Marking the 14th Dalai Lama's 90th birthday: fascinating insights into his public and private life

The 14th Dalai Lama is one of the most famous personalities of our time. The exiled principal spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the most distinguished scholars of his religion, enjoys global recognition and admiration. No other photographer in the world is as close to His Holiness as Manuel Bauer, whose deep interest in Buddhism and Tibet dates back more than three decades. Since 1990, Bauer has visited and traveled with the Dalai Lama many times and has captured his public appearances and events as well as his private life in thousands of atmospheric photographs.

This German-language book features some 200 of these images, many of which are published here for the first time. They offer unique insights into the Dalai Lama's travels and public appearances around the world as well as the media hype they cause. They also give an impression of the private side of this truly global public figure, allowing us to share some of the few moments when the Dalai Lama is alone with himself and his thoughts. A special section documents and visually explains a Klacakra, a fascinating sand mandala ritual that the Dalai Lama held with followers in the Indian Ladakh region in 2014.

The volume is rounded out with essays contributed by Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama's longtime interpreter and a renowned Buddhist scholar, and Swiss journalist Christian Schmidt. They broaden our view of Tibetan culture and religious tradition and our understanding of the Dalai Lama's significance.

«Ich bewundere nicht nur seinen Beruf, das Fotografieren, ich bewundere ihn auch als Menschen. Er ist ein sehr netter Mann, aufrichtig und bescheiden. Ich denke, er hat eine ganz reine Geisteshaltung. Das ist meine persönliche Ansicht, mein persönliches Gefuhl. Ich kenne ihn seit vielen Jahren, und er selbst hat mir gegenuber in all diesen Jahren eine grosse, tief empfundene Nähe gezeigt. Er ist fur mich ein echter Freund.

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Er ist nicht bloss professioneller Fotograf, er ist auch ein sehr guter Freund von mir. Und er weiss viel uber Tibet, uber die tibetische Gemeinschaft, zudem hat er sich viele Jahre lang mit dieser Kultur auseinandergesetzt. Er besitzt ein umfassendes Wissen uber Tibet, die tibetische Fluchtlingsgemeinschaft und uber mich. Durch dieses Hintergrundwissen können seine Bilder mehr uber das Fotografierte aussagen.»

Der Dalai Lama über den Fotografen Manuel Bauer in einem 2004 für die Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG) aufgezeichneten Fernsehinterview

Autorentext

Manuel Bauer is a Swiss-based photographer, cinematographer, and author who has focused on Tibet since the 1990s.

The Zurich-based Gaden Phodrang Foundation of the Dalai Lama was founded in 2015 with the aim to maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama with regard to his religious and spiritual duties.

Zusammenfassung
Marking the 14th Dalai Lama's 90th birthday: fascinating insights into his public and private life