The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), the spiritual leader of Tibet, has lived in exile from his homeland since 1959. While working to preserve the culture of his homeland, he has also served as one of the preeminent representatives of Buddhism in the West. Through his wide travels and his many bestselling books he has helped to spread the Buddhist precepts of wisdom and compassion, while also fostering peace and understanding between different religious paths.