Spiritual leader of the Gelug or 'Yellow Hat' school of Tibetan Buddhism. Born (in his present incarnation) as Lhamo Dhondup in Taktser, in the east of Qinghai province of China. His spiritual name is Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, although he is generally known as just Tenzin Gyatso. He was selected as the tulku of the 13th Dalai Lama in 1937 (aged 2) and formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama in 1939. His enthronement ceremony was held in Lhasa on the 22nd February 1940.
During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, he escaped to India, where he still resides. In the mid-1970s, he told a newspaper that he thought he would be the last Dalai Lama.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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