How was the dalai lama chosen?

Answer 1

The Dalai Lama is not chosen to become what he is, (Like Popeye) he is what he is and has been that for fourteen reincarnations. The position is not an elected or appointed office. In Buddhism an enlightened person can refuse to enter Nirvana, choosing instead to return to the cycle of death and rebirth to help others become enlightened. The current Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama and ultimately the reincarnation or a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteśvara.

After the death of the existing Dalai Lama the problem is to find where the reincarnation has occurred. This is usually expected to be in Tibet.

The search is the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa Tradition and the government of Tibet. It can take around two or three years (or more) to identify the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama.

The High Lamas conduct several rituals to increase the odds of finding the reincarnation quickly. They look for omens and seek hintsin their dreams. They also devise tests for candidates they feel may be the reincarnation. Familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is considered the main sign of the reincarnation.

Having been found, the child is brought to Lhasa (or a similar location) for training in Buddhist thought and knowledge

The current Dalai Lama is was born Tenzin Gyasto

Answer 2

The Dalai Lama is not chosen he is found. The current Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama and ultimately the reincarnation or a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion . He was born two years after his last incarnation ended. Senior Tibetan monks recieve information during meditation which helps them track down the new Dalai Lama. They have a secret set of criteria which they use to determine whether the child they have tracked down is the Dalai Lama. Although, Familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is considered the main sign of the reincarnation. The search for the reincarnation typically requires a few years.

The current Dalai Lama is was born Tenzin Gyasto

Answer 3

Part of the answer

This is not a complete answer, but, taken from the Dali Lama's website, it seems part of the story - at least relative to how the current Dalai Lama was chosen.

When Lhamo Thondup was barely three years old, a search party that had been sent out by the Tibetan government to find the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama arrived at Kumbum monastery. It had been led there by a number of signs. One of these concerned the embalmed body of his predecessor, Thupten Gyatso, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who had died aged fifty seven in 1933. During its period of sitting in state, the head was discovered to have turned from facing south to northeast. Shortly after that the Regent, himself a senior lama, had a vision. Looking into the waters of the sacred lake, Lhamo Lhatso, in southern Tibet, he clearly saw the Tibetan letters Ah, Ka and Ma float into view. These were followed by the image of a three storied monastery with a turquoise and gold roof and a path running from it to a hill. Finally, he saw a small house with strangely shaped guttering. He was sure that the letter Ah referred to Amdo, the northeastern province, so it was there that the search party was sent.

By the time they reached Kumbum, the members of the search party felt that they were on the right track. It seemed likely that if the letter Ah referred to Amdo, then Ka must indicate the monastery at Kumbum, which was indeed three storied and turquoise roofed. They now only needed to locate a hill and a house with peculiar guttering. So they began to search the neighbouring villages. When they saw the gnarled branches of juniper wood on the roof of the His Holiness parents house, they were certain that the new Dalai Lama would not be far away. Nevertheless, rather than reveal the purpose of their visit, the group asked only to stay the night. The leader of the party, Kewtsang Rinpoche, then pretended to be a servant and spent much of the evening observing and playing with the youngest child in the house.

The child recognised him and called out Sera lama, Sera lama. Sera was Kewtsang Rinpoche's monastery. The next day they left only to return a few days later as a formal deputation. This time they brought with them a number of things that had belonged to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, together with several similar items that did not. In every case, the infant correctly identified those belonging to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama saying, Its mine. Its mine. This more or less convinced the search party that they had found the new incarnation. It was not long before the boy from Taktser was acknowledged to be the new Dalai Lama. The boy Lhamo Thondup was first taken to Kumbum monastery.

From the Dalai Lama's Site:

http://www.Tibet.com/DL/discovery.HTML

Discovery of His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born in a peasant family on July 6th, 1935, in a small village called Taktser in north eastern Tibet. His Holiness was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor the 13th Dalai Lama.

When the 13th Dalai Lama passed away in 1935, the task that confronted the Tibetan Government was not simply to appoint a successor but to search for and discover a child in whom the Buddha of Compassion would incarnate.

In 1935 the Regent of Tibet went to the sacred lake of Lhamo Lhatso at Chokhorgyal, about 90 miles south east of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. For centuries the Tibetans had observed that visions of the future could be seen in this lake. The Regent had a vision of three Tibetan letters, Ah, Ka, and Ma, followed by a picture of a monastery with roofs of jade green and gold, and a house with turquoise tiles. In 1937 high lamas and dignitaries carrying the secrets of the vision were sent to all parts of Tibet in search of the place that the Regent had seen in the waters. The search party that headed east was under the leadership of Lama Kewtsang Rinpoche of Sera Monastery. When they arrived in Amdo, they found a place matching the description of the secret vision. The party went to the house with Kewtsang Rinpoche disguised as the servant, and junior official Lobsang Tsewang disguised as the leader. The Rinpoche was wearing a rosary that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama, and the little boy of the house recognised it and demanded that it be given to him. Kewtsang Rinpoche promised to give it to him if he could guess who he was, and the boy replied that he was "Sera aga", which means in the local dialect "a lama of Sera". Then the Rinpoche asked who the leader was and the boy gave his name correctly; he also knew the name of the real servant. This was followed by a series of tests that included the choosing of correct articles that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama.

With these tests they were further convinced that the reincarnation had been found and their conviction was enhanced by the significance of the three letters that had been seen in the lake of Lhamo Lhatso: Ah could stand for Amdo, the name of the province; Ka for Kumbum, one of the largest monasteries in the neighbourhood; and the two letters Ka and Ma for the monastery of Karma Rolpai Dorje on the mountain above the village. In 1940 the XIVth Dalai Lama was enthroned.

Answer 4

Nobody simply selects a Dalai Lama they believe that he is a reincarnation of Buddha. That is the traditional view. However, in an attempt to further control Tibet, on August 14th, 2007 the Chinese government passed laws saying that in order to reincarnate, a person must apply for a permit and have what they are going to be reincarnating as approved. If you are not approved, it is then illegal to reincarnate. While this sounds ridiculous, it effectively places the decision of who will receive the title of Dalai Lama next into the hands of the Chinese government. It is especially interesting that Beijing has decided they will be in charge of selecting and approving spiritual reincarnation when their official stand to this point has been Atheism.

Answer 5

The Dalai Lama is not chosen to become what he is, (Like Popeye) he is what he is and has been that for fourteen reincarnations. The position is not an elected or appointed office. In Buddhism an enlightened person can refuse to enter Nirvana, choosing instead to return to the cycle of death and rebirth to help others become enlightened. The current Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama and ultimately the reincarnation or a manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokite?vara.

After the death of the existing Dalai Lama the problem is to find where the reincarnation has occurred. This is usually expected to be in Tibet.

The search is the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa Tradition and the government of Tibet. It can take around two or three years (or more) to identify the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama.

The High Lamas conduct several rituals to increase the odds of finding the reincarnation quickly. They look for omens and seek hintsin their dreams. They also devise tests for candidates they feel may be the reincarnation. Familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is considered the main sign of the reincarnation.

Having been found, the child is brought to Lhasa (or a similar location) for training in Buddhist thought and knowledge

The current Dalai Lama is was born Tenzin Gyasto

Answer 6

Sorry i wish i knew. :(

When the Dalai Lama dies, monks search the land for the boy in whom the Dalai Lama has been reborn in. A boy that had been born about the time the original Dalai Lama died; the boy is then carefully trained by the monks.

The High Lamas search for a boy born around the time the previous Dalai Lama died which can take many years. There are various methods of locating the child.

A High Lama may see the location where the boy will be found in a dream.

Smoke from the cremation of the former Dalai Lama may rise in a particular direction and the Lamas will search accordingly.

A vision of the home of the next incarnation may appear in the Oracle Lake, Lhamo Lhatso.

When the home of the boy has been identified the High Lamas show the child a number of objects including ones belonging to the previous Dalai Lama. If the boy picks out the Dalai Lama's items this, along with the other indicators, is taken as a sign that they have found the reincarnated leader.

Answer 7

Historically, the High Lamas of the Himalayas have relied on signs from 3 sources to find the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama

1. Dreams by the High Lamas- If a High Lama has a dream-around the time of the death of the Dalai Lama- about a certain location or landmark, the lamas will look for the location or landmark. Then the lamas will look for the new Dalai Lama in that area.

2. Smoke from the Dalai Lama's cremation- When the Dalai Lama's body is cremated, the High Lamas will watch to see what direction the smoke goes. They will then search in that direction.

3. The lake Lhamo Lhatso- High Lamas visit this holy lake and wait for visions to guide their search for the next Dalai Lama.

When the High Lamas have identified the child they think is the Dalai Lama, they show him various items, some of which were owned by the previous Dalai Lama. If the child favors the items previously owned by the Dalai Lama, that child is believed to be the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.

Answer 8

Tibetan Buddhists believe that any dalai lama is the reincarnation of the previous dalai lama. After the death of one dalai lama, high-ranking monks look for extraordinary children born after the dalai lama's death, with miraculous signs surrounding their birth. Once they have identified a candidate, they present him with possessions of the previous dalai lama, as well as with decoys. The child has to pick the possessions that actually belonged to him in a previous life.

The current dalai lama, the 14th, has indicated that he will be the last dalai lama.

Answer 9

When the Dali Lama dies the monks go searching for the child he has been reincarnated as and carefully train him as the "next" Dali Lama