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The spiritual leader of Tibet has published amply but seldom written in depth about politics. Now, as he approaches 90, he shares a detailed and personal account of his decades dealing with China.
Jan. 23, 2025, 3:00 p.m. ET
During his decades living in exile, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, has published dozens of books — including two autobiographies and works on ethics, Buddhist philosophy and practice, and the overlap between religion and science. But he has rarely delved extensively into raw politics.
Now, in “Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle With China for My Land and My People,” which comes out in March, he offers his first detailed account of his fraught negotiations with a succession of China’s leaders, from meeting with Mao Zedong when he was just 19, to his more recent attempts to communicate with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials. It also delves into the Dalai Lama’s efforts to preserve Tibet’s unique culture, religion and language, and to ensure protections for Tibetans living under Chinese rule.
The book arrives at a particularly tenuous moment for the Tibetan people, with an ascendant China flexing its military and economic muscle around the world, and with Tibet’s aging leader trying to ensure that Tibetans’ struggle for autonomy isn’t forgotten amid other global crises.
As he nears 90, the Dalai Lama writes, he aims to leave a record of his work, and guidance for those who take up the Tibetan cause after his death.
“Despite all the suffering and destruction, we still hold fast to the hope for a peaceful resolution of our struggle for freedom and dignity,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement. “Drawing on the lessons learned from my decades of engagement with Beijing, the book also aims to offer some thoughts on what might be the way forward.”
He continued, “My hope is that the book will stimulate fresh thoughts and conversations today and provide a framework for the future of Tibet even after I am gone.”
