The 14th Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and is widely recognized as the highest authority within the tradition. He was born in 1935 and identified as the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama at a young age. He assumed leadership roles in Tibet, guiding both religious and political affairs before 1959. After 1959, he left Tibet and established the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala, India, where he continued to lead the Tibetan community in exile. The Dalai Lama is known internationally for his advocacy of nonviolence, compassion, and the preservation of Tibetan culture and identity.