Head of Tibetan Sangha and the former ruler of Tibet. The bodhisattva who is the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, a. K. A. Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of Compassion. He is a single being who has been reincarnated 14 times as the Dalai Lama. See also lama. The Dalai Lama has always been a combination the chief spiritual leader and the chief political leader of Tibet. The present Dalai Lama lives in exile in Nepal; he remains spiritual leader of his people, even under their oppression by the Chinese government.