Why I Think The Dalai Lama is Cool

He desires a life of truth.  He is quoted as saying, time and again, “I am a simple Buddhist monk.”  Despite the fact that, as Dalai Lama, he is viewed as a political leader and figurehead, in his heart he is a monk.  As the leader of Tibet, the burden of putting to an end the Chinese occupation of his home country rests squarely upon his shoulders.  He pursues peaceful means to resolving the issue.  All the while, he lives his life in exile in India.  He has established a government-in-exile; negotiated an accord with the Indian government wherein he has established a Tibetan refugee community under the rule of his government-in-exile; and devised an education system to acculturate the children of the refugees in order to preserve the Tibetan way of life. As a monk, his spiritual life and development are most important to him.  He has pushed the bounds of not only Tibetan Buddhist beliefs but of religious conservatism in general.  He is a student of science and one of the world’s foremost scholars on subjects ranging from the study of human consciousness to physics.  He has said many times that science can teach us things that religion cannot, and, more boldly, that scientific discoveries may necessitate a reevaluation of religious precepts.  He is viewed by his people and the followers of Tibetan Buddhism as the bodhisattva (one who assists others on their journey towards enlightenment) of compassion, and his personal spiritual evolution is still his primary pursuit.  While seeking enlightenment allows him to fulfill his role as bodhisattva, it is the joy he experiences exploring his spirit and reaching out to others that is his primary driver in life.  He has said that he spends 80% of his time on Buddhist pursuits and 20% of his time on the issues of Tibet.  I consider this acknowledgement of who he is, what he believes himself to be, and the insight to be able to prioritize accordingly as traits worthy of emulating.