Background
Lobsang Tenzin was born in Jol, in eastern Tibet.
Lobsang Tenzin was born in Jol, in eastern Tibet.
Drepung Monastery.
At the age of five, he was recognised, according to Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of the 4th Samdhong Rinpoche and enthroned in Gaden Dechenling Monastery at Jol. But in 1950, after the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he was forced to go into exile in India along with the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Between 1965 and 1970 he was the Principal of Dalhousie Tibetan School and between 1971 and 1988 he was the Principal of Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) at Varanasi (Benares), and from 1988 to 2001 he was the director
He is fluent in Hindi and English, Tibetan being his mother tongue.
In 2000 the Dalai Lama decided that the Tibetan people in exile should elect their own Prime Minister, and in July 2001 Lobsang Tenzin was elected with about 29,000 votes, or about 84% of those cast, which is about 25% of the exile Tibetan population. Since 2001 he has travelled extensively to gain support for the cause of Tibetan autonomy and raise awareness of the Dalai Lama"s proposals for negotiating autonomy with the Chinese government.
In 1991 Lobsang Tenzin was appointed by the Dalai Lama as a member of the Assembly of Tibetan People"s Deputies, and later was unanimously elected as its chairman. Between 1996 and 2001 he was an elected member of the Assembly representing exiled Tibetans from Kham province and also its chairman.