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Boy Chosen by Dalai Lama Abandons Buddhism

Spanish-born Lama says order 'was like living a lie'

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 1, 2009 7:19 AM CDT

(Newser) – When he was still a toddler, Osel Hita Torres was brought from Spain to an Indian monastery, where the Dalai Lama proclaimed him the reincarnation of one of Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leaders. But Torres, now 24, has abandoned the order and returned to Spain, where he studies film and says he has no affection for the Buddhists who worship him almost as a god. "It was like living a lie," he told a Spanish newspaper.

"They took me away from my family and stuck me in a medieval situation in which I suffered a great deal," said Torres, who as a child was only allowed to socialize with other people who had been proclaimed reincarnations. At age 18 he had never seen couples kiss, and his first experience at a disco dumbfounded him. "What were all those people doing," he wondered, "bouncing, stuck to one another, enclosed in a box full of smoke?"

Exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks participate in a protest against China on the outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, May 14, 2009.
Exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks participate in a protest against China on the outskirts of Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, May 14, 2009.   (AP Photo/ Binod Joshi)
George W. Bush and the Dalai Lama confer in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington during a ceremony in 2007.
George W. Bush and the Dalai Lama confer in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington during a ceremony in 2007.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, FILE)
A young Tibetan Buddhist monk looks on during a prayer reciting session at the Kopan monastery in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, April 15, 2009.
A young Tibetan Buddhist monk looks on during a prayer reciting session at the Kopan monastery in Katmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, April 15, 2009.   (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Tibetan Buddhist monks chant prayers at an event commemorating 50 years of struggle for Tibet's independence, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, March 28, 2009.
Tibetan Buddhist monks chant prayers at an event commemorating 50 years of struggle for Tibet's independence, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, March 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 5 comments
BCto
May 17, 2010 2:31 AM CDT
he is much more enlightened now than he ever could of been
DavePA
Jun 1, 2009 12:42 PM CDT
The idea behind Buddhist 'philosophy' is great, but the religious hegemony that has grown up around it is the same as catholicism or any other religion. I'm glad to see someone has at least 'seen the light' and was able to escape and not live the lie of a life others would have liked for him to live.
drlarrymitchell
Jun 1, 2009 2:16 AM CDT
The Chosen One figured out that there really is no spoon.

Buddhists still proclaim him as 'boy lama'
Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Buddhism

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