The 14th and current Dalai Lama is both a political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists believe 72-year-old Tenzin Gyatso is the most recent reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lamas’ spirit who comes back in new earthly bodies with three responsibilities: to share the ideas of compassion, forgiveness and tolerance with the world; to promote religious harmony and peaceful coexistence between the world’s major religions; and to act as a spokesperson and a leader to the people of Tibet in their struggle for justice.

Although he is the leader of Tibet, he has been living in India since 1959, when he fled after a failed uprising against the Chinese government. In the following four decades, China has tried to suppress any kind of international recognition of the Dalai Lama. The country has accused the Dalai Lama of acting as a theocratic dictator of Tibet, even though he enjoys almost unanimous support from the Tibetan people.

Last August, the Chinese government arrested someone in a province just east of Tibet for simply calling for the exiled leader’s return. Human rights groups say the supporter has since been charged with sedition. China also has detained the Panchen Lama, the second-holiest Tibetan Buddhist, for 12 years in a secret location — he was kidnapped when he was six years old. Other Tibetans have been tortured for simply possessing a photograph of the Dalai Lama.

In recent years, the world has started taking notice of the Tibetan cultural plight, and Beijing has grown more and more upset by the Dalai Lama’s global profile. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, Canada granted him honorary citizenship last year, Australian Prime Minister John Howard met with him in June and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with him last month.

Tibet doesn’t necessarily seek political independence from China — they only want freedom to practice their religion safely. But China, one of the last remaining Communist strongholds in the world and an important U.S. trade partner, is determined to keep that from happening. The nation was so incensed by the U.S.‘s decision to honor the Dalai Lama that before the actual ceremony it demanded that the U.S. discontinue its plans, and then accused the U.S. of meddling in China’s internal affairs.

“If the Dalai Lama can receive such an award, there can be no justice or good people in this world,” said Tibet’s Communist Party boss, Zhang Qingli.

Clearly, the Chinese government has no idea what justice or good people look like. However, the global media is abuzz as the Dalai Lama travels the globe, spreading his message of peaceful opposition, and the rest of the world is starting to pay attention to Tibet’s appalling lack of basic human rights and China’s unreasonably hard-line stance on anything religious.

Hopefully, the current Dalai Lama will live to see the day when he can safely return to his homeland, to a freed Panchen Lama, to the autonomy to practice his religion of peace and nonviolence.

If that day doesn’t come, it’s up to the next Dalai Lama to continue the quest — that is, if China allows such a reincarnation to happen. In an effort to control even the afterlife, officials recently announced they were banning living souls from reincarnating.

The fear of losing absolute control over Tibet will only make China tighten its grip on the province in the future, but China will have the rest of the world to reckon with.

While Congressional awards and Nobel Peace Prizes won’t free the region, they can at least get under China’s skin and draw attention to the situation. There may be hope yet for the preservation of such a unique, beautiful culture with global support, but it won’t be quick or easy.

Liz Kersjes is the State News opinion writer. Reach her at kersjese@msu.edu.