Who Is the Dalai Lama [Paperback]

Get to know the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader and one of the most popular world leaders today.

Two-year-old Lhamo Thondup never imagined he would be anything other than an ordinary child, but after undergoing a series of tests, he was proclaimed the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. By age 15, he found himself the undisputed leader of six million people who were facing the threat of a full-scale war from the Chinese. After the defeat of the Tibetan national uprising in 1959, the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet and went into exile in India. For nearly 50 years, he has aimed to establish Tibet as a self-governing, democratic state. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts for the liberation of Tibet and his concern for global environmental problems. As the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama continues to spend his life working to benefit humanity and preserving Tibetan culture.Dana Meachen Rau has written more than 300 books for children, including picture books, early readers, nonfiction, and biographies.Who Is the Dalai Lama?
 

February 22, 1940, was a busy day at the Potala, a grand, thousand-room palace high in the mountains of Tibet. Early in the morning, guests started to fill the main assembly hall. They were waiting for their leader to arrive.
 
Once the hall was full, the crowd grew quiet. A little boy, dressed in golden robes, entered. Horn and trumpet blasts greeted him.He crossed the room on a white carpet that had been rolled out especially for him to a jeweled throne. It was called the Lion Throne because of the eight lions carved into the wooden base of the tall, cushioned chair. The throne was the seat of the Dalai Lama (say: DAHL-eye LAH-muh), a name given to the political and religious leader of the country of Tibet.
 
The young Dalai Lama needed some help climbing up the steps to his throne. He sat cross-legged on the seat and watched the celÓ5