HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born in 1935 to a peasant family and recognized at age two, within the Tibetan tradition, as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the thirteenth Dalai Lama. He has spent his life as a Buddhist monk, trained and educated in ancient, traditional ways. At age fifteen he was called upon to assume full political responsibility for his nation as the Chinese military invaded. In 1959, when the Red Army finally crushed the Tibetan National Uprising, he was forced to seek asylum in India where he has remained a refugee ever since. As Tibet�s spiritual leader and head-of-state in exile, he works not only on behalf of his people, but as a voice for human rights and the non-violent pursuit of freedom worldwide. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.