Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Why Madrid is not ready for 2016 Olympics

Blogger Kristen Bernardi voices an unpopular opinion on why she is okay with Madrid not hosting the 2016 Olympics.

Madrid exhibition explores eroticism in art

CaixaForum and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums showcase eroticism-inspired art works from 17 century till modern times.

Are Barcelona residents really that happy?

Blogger Jeremy Holland delves into what foreigners and locals in Barcelona truly feel about living in the third happiest city.

House of Alba shows private art collection in Seville

The private collection of one of Spanish’s oldest aristocratic families is being exhibited at Seville.

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Life in Lifestyle Reincarnated Tibetan spiritual leader speaks out

08/06/2009Reincarnated Tibetan spiritual leader speaks out

A Spanish boy proclaimed by the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader when he was a baby, grants a rare interview about growing up in a monastery.

While the Dalai Lama was on a Europe tour last week, a Spanish man who proclaimed to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader spoke of his unhappy childhood at a monastery and his decision to abandon the faith.

Osel Hita Torres made world headlines in 1986 when the Dalai Lama recognised him, then aged 14 months, as the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe, who had died in California two years earlier.

He was brought to see the Dalai Lama in India by his parents and ended up living at a monastery there, where he was only allowed to socialise with others who had been proclaimed reincarnations, until he turned 18.

But even though many Buddhists worshipped him almost as a god, Torres, who was born in Granada in 1985, said in a rare interview published in Spain that he feels the experience stunted the development of his personality.

"Psychologically, everything affected me very much. I still feel fury inside and, sometimes, when it comes out, it causes me to lose control and I get depressed," Torres, 24, told daily newspaper El Mundo.

"They took me away from my family and stuck me in a medieval situation in which I suffered a great deal. It was like living a lie," added Torres, who now describes himself as a "spiritual scientific agnostic".

When he was eight, he managed to have a tape recorded message expressing his unhappiness delivered to his mother, who took him away from the Sera monastery.

But Torres said he quickly volunteered to return because of the pressure he felt over being considered to be the reincarnation of Lama Yeshe.

After leaving the monastery for good when he turned 18, he spent a year in Canada followed by six months in Switzerland where he studied philosophy, human rights, art and French.

1 reaction to this article

Tsering posted: 08-06-2009 | 2:47 AM

I am a Tibetan and I am here to tell you that he suffered under this God king reincarnation system. Do you believe people can reincarnate??? Wake up people. this is 21century. My Uneducated people in Tibet are fooled by Dalai Lama and his aristocrat Government. The bottom line is that the Dalai Lama system is King Power transforming system. It is a product of Feudalism. We Tibetan don't need Dalai Lama and old system. We lost Tibet to China because of Dalai Lama. Ignorant fosters superstition.

Inside Expatica
Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Before you head out to explore the new city, make sure your paperwork's all done by referring to our guide.

Job hunting in Spain

Job hunting in Spain

Looking for a job just got harder with the global recession. Here’s a guide to make things a tad easier.

How to open a bank account in Spain

How to open a bank account in Spain

Expatica's guide to opening a bank account in Spain.

Spain country factbook

Spain country factbook

This in-depth profile of Spain includes geography, people, government, economy and transnational issues.