Dharamshala: TibetPost-09-January-2009-At the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, author Mr. Narkyid Ngawang Thondup launched his new book “A Brief Biography of the Great Thirteenth Dalai Lama.” He was joined by library director Ven. Lhakdor and guest Mr. Sharma, former principal of the Government College, Dharamshala, who hosted the launch today.

In Ven. Lhakdor’s brief introduction, he noted that Mr. Sharma’s lack of the Tibetan language was not a lack of understanding of Tibet and Buddhism and recognized that Mr. Sharma has been a long-time friend and supporter of Tibetans and the Tibetan cause.

Mr. Sharma humbly stated “I must confess, in my own eyes, I am not the fittest person to release” but he says it is his “formal duty of releasing this book.”

In his launch, Mr. Sharma described the book as a complete, comprehensive, and well documented biography of His Holiness the Great 13th Dalai Lama which follows him through the stages of his life, education and the political responsibility given to him at age eighteen. The book is especially focused on the foresight of the 13th Dalai Lama. Mr. Sharma read from His Holiness’ his last will and testament given in 1933, outlining a future crisis in Tibet in which ‘monks will fall’, Tibetans enslaved and the government left to an ‘empty name’. He remarked that we are seeing this prophecy coming to be.

He stressed that the purpose of the biography is to show the great vision of the 13th Dalai Lama.

The book is published in Tibetan, but hopes for an English translation were expressed.