Dalai Lama's Freedom in Exile Essay

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Introduction

This is a review of Freedom in Exile, the fourteenth autobiography known as The Autobiography of Dalai Lama. The account of The Dalai Lama was published in 1991. It is an account of his life from the point when he was born in 1935 in a village called Takster Dokham, when he was recognized as the 14 Dalai Lama at a tender age of two, movement to Central Tibet, the occupation of the PRC in the 1950s, when he went into exile in Indiana in 1959 and the life he led in exile. The autobiography gives the reader an exciting and often surprising account of the Monks life and his philosophies while in exile. It reveals that the monk’s life was far from being simple.

Analytical review

In his preamble to the autobiography called Freedom in Exile; The Autobiography of Dalai Lama, he makes clear the motivation to offer the story of his life for readers. He describes himself as a simple monk who has decided to share a story of his life. He points out that the autobiography isn’t about Buddhism as a religion. He states that he is motivated by two fundamental reasons. He explains that more and more people have shown interest in learning the Dalai Lama. He adds that he wishes to demystify some facts about historical events (xiii). Owing to the circumstances under which, in 1991, the Dalai Lama released the publication Freedom in Exile. By then, the Dalai Lama had lived in exile for 30 years since he left his home in Tibet, now a Chinese controlled territory. He had made a name and earned respect both locally and internationally for a persistent cause for the welfare of his people. The Chinese authorities had been painted in negative light, people developed interest in the Dalai Lama’s life, the plight of his people, Tibetan Buddhism and eventually earned him a Nobel Prize for Peace. He points out the book seeks to satiate the hunger of his committed followers while addressing the claims made by the Chinese government. It should be noted that this is not an anti Chinese government charade or expose. It is, rather, a personal peek into the life of a self described monk who chooses to refer to himself as a “simple monk”, although his life has not been exactly ordinary or simple.

The monk Dalai Lama (b. 1935) accounts for his life in a chronological sequence. His memoir is split into two. The first part addresses his life before he went into exile in 1959 and thereafter. The first half of his memoir delves into how he led life in Takster in Dokham being Lhamo Thondup (Dhondrub) before he was installed as the fourteenth Dalai Lama. It deals with the recognition he received in 1937, the track of his spiritual education and training in Lhasa , the Chinese invasion, his bid and plea for intervention by the international community that was never heeded and his final flight to exile in 1959. The second part of his autobiography, the monk describes the lives of his people as refugees in the Indian state.

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Her also describes his various interactions with politicians, religious leaders, Tibetans and other prominent figures and leaders across the globe. He also highlights his philosophies regarding a range of topics across the globe. The Dalai Lama outlines what he figures should be the future for Tibet. Her hopes that Tibet will one day in future become the largest nature reserve in the world and a peace hub.

There are many reasons why the memoir is regarded as historically important. Firstly, it is the Dalai Lama’s second account of his own life. The first one titled My Land and My People was published 1962. His first autobiography was published a few years after he went into exile. It gives an account of his life up until then. Consequently, the autobiography only covers half of the monk’s life to the point it was written. Freedom in Exile is particularly important because it accounts for his life both before and after he went into exile. It should be noted that Freedom in Exile should not be simply viewed as a summary of the earlier account: My land and my People. Although the second autobiography ignores many details of international diplomacy that are dealt with in the first autobiography, it accounts for the monk’s life from a different a fresh perspective. It emphasizes the fact that he is a simple monk. A critique may view the description as understated since the monk’s life is an interlaced one. He traversed the globe to lay a basis for the future of his motherland. It was the motivation in the action packed film Kundun. Freedom in Exile seizes the opportunity to explain and demonstrate the humane aspects of the Dalai Lama. He notes that when thinking about leaving his home country, he considered resigning from his religious post so as to avoid being at loggerheads with the Chinese (125). This is one of the many illustrations of the aspects of humanity that the autobiography seeks to exemplify.

The Dalai Lama has used Freedom in Exile to disclose his emotions and other aspects of his personality. He also uses it to demonstrate his thought and philosophies on a range of topics include the society in the West, the Future of Tibet and Marxism. He generates a….....

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