Dalai Lama

Tibetan Buddhists believe that in a prior age, a compassionate monk was so dedicated to others that he achieved perfect enlightenment, becoming Avalokiteśvara, the Buddha embodying universal compassion. Avalokiteśvara was incarnated in the 15th century as Gendun Drup, the first Dalai Lama. To continue his work in bringing others to enlightenment, his spirit was reborn again and again in a continuous line of religious leaders. By the time of the fifth incarnation the Dalai Lama was also recognized as the political leader of Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, came into his role in 1950, the same year that the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet. He later fled the country, and ever since has been the leader in exile of Tibet. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his continued efforts to peacefully resolve the liberation of Tibet. This minig was created by Dunechaser as part of a series of important world figures and personal heroes of his.