The 14th Dalai Lama  Spiritual Leader Of 6 Million Tibetans
September 13, 1998|By Rachel Louise Snyder. Special to the
Tribune. Rachel Louise Snyder is a Chicago writer and adjunct
professor of English at DePaul University.  DHARMSALA, India —
The Dalai Lama, 63, has led the Tibetan non-violent freedom
struggle against the Chinese since his escape from Lhasa, the
capital of Tibet, in 1959. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize,
the Buddhist monk's efforts to preserve Tibetan culture, to
maintain compassion for the Chinese government, and above all to
regain his country's freedom have inspired people to support the
cause in unprecedented numbers.  After President Clinton visited
China in June, President Jiang Zemin announced that if the Dalai
Lama would concede that Tibet is part of China--a move that
would anger many Tibetans--Jiang might be willing to engage in a
dialogue about the Himalayan nation's future.  The Dalai Lama
spoke recently about possible responses to China's invitation
from his headquarters-i