Tenzin Gyatso: The Early Life of the Dalai Lama

by Claude B. Levenson, Joseph Rowe (Translator)

This exciting and often intense biography describes the Dalai Lama's rigorous education and his full assumption of power at the age of fifteen following the Chinese invasion in 1950. Though Tibetan tradition holds that the Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of his predecessors, one still marvels at the level of responsibility, maturity, and wisdom he possessed at a very young age. Through Claude B. Levenson's account of his youth, illuminated by photographs and many recollections of the Dalai Lama in his own words, we begin to understand how a lama from Tibet has become the worldwide spiritual leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2002

About the author

Claude B. Levenson was a French journalist, orientalist, Tibetologist, translator and writer who authored approximately twenty-five books on the subjects of Buddhism, Burma and Tibet. She contributed to the newspapers Le Monde, L'Obs, Politique internationale, Le Temps, Geo, 24 heures and Libération. Levenson was a member of the Committee of 100 for Tibet and worked as a translator for the Dalai Lama.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a reminder of the plight of Tibet , which is ignored by the world, Claude Levenson, gives us an outline of the first 24 years of the life of Dalai Lama, Tenzing Gyatso, whose name has become a symbol of true compassion, striving for freedom and affirmation of life.
The work is made more interesting and relevant by a deep understanding of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan culture by the author, and describes the history of the region, which enjoyed an independent status in the world before it was invaded in 1950 by Red Chinese troops and it's people massacred and it's culture forcibly destroyed.
Tibet has a rich and ancient history of self-determination and a culture and identity completely separate from the Han Chinese, despite the claim by pro-Communist Chinese apologists for the occupation of Tibet that Tibet ever 'belonged to China' in the same way that apologists for Hitler claimed that Poland originally belonged to Germany or apologists for Saddam Hussein that Kuwait is part of Iraq.

The author traces how the Dalai Lama learned compassion and concern for the ordinary masses at an early age, and the man's deep spirituality, compassion and wisdom.
It is a disgrace the Communist pressure has swept Tibetan human rights off the radar screen and the plight of the Tibetan people all but ignored due to 'realpolitik' and the fact that Tibet cannot be used a stick to beat Israel or Judeo-Christian civilization
US President Barack Obama disgracefully refused to give an audience to the Dalai Lama, despite the last five American Presidents all having met with him.
But this is not a political work. It is a biography of a man's early life and his dedication and perseverance in the face of persecution. It is the story of a man and a people.

[Melam Zangmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book as i was very curious as how the 14th Dalai Lama managed to be where he is today. I was also curious how to managed to encounter all the stuggles and difficulties in his childhood.
The book has all the details of his early life from his birth to a noble family,then his identification an a 14th Dalai Lama,his teachings,his days during the Chinese invasion,his prilgrimage to India and Kalimpong.

[MIL]

西方人寫的達賴書對中共大概都不會有什麼好話
更何況作者跟達賴如此的親近
但還是老話一句：中共活該
這本書簡單的介紹了十四世達賴以前的西藏歷史
詳盡的述說達賴流亡前的成長過程
可以說是本不錯的西藏問題入門書
書中常常出現的涅沖神巫
讓我想到希臘的阿波羅神喻
這種宗教儀式也是我非常著迷的部分
只是對照當今世俗的眼光
總覺得把國家民族的未來交給靈媒決定
實在不可思議
好多圖片都在悲智足履七十年裡看過
再看一次還是那麼有味道
下一本是號稱最公正客觀的
中國人寫的西藏問題專著：
天葬修訂版
這本可厚了
一時沒興致去借
過一陣子再說吧