Maitreya reviews the Dalai Lama’s recently published book, subtitled Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People
Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People
by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
William Morrow, March 11, 2025
256 pages
Hardback, paperback, Kindle
ISBN-10: 0063391392
ISBN-13: 978-0063391390
ASIN: B0DJGZ8RXW
Amazon* – barnesandnoble.com – waterstones.com
This book came into my hands in an unusual way. On Sunday, 6th July, I saw in the news that the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, had just turned 90. I briefly commented on this to my beloved who was nearby.
After lunch we went to a stationery store to buy me a notebook (later used for writing this review). Afterwards, when we saw a bookstore, we decided to go in.
There I stumbled upon the book Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer, which had inspired the 1990s film adaptation starring Brad Pitt – a film we had, in fact, talked about earlier that morning.
After a while, still unsure whether to buy a book or not, I jokingly said: “If I’m meant to read a book, may the universe show it to me. About something I need to learn, and which is good for me.”
Walking through the aisles and letting my body guide me, my eyes landed on Voice for the Voiceless by the Dalai Lama, which had been released in March.
That was it!
I ended up reading the entire book that very night. It tells in detail – in the words of the spiritual leader himself – the step-by-step account of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, a cowardly and oppressive act, and its aftermath.
The start is very intense: the meetings of the just-19-year-old leader with Mao Tse Tung, the tension of the imminent invasion, the last-minute predictions of the oracles about the paths of His Holiness… and at the same time – a few tears welled up in my eyes – the young dreamer experiences the happiest day of his life as he completes the final exams for the Geshe Lharam, the highest academic degree in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. With this, he is ready to share Buddhism with the world.
It could well be that all his energy, which was meant to be devoted to leading Buddhist teachings, ends up being diverted by the fight for his country’s cultural and religious freedom – and by becoming the main opponent of the Chinese government. And how much of an impact did that have on him? But from a broader perspective, as he himself acknowledges, Tibetan Buddhism gained a level of global recognition that would not have been possible before.
Of course, he fought in a surprisingly humane, intelligent, compassionate, and beautiful way – one that made the Chinese government seem small and petty…
And sometimes, perhaps, his ways were even innocent – like when he hoped that China would accept and support the recognition of the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second-most-important figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
In 1996, the Panchen Lama was a six-year-old child, named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, born in the occupied territory. Tragedy struck: the Chinese government ‘disappeared’ the child and his family; they were never seen again.
Throughout the book the Dalai Lama shares incredibly-interesting details about the negotiations with China, stretching over the past seven decades, and offers a hopeful outlook for the future of his sacred homeland, still under Chinese control.
All signs suggest that the 15th Dalai Lama will be born in the free world (outside Tibet) for the first time in history. The struggle will perhaps continue for generations to come, in these uncertain times of deep crisis – times in which we are all invited to contribute to the great leap in human consciousness.
This book is a must-read – a transparent document for today’s and future generations. I believe it may be one of the 90-year-old spiritual leader’s last achievements.
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