Dalai Lama
- This article describes the Dalai Lama lineage. For information on the present Dalai Lama see Tenzin Gyatso.
In Tibetan Buddhism, the successive Dalai Lamas (taa-la'i bla-ma) form a tulku lineage of Gelugpa leaders  which trace back to 1391. Tibetan Buddhists believe the Dalai Lama to be the present incarnation of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan government, controlling a large portion of the country from the capital Lhasa. The Dalai Lamas never had authority over every region of Tibet nor over the other sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The current 14th Dalai Lama is a respected Tibetan Buddhist religious leader, and figure head of the International Tibet Independence Movement; in English, his followers and many others use "His Holiness" (or HH) as a prefix in his title.
The Dalai Lama is often thought to be the head of the Gelug school, but this position officially belongs to the Ganden Tripa (dga' ldan khri pa) (Holder of the Throne of Ganden [dga' ldan], the first monastery established by Tsongkhapa (Btsong-ka-pa), founder of the Gelug).
The fifth Dalai lama with the support of Gushri Khan, a Mongol ruler of Khökh Nuur, united Tibet by force. The Dalai Lamas continued to rule in Tibet until the People's Republic of China took direct control of the region in 1959. The 14th Dalai Lama then fled to India and has since maintained a government in exile.
Dalai means "Ocean" in Mongolian, and "Lama" (bla ma) is Tibetan translation equivalent for the Sanskrit word "guru", and so may mean "teacher" or "monk". The title refers to the extent of the lama's presumed wisdom; it was first bestowed by the Mongolian ruler Altan Khan upon the 3rd Dalai Lama and is now applied to every incarnation in the lineage. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, whose name is Chenrezig (spyan ras gzigs) in Tibetan.
The Tibetans call the Dalai Lama Gyawa Rinpoche (rgya ba rin po che) meaning 'Precious Victor', or Yeshe Norbu (ye shes nor bu) meaning 'Wisdom Jewel'.
 Upon the death of the Dalai Lama, his monks institute a search for the Lama's reincarnation, or tulku (sprul sku), a small child. Familiarity with the possessions of the previous Dalai Lama is considered the main sign of the reincarnation. The search for the reincarnation typically requires a few years, which results in a gap in the list of the Dalai Lamas. The reincarnation is then brought to Lhasa to be trained by the other Lamas.
Despite its officially secular stance, the government of the People's Republic of China has claimed the power to approve the naming of high reincarnations in Tibet. This decision cites a precedent set by the Qianlong (Chinese: 乾隆) emperor of the Qing Dynasty, who instituted a system of selecting the Panchen Lama by means of a lottery which utilised a golden urn with names wrapped in barley balls. Recently, this precedent was called upon to name the Panchen Lama, who is empowered to recognize the new Dalai Lama. There is some speculation that with the death of the current Dalai Lama, the PRC will direct the selection of a successor. The current Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated that he will never be reborn inside territory controlled by the People's Republic of China, and has occasionally suggested that he might choose to be the last Dalai Lama by not being reborn at all.
Starting with the 5th Dalai Lama, until the 14th Dalai Lama's exile in 1959, the Dalai Lamas resided in Lhasa in the Potala Palace during winter and in the Norbulingka residence during summer. Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has resided in Dharamsala in Northern India, and the Tibetan Government in Exile has its headquarters there.
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