The Dalai Lama and the Secret to Inner Peace
What does the Title “Dalai Lama” Mean and what is the Secret of Inner Peace?
Several year ago we traveled for 6 days through Tibet on our way to Nepal. There we experienced the secret of inner peace of this country. It is the most beautiful, peaceful place on earth. We showed the locals a picture of the Dalai Lama, which is forbidden in Tibet. People were very eager to see his picture so they could worship him.
The name Dalai Lama is derived from a combination of the Mongolian word dalai which means “ocean,” and the Tibetan word bla-ma which means “teacher or mentor.” The Dalai Lama’s title implies that he is rich in knowledge and wisdom and must be revered by the people.
Although the school of Tibetan Buddhism and the Dalai Lama himself has been embroiled in politics (some were even considered as unspiritual), the Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso played a very important role in the reunification of Tibet in 1630 A.D. when the Mongol and the Manchu factions went for each other’s throat. Ever since that time The Dalai Lama became Tibet’s unofficial Prime Minister until China annexed Tibet and the new Dalai Lama as well as the entire Tibetan Buddhist school were forced to live in exile.
The Dalai Lama’s Reincarnated Spirit
It is said that the High Lamas (a council of Tibetan Buddhist teachers) would look for signs and visions on a sacred lake in Tibet before 
finding a young boy whom he spirit of the former Lama reincarnated to. Once they’ve determined the location of this child they will then present several items to him from which only one belongs to the previous Lama. If he chooses the correct item, then he will be dubbed as the next Dalai Lama. I myself have read into near death experiences (NDE) and there are quite prominent scientists who have invested their lives in this kind of research and concluded that there is life after death and reincarnation.
So even though Karma Pakshi somewhat invented the belief of a reincarnating teacher based on the idea to preserve his Buddhism school, he may have certain grounds for this in terms of a spiritual context of it.
Inner Peace: They Talk the Walk and they Walk the Talk
The Dalai Lama is not only a great spiritual leader, but an adequately political front man as well. I mean, just think about it, in Tibet they are a semi-republic/democratic country and everyone followed him without question or doubt because they knew that he’ll lead them into peaceand prosperity…and he did. The fact of the matter is that The Dalai Lama and the entire school of Tibetan Buddhism talks the walk and walks the talk of inner peace without any selfish ambitions whatsoever. So far theirs is the most successful religion and government I have ever seen even though economic prowess, political influence and military might is not their defining attribute.
We did not climb Mount Everest, but we could see it from a distance. Maybe we will in the future, you never know.
Johanna Oosterwijk.