Described as the ''spiritual leader of Tibet'', the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, could also be called a man of words, many of them inspiring, according to some of those who have attended his various speaking engagements.
Yet he is also the subject of more than a few words.
His forthcoming delivery at the Dunedin Town Hall on Tuesday, titled ''Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World'', in which he will elaborate on his vision for leading an ethical and happy life ''as we face the global challenge of technological progress, environmental destruction and educating future generations'', might seem innocuous enough, but the weeks preceding it witnessed plenty of debate, little of it to do with theology.
The visit initially prompted controversy when Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull refused to meet the winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, despite the Dalai Lama being given a mayoral welcome to Dunedin on his two previous visits (by Richard Walls in 1992 and Sukhi Turner in 1996).
Mr Cull described him as ''the leader of a minority sect'', a comment which prompted criticism and protests by Dunedin's Buddhist community as well as Students for a Free Tibet and the Organisation for Global Nonviolent Action.
Dunedin councillor Jinty McTavish settled matters by offering to meet the Dalai Lama herself.
The Dunedin welcome has grown, too. The Dalai Lama will also be greeted by the Dunedin Interfaith Council, which represents various religious traditions, at St Paul's Cathedral at 9am.
And later in the day, the University of Otago, which recently admitted it was concerned about potential fall-out from Chinese partners, will host the Dalai Lama in a question-and-answer forum at the St David St Lecture Theatre at 10am.
Given the capacity of the lecture theatre is limited to 500 people, the university decided to run a competition to choose which staff and students could attend.
Successful applicants were chosen after submitting a question they would like to ask the Dalai Lama.
According to the university, the questions cover a spectrum of topics, from how to achieve balance in a busy life and how to stay positive, to His Holiness' thoughts about the role of tertiary education for young people and more light-hearted inquiries, all of which will be put to the Dalai Lama by Prof Mark Henaghan.
In the meantime, the Otago Daily Times spoke to a couple of people who, while having heard the Dalai Lama speak, also have some insight into the man's faith, his life in exile in northern India and his humble yet ''inspirational'' personality.
The spiritual leader of Tibet ... but what does that mean?
Ben Schonthal, lecturer at the University of Otago's Department of Theology and Religion and a scholar of Buddhism (though he points out his primary focus is not on Tibetan Buddhism) said the Dalai Lama is the head of one of four schools of Buddhism in Tibet.
"He heads the most dominant one, Gelug-pa ... he is both head of the school but is also considered to be the incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, named Avalokiteshvara.
"He is regarded as an enlightened being, of whom there are various ones in certain schools of Buddhism; they have different specialties, if you will.
"In Tibet, he is also considered to be the reincarnation of the previous head of this school, Thubten Gyatso, who was the 13th Dalai Lama.''
Dr Schonthal says the institution of the Dalai Lama is peculiar to Tibet.
"There is no analogous position in other forms of Buddhism that I'm aware of. Even this idea of successive reincarnations is unique to Tibet.
"In Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand, for example, you don't have reincarnated head monks.
"In Tibet, it's not just the Dalai Lama who is considered to have been reincarnated. There is also the Panchen Lama, the second in leadership in Tibet, and others.''
Omens and indications ...
Born on July 6, 1935, to a farming family in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet, a child named Lhamo Dhondup unwittingly underwent a series of tests at the age of 2.
"Historically, there are some stories that when a Dalai Lama is about to die he will give some indication as to where a successor will come from,'' Dr Schonthal said.
"There is also a practice of consulting omens, going to certain places where a premonition might occur.
"Then there is a third stage that occurs once senior lamas get an indication as to where the child-successor might be; they will organise tests for that child ...
"Senior lamas came to the house but did not divulge the reason for their visit. They put out various items belonging to the previous Dalai Lama, and the child chose the correct item; he started playing with prayer beads.''
Thus, the boy was deemed the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
A well-rounded education ...
Like the previous Dalai Lamas, Tenzin Gyatso, as he was subsequently to be known, was required to undergo monastic education from the age of 6.
His subjects included logic, Tibetan art and culture, Sanskrit, medicine, Buddhist philosophy, poetry, music and drama, and astrology.
In 1959, at the age of 23, His Holiness sat his final examination in Lhasa's Jokhang Temple.
He passed with honours and was awarded the Geshe Lharampa degree, equivalent to a doctorate of Buddhist philosophy. He is now the author of more than 110 books.
"There are a lot of schools of Buddhism, but among the doctrine common to many schools is a very philosophically pragmatic approach,'' said Dr Schonthal, who met the Dalai Lama in South Africa in 2000, while working for an organisation that brought together different religious groups for a conference.
"In a lot of Buddhism, there is a detailed analysis of the 'flow' of life. In a sense, it is very 'applied' to a sense of the world, although some schools of Buddhism do focus on gaining a better rebirth or gaining better karma.
"As opposed to some other religious traditions, where there might be a focus on what happens in the afterlife or some transcendent sphere versus what happens in the world, in Buddhism the goal of the religion is directed at a transformation of one's experience of the world through a detailed analysis and better understanding of the way one is.''
A life in exile ...
After China's invasion of Tibet in 1949-50, the Dalai Lama was called upon to assume full political power. In 1954, he travelled to Beijing for peace talks with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders.
But in 1959, following the suppression of a Tibetan uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, His Holiness was forced to escape into exile. Since then he has been living in Dharamasala, northern India.
It was there Steven Walker, a member of the Chalmers Community Board, first met the Dalai Lama in 1990.
"I first visited the area in 1990, then returned to study and live there for four months in 1996, as part of a University of London degree in Third World development, during which time I enjoyed a second audience with the Dalai Lama.
"I just happened to be there studying Indian culture, rather than Buddhism,'' Mr Walker explained.
"I lived in a monastery there, despite the fact I am an atheist. That's one of the fascinations with the Dalai Lama - that he can inspire feelings of awe in someone like myself.
"He has a residence in Dharamasala and has audiences about once a month. If you get the chance to go along, he walks past you and hands you this wonderful piece of silk - which I still have in my house.''
Political initiatives ...
Since the Chinese invasion, the Central Tibetan Administration (regarded as a government in exile), led by the Dalai Lama, has sought democratic reform within its own organisation as well as in Tibet.
In May 1990, the Tibetan Cabinet (Kashag), previously appointed by His Holiness, was dissolved, along with the 10th Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies (Tibetan parliament in exile).
The same year, exiled Tibetans on the Indian sub-continent and in more than 33 other countries elected 46 members to the expanded 11th Tibetan Assembly on a one-man one-vote basis. The assembly, in turn, elected the new members of the cabinet.
In September 2001, the Tibetan electorate directly elected the Kalon Tripa, the senior minister of the cabinet. The Kalon Tripa then appointed his own cabinet, which had to be approved by the Tibetan Assembly.
In Tibet's long history, it was the first time that the people elected the political leadership of Tibet.
Following the direct election of the Kalon Tripa, the institution of the Dalai Lama as both the spiritual and temporal (political) authority ended. Since then, His Holiness has described himself as being ''semi-retired''.
This year, he sent a letter to the assembly requesting it withdraw his political power, allowing him to revert to the previous tradition (of the first four Dalai Lamas) of being only the spiritual leader of Tibet.
Signing into law the formal transfer of his political power to a democratically elected leader (of the exiled government), he thus brought to an end a 368-year-old tradition of a Dalai Lama being both spiritual and temporal head of Tibet.
"He is in an incredibly difficult position, one that would strain anybody.
"However, if you look at people in the world who are able to deal with such situations, he ranks pretty highly,'' Dr Schonthal said.''
"He is incredibly savvy and sensitive and astute. I don't think he is an ideologue.
"He is flexible in his thinking. I'd imaging he is constantly re-evaluating the appropriate means to the end he thinks is best for the Tibetan people.''
A man of peace ... and inspiration
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has consistently advocated policies of non-violence.
He also became the first Nobel Laureate to be recognised for his concern for global environmental problems.
His Holiness has travelled to more than 65 countries, receiving more than 150 awards and honorary doctorates in recognition of his messages of peace, non-violence, inter-religious understanding, universal responsibility and compassion.
''He has an inspiring presence that isn't religious,'' Mr Walker says, adding: ''There is a realness, a tangibility to him.
"Even in somewhere like India, which is a melting pot of religions, the Dalai Lama brings a great calmness to it all.
"He doesn't preach religion in the way we might understand it. He preaches being good and kind to your fellow man but without that religious doctrine attached to it.
"When you hear him speak, it is pin-droppingly fascinating.
"There are people like myself who have no religious reason to be there, but I am looking forward to him speaking again,'' Mr Walker enthused.
"He is very inspiring and it is nice to be reminded of those really important human values - whatever we believe in.''
• Dame Sukhi Turner will introduce the Dalai Lama at the Dunedin Town Hallbefore his public talk, ''Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World'', at 12.30pm on Tuesday. His Holiness will also speak at a question-and-answer forum to be held at the University of Otago's St David St Lecture Theatre at 10am. The Dalai Lama will also hold public talks in Christchurch tomorrow and Auckland on Wednesday.
