See the Dalai Lama's Life in Pictures

  • The 14th Dalai Lama at his enthronement in Lhasa, Tibet, Feb. 22, 1940.
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  • The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, second in rank as spiritual leader, pictured in Tibet in 1954.
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  • The Dalai Lama is seen with members of a Chinese government delegation on their official visit to Tibet in 1956.
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  • Averaging 12 miles a day through the Himalayas, the Dalai Lama is shown journeying through the Karpo Pass, one of the highest on the flight route of the 23-year-old ruler from Lhasa. His flight began on March 17, 1959. Here the escape party is seen on March 28, three days before reaching sanctuary in the free zone of India.
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  • The Dalai Lama pictured in India circa 1965.
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  • The Dalai Lama and his loyal follower, actor Richard Gere, in New York in September 1990.
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  • The Dalai Lama makes an appearance at the University of California, Los Angeles in May 2001.
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  • President George W. Bush winks while he sits with the Dalai Lama during a ceremony to present him with the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, D.C., in October 2007.
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  • The Dalai Lama speaks during a ceremony to present him with the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, D.C., in October 2007.
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  • Prince Charles receives the Dalai Lama at Clarence House in London in June 2012.
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  • The Dalai Lama speaks onstage at the One World Concert at Syracuse University in New York in October 2012.
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  • The Dalai Lama during a news conference at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, United Kingdom, in June 2012.
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  • The Dalai Lama visits Madame Tussauds and poses with a wax figure of himself in Sydney in June 2013.
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  • Tibetan Buddhist monks holding ceremonial scarfs stand in a line to welcome the Dalai Lama as he arrives at the Jhonang Takten Phuntsok Choeling monastery in Shimla, India, in March 2014.
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  • The Dalai Lama stands at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., in February 2015.
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By TIME Photo

Correction appended, Feb. 27.

The Dalai Lama was enthroned 75 years ago on Feb. 22, 1940, at the age of 4. Since then, he’s been a strong advocate for tolerance; in 1989, he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his advocacy efforts for an independent Tibet. Here’s a look back at his life in photos, from his young enthronement to his appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

Read next: Exclusive: The Dalai Lama Talks Pot, Facebook and the Pope With TIME

Correction: The original version of this photo gallery included a picture that did not show Dalai Lama.

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