Their story
Lhamo Thondup was born on 6 July 1935 in the village of Taktser in Amdo, north-eastern Tibet. Aged two, he was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, and he was enthroned in Lhasa in 1940, receiving a traditional monastic education.
In 1950, as troops of the People's Republic of China entered Tibet, he assumed full political authority at the age of fifteen. In 1954–55 he visited Beijing. In March 1959, during a Tibetan uprising in Lhasa, he fled to India, where he established a government in exile at Dharamsala.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In 2011 he gave up his political role to an elected Tibetan leadership. In July 2025, shortly before his ninetieth birthday, he stated that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue after him.
The world they lived in
The incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China, from 1950, and the exile of some eighty thousand Tibetans after 1959, transformed Tibetan Buddhism and carried it around the world.
Their contribution
He has taught widely, rebuilt Tibetan monastic institutions in exile, promoted dialogue between religions and between Buddhism and modern science, and advocated a non-violent 'Middle Way' approach to Tibet's status.
Teachings and works
Freedom in Exile
His autobiography, 1990.
Many books of teachings, among them Ethics for the New Millennium
Related teachings
Their legacy
He is widely admired as a teacher of compassion and a symbol of the Tibetan cause. The Chinese government rejects his position on Tibet and asserts its own authority over the recognition of his successor.
History and tradition
What history can establish
His life is extensively documented, including in his own writings. He is a living person; only public facts are given here.
