Which aspects of the Dalai Lamas reputation are assumed in this exchange between the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Questioner? Read the following poems by Thom Gunn and Thomas Flatman in The Faber Book of Beasts, compare the ways in which the two p

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Amy Johnson

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ASSIGNMENT 3- PART 1 THE DALAI LAMA

Which aspects of the Dalai Lama’s reputation are assumed in this exchange between the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Questioner?

        

        From looking in detail at the exchange between the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Questioner, it is clear that it reveals two perspectives of the Dalai Lama’s reputation. Firstly, the traditional viewpoint of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk and on the other hand the Dalai Lama himself and his personal views on his identity.

         As it reads in the Assignment Booklet (Page 22) ‘Your Holiness, as the recognized reincarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama...’ this clearly shows the strong, traditional values and beliefs that the Tibetan people hold as he is regarded as ‘Your Holiness’ which indicates that he is well respected and worshipped upon. He then says that he is recognized as “the reincarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama” which relates back to the history and culture of Tibet as the first Dalai Lama was born in 1351 AD as it states in the Book 1 ‘Reputations’ (Waterhouse, 2008, p.211) so it is clear that the Dalia Lama is a major aspect of the Tibetan People and Buddhism culture. As it quotes in the Book, “For the Tibetan people, therefore, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has a status and reputation which are embedded in the entire Tibetan religious and cultural worldview.” (Waterhouse, 2008, p.211)  

The Tibetan Monk then questions the purpose of the Dalai Lama’s education as they believe that he is a reincarnation of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama so evidently his personal attributes and knowledge would have been passed on from previous Dalai Lama’s. This suggests that he is just basing the idea that the Dalai Lama has no need

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to study as his knowledge and skill would have been passed down to him. The Dalai Lama is then likened to a car mechanic ‘a skilled mechanic learning basic car maintenance again!’  He is just basing that on the traditional belief of the Buddhist views. But everyone has to educate themselves to learn and experience things for their own abilities. It also states in the book that the word ‘Lama’ comes from the Indian word ‘Guru’ which means teacher so this is also part of his main reputation due to the name he is given. The reputation of the ...

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