Comparing Pope Francis And The Dalai Lama

Evan King

Mrs. Beasley

English 12

27 October 2014

Comparison Of Two Great People

Two of the most influential people in the world are Pope Francis and the 14th Dalai Lama and they are very similar in many ways such as their popularity, their philosophies, and how their words can change the lives of many people. The Pope and the Dalai Lama have millions of followers listening to what they have to say and there teachings that is a big reason why the religions they teach (Catholicism and Buddhism) are some of the most popular religions in the world. These two leaders have the power to influence many different people from many different walks of life. Even though both religions are completely different the Pope and the Dalai Lama are very similar in many ways.

Millions of people follow Pope Francis even those who are not Catholic follow his teachings and his popularity continues to grow. Rolling Stone even put Pope Francis on the cover of one of their magazine titled “Pope Francis: The Times They Are A-Changin'” (Rolling Stone)This story tells of all the things he is doing to help modernize the Catholic Church and how many people flock to get a glimpse of this holy man which is depicted in this quote. “Since the election of the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio last March, attendance at papal events has tripled to 6.6 million. On a recent chilly morning in December, the thousands of amassed pilgrims appear to gleam in the sunlight, covering the square like a pixelated carpet.” This Just goes to show what an impact just one person has on a group of people and the popularity of one man.
“We must restore hope to young people, help the old, be open to the future, spread love. Be poor among the poor. We need to include the excluded and preach peace.” (Pope Francis)These words were spoken by Pope Francis while giving one of his many speeches at the Vatican. This quote tells of how his words can move people and influence others to do live like him and treat others the way you want to be treated so the world can be a better place. Pope Francis has the power of one, his philosophies are some of the most influential words ever spoken, it is amazing that just one person can make such a difference.
Last of all the many traits that Pope Francis possesses is his ability to make good decisions that help the Catholic church adapt to the times.

For years the Catholic church has not accepted the idea of homosexuality in the church, not until recently has the Vatican and many other Catholic denominations accepted homosexuality. In this quote from Pope Francis he explains that only God is to judge someone on the kind of person they are not on their sexual orientation. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? We shouldn't marginalise people for this. They must be integrated into society.” (Pope Francis) Just this quote is a huge leap forward for the Catholic church and their modernization.

The First trait that the Dalai Lama has that is much like the Popes is his popularity Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world. “The number of Buddhists in the world is estimated at around 350 million (6% of the world's population). This makes Buddhism the world's fourth largest (in terms of number of adherents) religion.” (Arthur)This quote shows the Buddhist religion is growing and how the Dalai Lama is teaching all of these people the peaceful Buddhist

Religion.
Over the past few decades, there have been many political problems in Tibet. This can be attributed to the ongoing problem between Tibet and China. “Tibet had previously, for many years, been faced with occupation by the forces of the People's Republic of China in their land. This was very alarming to many people, including the highly respected Dalai Lama of Tibet.” (Krueger) The Dalai Lama has been a very influential person in Tibet's history and many of the decisions he has made have directly affected the outcome of certain situations pertaining to the relationship between Tibet and China.
The Dalai Lama, in Tibetan Buddhism, is a lineage of reborn magistrates which traces all the way back to the year 1391. Each time an old Dalai Lama passes away, a new one is chosen. Starting during the 17th century, the Dalai Lama was named head of the Tibetan government, managing a large portion of the country from its capital, Lhasa. The Dalai Lama is considered the supreme head of Tibetan Buddhism, and many leaders consider the Dalai Lama to be the highest lama of people in the buddhist religion.
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” (Birth to Exile) Even after all of this hate and exile from China the Dalai Lama still has many followers and still has the power to move people. The 14th Dalai Lama has, since instituted as the head of Tibet, been a very influential person in that country. His decisions have affected hundreds of thousands of people. He has many faithful followers who hope that one day his peaceful ways will be what it takes to gain Tibet's independence. China will not admit to the genocide happening in Tibet, China is telling all of the non native Tibetans to move there industrialize it and have children. China wants to “ethnically Cleanse” the state of Tibet China wants Buddhism out of their country and wants the Tibetan blood out of there country as well.
In conclusion Pope Francis and the 14th Dalai Lama are very similar in many ways such as their popularity, their philosophies, and how their words can change the lives of many people. These two great men are very much the same and are both huge influential leaders in their religions. Some may say that a person can not compare these two because of the vas difference in the religions that they teach but that can not be further from the truth. Both of these men can classified as two of the most influential people in the world and they will go down in history as such.