Does the Dalai Lama have bodyguards?

Question

Does the Dalai Lama have bodyguards? And if so what does Buddhist philosophy have to say about that? Are they necessary, or are they just to keep with appearances?

ps. The Dalai Lama is one of my heroes so this should in no way be taken as a joke.

Answer 1

Does the Dalai Lama have bodyguards?

According to Ganden Thurman, executive director of the Tibet House;

"...Whenever the Dalai Lama travels, "he has his own bodyguards and staff, of course, and translator and two attendants," Thurman said. "And then the State Department people provide the protection envelope around his person..."

I couldn't find anything about any current bodyguards for the Dalai Lama, presumably due to security reasons.

There are, though, information about former bodyguards;

• From Dalai Lama's bodyguard to Dharamshala Municipal Councillor: Journey of a common man

  "...DHARAMSHALA, FEB 3: A Tibetan civil servant has been inducted in the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation as a councilor, a feat no one has achieved ever in the history of Tibetan exile. Dawa Rinchen, Dharamshala Tibetan Settlement Officer and a former bodyguard to His Holiness the Dalai Lama..."

• Nun now teaches Buddhist psychology, once was body guard for Dalai Lama

  "...The Venerable Robina Courtin has led many lives. At 70 years old, she’s been a Buddhist, a Catholic, a musician, a political activist, a radical feminist, a martial arts expert, an advocate for prisoners and even one of the Dalai Lama’s personal bodyguards..."

• The Dalai Lama’s Bodyguard

  "...Dawa Singya Bhutia (center) was a soldier, trained in Kung Fu and bodyguard to the Dalai Lama..."

• The multitasking bodyguard

  "...It's no mean feat to be a private bodyguard for the Dalai Lama..."

May this be of use to you.

Answer 2

In DN16, the Buddha praised the protection of Arahats. While the Dalai Lama may not be a Arahat, still the protection of saintly people is implied here.

"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis duly protect and guard the arahats, so that those who have not come to the realm yet might do so, and those who have already come might live there in peace?"

"I have heard, Lord, that they do."

"So long, Ananda, as this is the case, the growth of the Vajjis is to be expected, not their decline."

Answer 3

The direct answer (“Yes”) has already been provided, with enough references bh @Lanka’s excellent answer. But I would like to add a perspective:

The Dalai Lama (for centuries) has been the political head of the Tibetan state and is not just a spiritual teacher (which too, he of course, is — and a very important one too). The spiritual head of the Gelug sect, to which he belongs, is the head of that Ganden monastery (Ganden Tripa), not the Dalai Lama.

This political status makes him special and revered by Tibetans of all sects (even ones that have been in discord with the Gelugpa). The ascension of the Dalai Lama is a rare occasion in history where a monastic was on the throne of a country (a “monk-king”, if you will).

It is also natural that rival political forces, rebels, opposing/occupying states would target him in this status. Would it not be logical for a head of state to have bodyguards?

So the situation is not quite the same as states providing security for their arhats or foreign countries providing routine security cover for visiting dignitaries.

Answer 4

Some security (e.g. counterintelligence, a cordon, secure premises, trusted drivers and so on) are also provided by the State he's in (e.g. the Indian governments, and/or any countries he is visiting).

Even previously, in Tibet, he lived secluded (possibly more so than now).