Every religion has their own set of religious figures. Whether those people were appointed directly from a higher power, or they just did admirable work in their lives to earn them the title of “religious figure.” Regardless of how each person came about to be well-known in their religion, they are all considered influential. When discussing religious figures, names that commonly come into play would be: Mother Theresa for the Catholic faith, Mahatma Gandhi for Hinduism, Desmond Tutu for South African Anglicans, Malala Yousafzai for Islam, and the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, for Buddhism. All of whom are exceptionally powerful, but the history behind Tenzin Gyatso was one not as familiar to someone from the Catholic faith, like myself. …show more content…
Gyatso was born into a typical Tibetan farming family on July 6th, 1935, in Taktser, Tibet. Tibet can be found in Asia, within China, and is northeast of the Himalayas. Takster was a small village located in Tibet. Before Gyatso was recognized as the reincarnated Thirteenth Dalai Lama, he worked alongside his parents and six siblings during his early years. Many years later, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama claims that he had an average childhood before being discovered and that “’ “…no one had any idea that I might be anything other than an ordinary baby’” (The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama). Like many people in China, Gyatso and his family practiced the religion …show more content…
The search took place in the 1933, soon after the death of Thupten Gyatso, who died at age fifty-seven. Despite the fact that two candidates were found, only one was able to successfully complete the tests and the omens were in agreement that Tenzin Gyatso was the rebirthed Dalai Lama. (Encyclopedia of Religion, 2132; The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama). In the next few years of the Dalai Lama’s life he was taught all that he needed to know in order to become the official religious and political leader of the Tibetan population. The subjects he learned included logic, Tibetan art culture, Sanskirt, medicine, and Buddhist philosophy (The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama). From there, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, also referred to as His Holiness, continued his life as an inspiration to