World Religions › Early modern › Tibetan (Vajrayana) Buddhism
Dalai Lama lineage
Title from 1578; 14th Dalai Lama in exile since 1959· Founder, prophet or teacher· Hindu, Buddhist, Jain & Sikh
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
A line of Tibetan Buddhist leaders whom followers believe are successive rebirths of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara.
See it on the World Religions map →What it is
The Mongol ruler Altan Khan gave the title Dalai ('ocean') Lama to the Gelug monk Sonam Gyatso in 1578; two predecessors were named retroactively. The Fifth Dalai Lama gained political rule over Tibet in 1642 and began the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Each successor is found as a child through signs and tests. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th (born 1935), fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Why it matters
The office joined religious and political leadership in Tibet for three centuries; the 14th made Tibetan Buddhism known worldwide and is central to Tibet–China disputes.
Life, legacy and sources
Tibetan histories and the Dalai Lamas' own writings; Chinese, Mongol and British records; the 14th Dalai Lama's autobiography and decades of public teaching.
Questions and debates
Who will choose the next Dalai Lama is disputed: Beijing claims the right, while the 14th says only his own office will recognize a successor, possibly born outside China.
Connections (2)
▸Dalai Lama lineage is the best-known leader of Tibetan (Vajrayana) BuddhismHistorical record
The connection
The Dalai Lamas come from the Gelug ('virtuous') school, the newest of Tibetan Buddhism's four main schools, though its formal head is the Ganden Tripa. From 1642 they also ruled Tibet; the Panchen Lamas form a second great Gelug lineage. Since 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama has led the exile community and brought Tibetan Buddhism to a worldwide audience.
When and where
Tibet from 1578; Lhasa's Potala Palace from the 1640s; Dharamsala, India, since 1960.
Historical evidence
Tibetan and Chinese historical records; the 14th Dalai Lama's writings and public role; and documents of the Tibetan exile administration.
Questions and debates
His succession is disputed between Beijing and Tibetan exiles; the rival Panchen Lama selections of 1995 foreshadow that conflict.
▸Dalai Lama lineage champions Interfaith dialogueHistorical record
The connection
After fleeing to India in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama became a leading global voice for interfaith respect. He met Thomas Merton, Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and Jewish leaders, teaching that all major religions share compassion and that people should usually keep their own faith rather than convert.
When and where
Dharamsala and world tours from the 1960s; Merton in 1968; Assisi in 1986; Jewish–Buddhist dialogue in Dharamsala, 1990; Nobel Peace Prize 1989.
Historical evidence
His books, such as 'Toward a True Kinship of Faiths' (2010), recorded meetings and speeches, and accounts like 'The Jew in the Lotus' (1994).
Questions and debates
Some scholars ask whether his universalism reflects traditional Tibetan Buddhism or a modernized version shaped for Western audiences.