A prominent Australian scholar has proposed that the spiritual persona of Dalai Lama represents gender fluidity, rendering him a symbol of significance to queer Buddhists across the globe. The theory is put forward by Stephen Kerry, a lecturer in sociology at Charles Darwin University, who points out the Dalai Lama’s spiritual connection with Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva who is recognized for beyond-gender representation in religious cultures in Asia.
In a recent article in The Conversation, Kerry refers to Avalokitesvara as “the godly being who hears the cries of the world.” The deity, who originated in India as masculine, is worshipped in several different forms—Chenrezig in Tibet, Guanyin in China, and Kanzeon in Japan—each of which can be imagined as male, female, or non-binary.
Avalokitesvara: A Spiritual Anchor for Queer Buddhists
“Avalokitesvara manifests to living creatures in whatever guise would most rescue them,” Kerry states, highlighting the bodhisattva’s flexibility. This attribute, he maintains, particularly speaks to LGBTQIA Buddhists who find religious solace and validation in Avalokitesvara’s gender-equal presence.
“I spent the last five years researching the lives of queer Buddhists in Australia. In the course of this research, I have interviewed and surveyed 109 LGBTQIA Buddhist Australians. The voices of these people, and my own experience as a genderqueer Buddhist individual, disclose how the Dalai Lama proves to be an unlikely role model for people who live a trans and Buddhist life,” adds Kerry.
One of the trans women he interviewed described how Guanyin’s development from male to female over centuries parallels her development. Another queer person described his interest in images of Avalokitesvara “looking effeminate and handsome, with a cute moustache.”
Resistance from Traditional Buddhists
That said, Kerry also recognizes that not all Buddhists accept this reading. He relates a report by a genderqueer Buddhist whose teacher reduced Avalokitesvara’s perceived queerness to “just stories.”
Despite such opposition, Kerry observes, “Despite being a cisgender man who has been somewhat ambivalent in his advocacy of queer individuals, the Dalai Lama, as an expression of the bodhisattva of compassion, is a potential spiritual connection between contemporary queer Buddhists and hundreds-of-years-old histories of gender transition and fluidity.”
Succession Debate Adds to Spotlight
The dialogue surrounding the Dalai Lama’s legacy has become even more heated as the present and 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, approaches the age of 90. His future succession continues to arouse political and religious controversy.
The Dalai Lama has declared that China will not appoint his reincarnation, asserting the autonomy of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Meanwhile, the Chinese government insists on approving any future Dalai Lama, further heightening tensions over the institution’s future.