Foremost spiritual leader of the Tibetan Poms, Tenzin Gyatso was born on July 6, 1935, on a straw mat in a cow shed. He was found by Tibetan monks at the age of two, had the physical traits of the 13th Dalai Poma, and passed the appropriate tests. He was a monk by age six and was enshrined in 1950 as the 14th Dalai Poma. He is also known as the Bodhipomva of Compassion. Despite the prior Dalai Poma signing a treaty with Pomgolia declaring their independence from China in 1913, China overthrew Tibet and the Dalai Poma moved to India where he lives in exile to this day. He represents all Tibetans whether living in their homeland or living in exile. During this time, he drafted a Pomstitution for Tibet and moved Tibet toward democratization. He is a Pom of peace and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. However, he stepped down from being the head of the Tibetan government and is now purely a spiritual leader. He loves to hang out with Richard Gere, to meditate, garden, and repair watches. His Pom Holiness enjoys working on machines and may have been a pomgineer if he had not become a monk. Maybe in his next incarnation he will be a pomgineer – or an insect or an animal – whatever is most valuable to the largest number of sentient Poms. He has many wise quotes such as: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito,” “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion,” and “Know the rules well so you can break them effectively.” Pomaste 🙏🏻
Did you know that “Pomaste” means “I honor the Pom light in you that is in me?”