The Tibet Bureau in Geneva is the official representation of the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile for Central and Eastern Europe. It was established with approval of the Swiss Federal Government in 1964. [1]
The Bureau is responsible for preparing the visits of the Dalai Lama and officials of the government-in-exile, supporting Tibetan culture, religion and language, supporting Tibetan citizens living in Europe, and promoting the cause of Tibet internationally. [1]
The Bureau is headed by a Representative (Ambassador), who is assisted by an Under-Secretary. [2]
The Central Tibetan Administration is the Tibetan government in exile, based in Dharamshala, India. It is composed of a judiciary branch, a legislative branch, and an executive branch, and offers support and services to the Tibetan exile community.
The Panchen Lama is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to the Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, he is in charge of seeking out the next Dalai Lama. Panchen is a portmanteau of Pandita and Chenpo, meaning "great scholar".
Chökyi Gyalpo, also referred to by his secular name Gyaincain Norbu or Gyaltsen Norbu, is considered the 11th Panchen Lama by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He is also the vice president of the Buddhist Association of China. Gyalpo is considered by critics to be a proxy of the Chinese government.
The Dorje Shugden controversy is a controversy over Dorje Shugden, also known as Dolgyal, whom some consider to be one of several protectors of the Gelug school, the school of Tibetan Buddhism to which the Dalai Lamas belong. Dorje Shugden has become the symbolic focal point of a conflict over the "purity" of the Gelug school and the inclusion of non-Gelug teachings, especially Nyingma ones.
Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chökyi Gyaltsen was the tenth Panchen Lama, officially the 10th Panchen Erdeni, of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. According to Tibetan Buddhism, Panchen Lamas are living emanations of the buddha Amitabha. He was often referred to simply as Choekyi Gyaltsen.
The 7th Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso, was recognized as the authentic 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet. He was seen as the true incarnation of the 6th Dalai Lama, and was enthroned after a pretender supported by the Koshut Khan was deposed.
Tibet Houses are an international, loosely affiliated group of nonprofit, cultural preservation organizations founded at the request of the Dalai Lama. They aim to preserve, present, and protect Tibet's ancient traditions of philosophy, mind science, art, and culture following the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 and subsequent Tibetan diaspora. The first Tibet House was founded in New Delhi, India in 1965. The United States Central Intelligence Agency funded the creation of houses in Geneva and New York City.
Reting Rinpoche was a title held by abbots of Reting Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in central Tibet.
Chhime Rigzing, also Chhime Rigzin Chhoekyapa, is a Tibetan government official and senior spokesman for Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. He functions as a private secretary and is part of the Central Tibetan Administration in exile in Dharamsala in India.
The Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the offices of the official representation of the 14th Dalai Lama and of the Tibetan government in exile, and a non-profit organization, founded in March 1997 and based in Taipei, Taiwan.
Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa was a Tibetan nobleman, scholar, statesman and former Finance Minister of the government of Tibet.
The Kashag was the governing council of Tibet during the rule of the Qing dynasty and post-Qing period until the 1950s. It was created in 1721, and set by Qianlong Emperor in 1751 for the Ganden Phodrang in the 13-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet. In that year the Tibetan government was reorganized after the riots in Lhasa of the previous year. The civil administration was represented by the Council (Kashag) after the post of Desi was abolished by the Qing imperial court. The Qing imperial court wanted the 7th Dalai Lama to hold both religious and administrative rule, while strengthening the position of the High Commissioners.
Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari Rinpoche, Kasur Lodi Gyari or "as he is universally known to the Tibetan-speaking world, Gyari Rinpoche" was a Tibetan politician, and journalist who served as the 14th Dalai Lama's special envoy to the United States. Exiled to India in 1959, he was also the executive chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet.
Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa is an official of the Tibetan Government in Exile. He is the Representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile for Central and Eastern Europe and the head of the Tibet Bureau in Geneva. He was appointed as Representative on 1 April 2008, succeeding Kelsang Gyaltsen. He has previously worked for the Tibetan exile government in India and London. He is a graduate of Columbia University in New York, and was born in Nepal after his parents had escaped from Tibet in 1959, after the Annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China.
The Tibet Bureau in Paris, one of the offices of the official representation of the 14th Dalai Lama and of the Tibetan government in exile, is in charge of France, the Iberian Peninsula, the Maghreb and the Benelux countries. Founded in September 1992 it acts as an Embassy.
Yeshi Dhonden was a Tibetan doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine, and served the 14th Dalai Lama from 1961 to 1980. In 2018, the Indian government honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.
The Central Tibetan Administration, a government-in-exile of Tibet based in India, held an election for its next leader, the Sikyong, in 2021. Candidate Penpa Tsering won the election and succeeded Dr. Lobsang Sangay, who has served for two consecutive terms as Sikyong.
Kelsang Dorjee "Kaydor" Aukatsang is a Tibetan politician and candidate for the Central Tibetan Administration office of Sikyong. Kaydor was a close aide of the previous Sikyong, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, under whom he held various official positions including, the role of North America representative for the Dalai Lama, Chief Resilience Officer of the Central Tibetan Administration and the Director of the Social and Resource Development Fund (SARD).
Penpa Tsering is a Tibetan politician based in India. He is the second democratically elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration in India. He succeeded the last Sikyong Lobsang Sangay on 27 May 2021. Penpa Tsering was the speaker of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration for two terms between 2008 and 2016.
Kelsang Gyaltsen Bawa is a Tibetan politician. He is the representative of the Tibet Office in Taiwan.