Читать книгу The Dalai Lama’s Little Book of Inner Peace - Далай-лама XIV, Литагент HarperCollins USD, Дуглас Абрамс Арава - Страница 10

I am considered to be the reincarnation of each one of the previous Dalai Lamas – the first was born in 1351 – and, in turn, each one is considered to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva of compassion, the holder of the white lotus. Tibetans therefore believe me to be the 14th manifestation in a lineage, which goes back to a Brahmin child who lived at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, some 2,500 years ago.

Very few people indeed have ever been considered in any way divine. Thanks to my role, I am able to bring a lot of benefit, and for this reason I appreciate it. This role is also very useful for people in general, and I owe it to my karma to have been reborn into it. You could say that my circumstances are extremely fortunate. However, behind the idea of good fortune actually lie real causes and conditions: there is the karmic force of my capacity to take on the role, and there is my wish to do so.

The Indian monk Shantideva wrote:

“As long as space endures,As long as sentient beings remain,Until then, may I too remainAnd dispel the miseries of the world.”

I make this wish in my present life, and I am sure I have made it in past lives too.