Lhamo Thondup was born in 1935 in Tibet and was identified at age 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was given the name Tenzin Gyatso and became the 14th Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Dalai Lamas are believed to be reincarnations of the Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara and choose to reincarnate to benefit humanity. In 1989, the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent efforts regarding Tibetan autonomy and environmental issues. He advocates for Tibetan independence and global human rights and ethics in leadership.