Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)

1935– · Tibetan (Taktser, Amdo) · Modern Era

Known for: The 14th Dalai Lama — exiled leader of Tibet who became the world's most famous Buddhist and everybody's favorite religious leader

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, has served as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism since being recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at age 2. He fled Tibet in 1959 after China's invasion and has lived in exile in Dharamsala, India, ever since. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent campaign for Tibetan autonomy.

He's become the most recognizable Buddhist leader in the world — a bestselling author, frequent public speaker, and advocate for interfaith dialogue, secular ethics, and the dialogue between science and spirituality. He relinquished political authority in 2011, transitioning to a purely spiritual role.

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