Essential Teachings

His Holiness Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on July 6, 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, in northeastern Tibet. At age two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso. He was formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama at a public declaration near the town of Bumchen in 1939. His enthronement ceremony as the Dalai Lama was held in Lhasa on February 22, 1940, and he eventually assumed full temporal (political) duties on November 17, 1950, at the age of fifteen, after the People's Republic of China's invasion of Tibet. 

During the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the Dalai Lama fled to India, where he currently lives as a refugee. The 14th Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He has traveled the world and has spoken about the welfare of Tibetans, the environment, economics, women's rights, non-violence, interfaith dialogue, physics, astronomy, Buddhism and science, cognitive neuroscience, reproductive health, and sexuality, along with various Mahayana and Vajrayana topics. More by His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The author of more than two dozen books, Andrew Harvey began his study and practice of Hinduism in 1978 after meeting a succession of Indian saints and sages. He has studied with masters such as Thuksey Rinpoche and Father Bede Griffiths for more than 30 years. Harvey was awarded the Christmas Humphrey prize for A Journey in Ladakh, the Humanities Team Award (an award previously received by Desmond Tutu) for his 2010 body of work, and a Nautilus Award for The Hope. He is founder and director of the Institute of Sacred Activism. More by Andrew Harvey

Marianne Dresser is the editor of Buddhist Women on the Edge, an anthology of female Buddhist voices, and a Buddhist practitioner. More by Marianne Dresser

Zélie Pollon is a journalist, editor, and translator specializing in the coverage of human rights and social issues. Her work has appeared in various publications including The Dallas Morning News and People Magazine and she has acted as managing editor for Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. Pollon also translated Essential Teachings by the Dalai Lama from French to English. More by Zelie Pollon