Dalai Lama
Exiled Buddhist leader
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and historically served as Tibet's head of state.
The title, meaning "ocean of wisdom," passes through reincarnation: when a Dalai Lama dies, monks search for a child believed to be his rebirth.
The current and 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has lived in exile in India since 1959 following China's occupation of Tibet.
He became a global symbol of nonviolent resistance and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Tibet's administrative center
- Tibetan BuddhismHimalayan tantric spiritual tradition
- thangkaTibetan religious fabric painting
- butter teaTibetan salted tea drink
- Tibetan PlateauElevated Asian landmass
Himalayas · yak · prayer flags · sky burial
Cosmic moral order
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- meditationFocused attention practice
- karmaSpiritual cause and effect
reincarnation · bodhisattva · nirvana · mantra · mindfulness · sangha · tantra · mandala
Indian hill station, Buddhist center
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
- asylumShelter from persecution
- IndiaSouth Asian republic
displacement · stateless · sanctuary · persecution · escape · emigration · government-in-exile
Principled rejection of force
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- Nobel PrizeHighest academic honor
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
harmony · interfaith · tolerance · forgiveness · diplomacy · activism · pacifism · human rights
Lhasa
Tibet's administrative center
- Tibetan BuddhismHimalayan tantric spiritual tradition
- thangkaTibetan religious fabric painting
- butter teaTibetan salted tea drink
Tibetan Plateau · Himalayas · yak · prayer flags · sky burial
dharma
Cosmic moral order
- enlightenmentProfound spiritual awakening
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- meditationFocused attention practice
karma · reincarnation · bodhisattva · nirvana · mantra · mindfulness · sangha · tantra · mandala · monk
Dharamsala
Indian hill station, Buddhist center
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- diasporaScattered population sharing origins
- asylumShelter from persecution
India · displacement · stateless · sanctuary · persecution · escape · emigration · government-in-exile
nonviolence
Principled rejection of force
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- Nobel PrizeHighest academic honor
- dialogueSpoken exchange between parties
reconciliation · harmony · interfaith · tolerance · forgiveness · diplomacy · activism · pacifism · human rights · autonomy
- HumanitariansMother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.
- Eastern SpiritualityBuddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto
- Modern Religionevangelicalism, fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, New Age, Scientology
- peacemakerspeacekeeper, peace activist, peace advocates, peacemaker, peacebuilders
- religious leadersabbot, abbess, archbishop, bishop, pope
- Spiritual TeachersBuddha, Alan Watts, swami, yogi, master
Dalai LamaPope
Catholic Church's supreme leader
Ayatollah · Chief Rabbi · Archbishop of Canterbury · megachurch pastor · televangelist
Dalai LamaMao Zedong
Xi Jinping · Chinese Communist Party · People's Liberation Army · Deng Xiaoping · Beijing