Symbol and power: the D alai L ama as a charismatic leader

This article originated in a brief but inspiring analysis by M argaret N owak. N owak used S herry O rtner's concept of ‘summarising symbol’ to imply that, much the same way as the A merican flag was the epitome of the United States to each and every A merican, the D alai L ama encompasses everything T ibetan to the T ibetan people. What does this comparison say about the D alai L ama? I examine the relationship between symbol, power and charisma with T enzin G yatso, the current D alai L ama, as a case in point. With exile, there has been a shift in the symbolic importance of the D alai L ama, both as a man and as an institution, from a symbol of T ibet and T ibetan B uddhism to a symbol of the T ibetan cause and, more generally, to a symbol of B uddhism in the world. These changes have given T enzin G yatso a new authority in the T ibetan community: he is now the unique and unquestioned leader of the T ibetan cause in the world. I discuss the problems that occur when a symbol is also a man and a leader, as well as the solutions proposed, at a moment when the Tibetan community in exile is experiencing democratisation.