take a tour up to see the monasteries with the guide of a Sherpa and how awesomely beautiful that would be. In addition, seeing that I like to explore things that are miles and miles away from the thinking box, my mind took the idea and practically ran away with the thought of monasteries and monks. Then BAM, Wha-La! I thought of the Dalai Lama, because he lives in a monastery and hes the highest of Monks in the Buddhist religion and culture. Now, that Im running with this idea of the Dalai Lama, I cant help but to think about reincarnation and how the Dalai Lama is continually reincarnated after

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the physical body of the Dalai Lama passes on. Luck would have it; this is how my topic came to be. How exactly do monks find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama once he has passed away? Are you still hanging on with me? Yes? Good! Well, here we go!

Going in blind, where do I even start? Now, that my curiosity had been sparked by this notion of reincarnation and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, I came to the realization that I know absolutely nothing about the subject. I only had very stereotypical views and preconceptions of Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. I guess when we were told pick something that you know nothing about, I took it quite literally. Frankly before the paper all I could tell you about this topic is that, the Dalai Lama is a little and wise old man who wears tiny circular glasses, yellow and red robes, and spends his days meditating in the Buddhist temple locked away in the mountains in Tibet. In revelation of this, my mind started asking a million and seven questions on where do I even begin? Do I start with something broad and general like a general search in Google on the Dalai Lama or do I try to search the Process of Reincarnation used by the Monks to find the Dalai Lama? After exhausting each and every search I could think of, I found myself with a general understanding of Buddhism, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government, but nothing what so ever on the process of reincarnation. This is where Im slowly starting to regret my odd choice of a topic, but Im still determined to search and search even if it means uprooting and moving to Tibet to learn firsthand. Ha, Im just kidding that would be a tad bit drastic. It wasnt until I discovered a page by the BBC on the Dalai Lama and process of reincarnation that was buried beneath pages of Google searches and a journal Entry that talked specifically on

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reincarnation in children that I found what I was looking for. SUCCESS! Now, I think Ive explained enough to actually start telling you about what Ive found!

Buddhism To be honest, I always thought of the religion of Buddhism as being the religion of India with the large gold Buddha statues and where people meditate for hours on end and hope to be reincarnated in their next life. This is true to some point. According to the BBC (British Broadcasting Company that covers world news), which has been running since their establishment in 1922, Buddhism is defined in simple terms. Buddhism centers on spiritual enlightenment and the whole understanding of life. Buddhists try to comprehend the nature of life all while trying to find a deeper sense of peace and tranquility. Ways to this state of tranquility and peace include meditation, morality, and wisdom. In Buddhism there are four key ideas or truths that the religion centers on, they include the belief of suffering, the origin of suffering, the origin of a stop to suffering, and the way to cease suffering. Where these truths fit in with the idea of reincarnation is that you will continually be reincarnated until you stop the cycle of suffering and move on to a state of peace and spiritual happiness, or nirvana. Now in this point of my research, Im finding the topic of reincarnation much more appealing and I want to know more and more about Buddhism and reincarnation especially when it comes to monks and more importantly the Dalai Lama.

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Reincarnation, Dalai Lama, the Institution of the Dalai Lama, and everything in between Akhil Gupta, the Author of Reliving Childhood? The temporality of Childhood and the Narratives of Reincarnation, who is published in Ethnos Anthropology Journal and also works at UCLA Department of Anthropology has helped my research greatly because this is where I found most of my information that gave me such a big insight for all of my question. Now before I found the Anthropology Journal articles, my mind was literately running in frantic circles. I kept rethinking my decision of this topic and often thought of changing it to something a bit more main stream and easier, but nevertheless I stuck with it and thats how I actually discovered the article! Of course, it was hours and hours later after searching through a bazillion different databases and Google searches. My basic definition of reincarnation through Guptas article is that reincarnation is the unrelenting cycle of rebirth that souls go through. It is not only confined to people but also animals can experience reincarnation. A soul who wishes to be reborn repeatedly is called, tulku. The whole reason that Buddhists go through reincarnation is to relieve themselves from the pattern of suffering, or in the Dalai Lamas case to achieve peace and enlighten others. Now who is the Dalai Lama? Hes not just a man who wears robes and tiny little glasses! Gupta didnt give me much to work from in figuring exactly who the he is so I had to turn to the BBC. I found out that the term Dalai Lama, meaning Ocean of Wisdom, is actually a very recent term, being that there have only been 14 Dalai Lamas and the first two were given the title after their passings. The Dalai Lama, in the a physical sense, is the highest of monks in Tibetan Buddhism. He is the spiritual and Political Leader of Tibet. The Dalai Lama is part of a

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tradition called Gelugpa, which is part of Tibetan Buddhism and is the biggest and most prominent practice in Tibet. Now we know that the Dalai Lamas purpose in life is to teach others and strive for peace, but what happens when he dies? What happens through reincarnation? I had a very simple view of reincarnation at the beginning of this paper, but now what? Obviously, Monks have continued the institution of the Dalai Lama, but how?

Whats the Process? STEP ONE! Before the Dalai Lama dies, he usually will go to Oracle Lake, or Lhamo Latso Lake, which is a sacred lake used by the Dalai Lama and Monks to come to terms with death and come to a sort of understanding with reincarnation. However, what exactly is the meaning of death? I mean, we all know its when our hearts cease beating and we move onto the next world or place depending on our own religious beliefs, but how would you really define it? Tanya Maria Zivkovic, the Author of The Biographical Process of a Tibetan Lama published in Ethnos Anthropology Journal and has ties to the University of Adelaide in Australia, explains death as an unsurpassable and universal termination of out bodily existence and death reflects a belief that when a person dies we are no longer able to have an embodied engagement with them. STEP TWO! With information found through the Tibetan Review News Article, I found after some time has been spent at Lhamo Latso Lake, His Holiness will sometimes write down instructions on how to find his reincarnation. This is especially true currently because of all the

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events dealing with Tibet and the Chinese Government that is happening today. The laying out of instruction is also true in general cases of reincarnation, people will usually tell loved ones that they will be reincarnated and exactly where to find them, or their soul will appear in a dream of a loved one and tell them where to be found according to Gupta. Gupta then specifies that announcing someones return is quite common in cultures that believe in reincarnation in the eastern part of the world. Its interesting to think about this, because I know with our western culture ideas, it would seem odd for someone to randomly tell another where they will be after they die, but in the east with reincarnation its perfectly acceptable. With the information found in accordance to the BBC, a sign coming through a dream or meditation is one way that Monks use in order to find the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Monks will usually meditate until they receive some sort of message about a mark or specific location that will identify that reincarnated soul of the Dalai Lama. In the case of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, a vision was received by a monk depicted that they would find the reincarnation in a village with a three story, blue roofed monastery and that the boy lived in a small house with odd-looking gutters. If the Monks dont receive a message through meditation, they will turn to the smoke method. The BBC States that this is where Monks will take the ashes of the cremated Dalai Lama and release them over Lhamo Latso. This done in hopes of watching which way the ashes blow and from there that is the general direction that the reincarnation will be found. This is very interesting! Just think, if you wanted to find the reincarnation of anyone or anything you could simply watch which way their ashes go, of course this all depends on if you believe in the Buddhist religion.

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STEP THREE! After the Monks receive a sign, the search is on! Usually the monks will divide into different search parties in order to cover more ground at a faster rate, but keep in mind that the search could take up to 2 or 3 years and if youre the current Dalai Lama it may take as long as 4 years! Now, that we know how they start the process now what? I mean they cant just waltz in, with their hands in the air and exclaim to some random child, behold, the new Dalai Lama! What else is involved with the search process? Akhil Gupta says that when the monks start to search, they look for a boy who was born around the time of the death of the Dalai Lama using the signs and messages that the monks have previously received. The monks generally start out disguised as sheepherders while they search towns and villages and observe the young boys who live in them. In general cases of reincarnation, the children who are the souls of previous lives will remain aloof and tend to stay away from other children while they try and create their old lives before their death and rebirth. This is one way that Monks will start to make a list of possible candidates; they look for the children that remain separate from others. Monks will also look for other signs like distinguishing scars or birthmarks that were in the same area of where the Dalai Lama had the same markings. Once the monks have selected children, they are separated from others and asked a few questions to delve into their minds; the children will often know the monks by name or know specific answers to the questions. In the case of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, knew the monk asking questions personally by name while they were incognito. He also knew why the

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monks had come to his village and knew that he would eventually go back with them to the capital of Tibet. Gupta continues to explain that after the boys are thoroughly examined through questions, the monks will leave for a few days and come back to revisit the children while bringing a few possessions of the former Dalai Lama and a few that were not . From there the children will be told to choose items, and if they pick items owned that were by the Dalai Lama there is a good chance that they are in the reincarnation. In most cases, the children will look at the items and pick without hesitation, and claim that it is theirs. Tenzin Gyatso immediately recognized the objects that were his and even exclaimed this is mine! HOORAY! That was a long process! I definitely didnt think at the beginning of this paper, that this would have turned out to be such a grueling journey! Now that the monks have selected a boy who they believe to be the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the boy is generally taken back to the capital of Tibet where the head monastery is located. The BBC says after the adventure back to the capital is taken, the boy is immediately whisked away into a rigorous education system filled with philosophy and the teachings of Buddhism all while now holding the title of the Dalai Lama Can you believe this all? I know I couldnt when I first started researching; just the thought of the children who have never seen these monks before and actually knowing them by name and knowing the answers to each question is just baffling. Gupta even documents cases of children in the east who recall vivid memories of their past lives, and finding their former family members in crowds of people whom theyve never even met before. This notion of reincarnation

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is just astonishing. However, I still cannot manage to fully understand the deep meaning of this complex process and what its actually and truly means in relation to death and life.

Current Events with the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government Currently the Dalai Lama is in exile in India, he has stepped away from power, and the Chinese Government is now in control. With information found in the Tibetan Review article, The Chinese government is relentlessly trying to take over the process of reincarnation now that the Dalai Lama is no longer in power. However, the Dalai Lama says that his reincarnation will not be born into a state that is not free nor run by the Chinese Government and that only he will and should be able to find his reincarnation. He further explained that he would lay down rules and guidelines in order to find his reincarnation when the time comes for him to move onto the next life. This is of course, one of the many ways that Monks will use to find His reincarnation after he passes on!

What are my thoughts on this sticky situation regarding Reincarnation and the Chinese Government? Personally, Im not religious, and that is probably one of the various reasons I went into this paper unbiased and open to every concept that Ive learned about so far, but there are some things that I dont completely agree with the current events in Tibet. For one, I think since that the institution of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government should stay separate. The Dalai Lama should maintain sole power over his

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reincarnation details. I mean, it is his soul that they are going to be finding, I personally feel like I would be the only person who would truly know where you would be able to find my soul after I die. In addition, I feel like the Chinese Government would pick someone based on who they believe to be the reincarnation, but not actually be, and then where would the world be? The Dalai Lamas work for peace and enlightenment would have been for nothing if that happened.

What has this all come to? What have I concluded with my findings? With this paper, I thought Id find simple answers that didnt make me think too hard, but thats not the case. It was when we did the exercise in class with asking different questions when I really started to think about what I was writing about. I still have millions of questions and I havent answered everything I set out to find in my proposal for my research took me in a different direction than I thought possible. If you think about it, reincarnation is a cycle that will continue until you reach a cessation of suffering or if you are the Dalai Lama a state of peace. The only way to actually beat the cycle is to accomplish your life goal and from there you can finally be at peace. But since reincarnation is always going and obviously the Dalai Lama is still a part of it, will we ever achieve peace and enlightenment? I mean, that is his reason to continue being reincarnated. If he had accomplished this, he would have been released from the cycle and wouldnt have to be reincarnated over and over again, because hed be done. So what does that mean for peace? Is it real? Or is peace just an idea that we come up with to give ourselves something to cloud our mind with when we are so stressed it looks like well never see the light of day again?

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Another conclusion that I came to is that death is not an ending but a beginning. In cases of reincarnation, children remember their past lives, so what does that mean for us? Do we truly die, and cease to continue once our physical body comes to a halt? Or do we continue to live on, but are reincarnated into another being and stay on this earth? I suppose this only applies if you believe in Buddhism, but I thought that this was an interesting conclusion and thought it needed a deeper explanation since I find myself thinking about it.