Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual and

temporal leader of the Tibetan people. He was

born in a small village called Takster in northeastern

Tibet. Born to a peasant family, His Holiness was recognized

at the age of two, in accordance with Tibetan tradition, as the

reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lamas are

the manifestations of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who

chose to reincarnate to serve the people. Dalai Lama means

Ocean of Wisdom. Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as

Yeshin Norbu, the Wish-fulfilling Gem, or simply, Kundun,

meaning The Presence.