He is the 14th Dalai Lama but the first to become a global figure. Although the spiritual leader of Tibet, he has been exiled from his homeland since 1959, following an abortive rebellion as China sought to reestablish control of the area. Since then he has traveled the world advocating for Buddhism and for the rights of the Tibetan people. Despite his fame, he has dispensed with much of the pomp surrounding his office, describing himself as a “simple Buddhist monk.” Discover more about the world’s best-known monastic.