“100 The Arts Past and Present Assignment 3 Part 1 The Dalai Lama. A critical analysis of the aspects of the Dalai Lamas reputation that are assumed in the exchange between the Dalai Lama and Tibetan questioner?”

In this short exchange, various elements of the Dalai Lamas reputation are being assumed, though perhaps the Lamas response may be more surprising than the question to those unfamiliar with Buddhism. For instance, I would suggest that in Western culture, it is an infrequent occurrence for a political leader to equate themselves to an ordinary person. However, the Dalai Lamas role in Tibetan culture is such that any Tibetan would always have addressed him formally, and I hope by the end of this attempt to provide some level of understanding as to why.

Let us look first at the way in which the Tibetan questioner addresses the Dalai Lama upon first putting forward his question – Your Holiness…(short extract)