The current Dalai Lama, born Tenzin Gyatso in 1935, is the 14th in a line of Dalai Lamas, the head of the dominant order of Tibetan Buddhists. The Dalai Lama ruled Tibet from the 1600s until 1959, when Gyatso and 100,000 followers fled to India after a failed revolt against Chinese Communists who had occupied Tibet since 1950. After the Dalai Lama’s flight, the Chinese dissolved the Tibetan government.

Tibetan Buddhism teaches that one’s character is the summation of thoughts and deeds from prior incarnations. Accordingly, Buddhist followers believe that the 14 Dalai Lamas are one Dalai Lama reincarnated in 14 bodies, and have developed a complex process for identifying the new incarnation. Candidates are chosen from among those born after the Dalai Lama’s death and are subjected to rigorous tests; for example, they are shown objects, some of which belonged to the Dalai Lama, and asked if they recognize any of the items as their own.

The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his nonviolent efforts to free Tibet from Chinese domination. He is the author of more than 40 books, including The Art of Happiness, which applies Buddhist principles to the problems of daily life. It spent more than 80 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

PostScript: Many celebrities have joined the international support of the Dalai Lama’s cause. In 1996, the first annual Tibetan Freedom Concert, held in San Francisco, drew 100,000 attendees. The following year, the Dalai Lama’s struggle was portrayed in the Martin Scorsese film Kundun.