Dalai Lama, Tibet's 'god-king' and scourge of Beijing

DHARAMSHALA, India (AFP) — Known for his maroon robes and outsized spectacles, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is a darling of the West but is frequently vilified by Beijing.

The Buddhist "god-king" has been a mainstay on the diplomatic stage for decades but has been under a spotlight since peaceful protests in Tibet flared into deadly violence in March.

Attention has intensified since China, under mounting international pressure over its crackdown on the unrest just four months before the Olympics, offered to hold talks with the Dalai Lama's envoy.

The 72-year-old on Saturday welcomed the offer, but added that anything other than "serious discussions" -- rather than a meeting to appease international concern -- would be fruitless.

He has denied claims by China, which invaded the region in 1950, that he orchestrated the unrest in an attempt to sabotage the Beijing Olympics in August, condemning the violence and stressing his support for the Games.

Regarded as a visionary in the vein of Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King in some quarters, he is equally reviled by China which has branded him a "monster" who is trying to split the nation.

The Dalai Lama fled his Himalayan homeland after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. He champions a non-violent campaign for greater "cultural autonomy" for the remote region from his exile base here in northern India.

He has been a powerful rallying point for the six million Tibetans living in exile or in their homeland, while also being a friend to kings, politicians, celebrities and the poor.

Born into a peasant farming family in the Tibetan village of Taksar on July 6, 1935, Lhamo Dhondrub was chosen as the 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama at the age of two.

Considered a Buddhist Master exempt from the religion's wheel of death and reincarnation, he was taken to the capital Lhasa's palace to be trained to lead his people.

But at 16 he was called upon to become head of state when China invaded Tibet in 1950.

He tried to keep the peace but the effort failed in 1959 when China poured troops into the region to crush an uprising and reneged on a pledge to grant Tibet autonomy.

The Dalai Lama, disguised as a soldier, trekked for 13 days through the Himalayas and crossed into India, which offered him Dharamshala as a base and allowed him to set up a government-in-exile.

According to officials, at least 100,000 Tibetans live in exile in India which, after fighting a war with China in 1962, barred the Dalai Lama from using its soil as a springboard for a Tibetan independence movement.

The Dalai Lama's campaign to reclaim Tibet slowly morphed into a plea to Chinese authorities for autonomy for his people.

He insists his moderate "middle path" approach to the impasse is in the Tibetans' best interests. His title translates as "Ocean Teacher," a metaphor for the depth of his spirituality.