THE XIV DALAI LAMA - TENSIN GUIATSO

Tensin Guiatso was born to a rural family in Amdo, in Eastern Tibet in 1935.

At the age of 2, he was recognized by a committee of government and high ranking Buddhist Lamas or priests, as the fourteenth incarnation of the Dalai Lama Lineage. When he was 4 years old, he was taken to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa and officially recognized as the Dalai Lama. In 1959, with the invasion of Tibet by China, he had to flee from his country, through the Himalayas with about one hundred thousand refugees. He ended up in Dharamsala, India.

It is estimated that about one million Tibetans and 5000 Buddhist monasteries were destroyed.

From these new headquarters in India, he created a new government in exile, and redacted a new democratic constitution, that were the basis for a new Tibetan society: new schools, hospitals, orphanages, labor co-ops, libraries and cultural centers to preserve traditional Tibetan music, dance and theatre were built.

Despite so much turmoil, the Dalai Lama has not lost his hope or determination to achieve justice for his people. Due to his extraordinary moral character and his strong defense of the basic human rights, he has become not only the spiritual leader of his people but also a world renowned figure. For many years he has worked indefatigably to stress the importance of generosity and compassion in the resolution of violent and political conflicts. His work was recognized by the global community, and in 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.