The Dalai Lama

Head of state (in exile) and spiritual leader of Tibet

Born in 1935 to a farming family in north-eastern Tibet, Lhamo Dhondup (as he was then named) was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama at the age of two. As Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, he began monastic education at the age of six and completed his studies in 1959 having been awarded the Lharampa degree. As a result of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, the Dalai Lama only briefly ruled as temporal leader, and fled to India in March 1959. He has since devoted his life to the cause for autonomy and liberation of the Tibetan people and the preservation of Tibetan culture. He advocates non-violent protest, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The Dalai Lama is a noted public speaker throughout the world and has received over 84 awards, prizes and honorary doctorates, as well as writing more than 72 books. In 2008, he announced his semi-retirement.