Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Thondup (spiritual name: Tenzin Gyatso), is the highest spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He assumed full political power as ruler of Tibet in 1950 at age 15, but was forced into exile in India in 1959 following Chinese military suppression of a Tibetan uprising. Since then, he has led the Tibetan government-in-exile from Dharamsala, India, and has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his peaceful advocacy for Tibetan autonomy and human rights.