1960 - Dharamsala, India, becomes home to the Dalai Lama and headquarters of the government-in-exile of Tibet.

1963 - Enacts a new Tibetan democratic constitution based on Buddhist principles and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

September 30, 1973 - Meets with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican, the first ever meeting of a pope and a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.

May 1977 - The Chinese government makes the Dalai Lama a conditional offer, the opportunity to return to Tibet after acceptance of Chinese rule over Tibet. The offer is rejected.

August 3, 1979 - Arrives in the United States for a 49 day tour.

February 2, 1986 - Meets with Pope John Paul II in New Delhi.

September 1987 - Attends the Congressional Human rights Caucus in Washington, DC, and proposes a Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet's future.

1989 - Shares the Nobel Peace Prize with Mikhail Gorbachev.

April 16, 1991 - White House meeting with George Bush, the first ever between the spiritual leader and a president of the United States.

May 6, 1993 - Meets with President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore at the White House.

September, 1995 - Tours the United States urging government involvement with talks with China over Tibetan autonomy.

March 27, 1997 - Meets with President Lee Teng-hui of Taiwan in Taipei.

December 25, 1997 - Disney, through Touchstone Pictures, releases the biopic "Kundun," directed by Martin Scorsese.

November 10, 1998 - Requests assistance in opening official negotiations with China regarding the future of Tibet at a meeting of senior government officials in Washington, DC, including President Clinton. The Dalai Lama says that the distrust between himself and China is too great to re-open the talks.

May 2001 - Meets with President George W. Bush, Congressional leaders and Secretary of State Colin Powell, among others in Washington, DC.

2002 - Speaks out against China, stating that China should embrace democracy if the country is to be a major world power in the coming years. - He also criticizes the United States-led war on terrorism, saying that the use of force to override terrorists overlooks the underlying problems that lead to terrorism.

September 2003 - Begins a 16-day tour of the U.S. in San Francisco. Other cities include New York, Boston, Bloomington, Indiana and Washington DC, meeting again with President Bush and Colin Powell.

September 19-22, 2004 - Tours south Florida and gives a series of public and private lectures on peace and religious and cultural harmony. Lecture sites include Miami University and Florida International University.

November 8, 2005 - Meetings with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.

September 11, 2006 - Receives honorary Canadian citizenship in a ceremony held at Vancouver's GM Place Stadium.