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This book outlines the life of spiritual diplomacy of the 14th Dalai Lama and his emergence as a global peace icon. It traces his evolution as a Tibetan Buddhist monk rooted in the Geluk tradition, as a Nobel laureate, and as an internationally recognized peacemaker.
The volume brings to the fore the Dalai Lama's monastic life grounded in the compassion and ethical responsibility of a bodhisattva, somebody who is willing to renounce samsara for the benefit of others, as well as that of a political leader of Tibet. It examines the deep impact of his ideas of peacekeeping and universal responsibility on world politics, which draw on acceptance, inclusion, and respect as their central pillars. Further, this book highlights his departure from the practices of the earlier Dalai Lamas, and how the Chinese invasion and his exile in India transformed him into a universal figure of peace, rather than solely being the leader of Tibet.
An introspective read, this book will be of much interest to readers interested in spiritual diplomacy and political philosophy. It will also be of interest to scholars and researchers of peace and conflict studies, international relations, politics, and religion, especially Buddhism.
List of contents
Introduction: the 14th Dalai Lama as peacekeeper 1. Becoming the 14th Dalai Lama 2. The Bodhisattva as peacekeeper 3. Exile and external peacebuilding 4. Towards universal responsibility 5. Non-violence and world teachings
About the author
Mario I. Aguilar is Professor of Religion and Politics at the School of Divinity, St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, United Kingdom. A few of his recent publications include Church, Liberation and World Religions: Towards a Christian–Buddhist Dialogue (2012), Pope Francis: His Life and Thought (2014), Christian Ashrams, Hindu Caves, and Sacred Rivers: Christian–Hindu Monastic Dialogue in India 1950–1993 (2016), The Way of the Hermit: Interfaith Encounters in Silence and Prayer (2017), and Interreligious Dialogue and the Partition of India: Hindus and Muslims in Dialogue about Violence and Forced Migration (2018). His research interests include the study of religion; religion in the contemporary world; theology in Latin America and Africa; contextual theology; biblical studies and anthropology; Islam in Africa; the history of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism; Christian–Buddhist dialogue; Hinduism, particularly monasticism in India; Christian–Hindu dialogue; and Hindu texts.
Summary
This book outlines the life of spiritual diplomacy of the 14th Dalai Lama and his emergence as a global peace icon. It traces his evolution as a Tibetan Buddhist monk rooted in the Geluk tradition, as a Nobel laureate, and as an internationally recognized peacemaker.
