About
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, also known as Tenzin Gyatso; né Lhamo Thondup; born 6 July 1935) is, as the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. Before 1959, he served as both the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet and subsequently established and led the Tibetan government in exile in India. By the adherents of Tibetan Buddhism, he is considered a living Bodhisattva, an emanation of Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit, and Chenrezig in Tibetan. The Dalai Lama, whose name means "Ocean of Wisdom," is known to Tibetans as Gyalwa Rinpoche, "The Precious Jewel-like Buddha-Master," Kundun, "The Presence," and Yizhin Norbu, "The Wish-Fulfilling Gem." His devotees, as well as much of the Western world, often call him His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the style employed on his website. He is also the leader and a monk of the Gelug school, the newest school of Tibetan Buddhism, formally headed by the Ganden Tripa.
14th Dalai Lama is sometimes cited as:
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama
- The Dalai Lama