It's to the best of our knowledge from PRI.

I'm Anne Strange Champs.

Today, finding nirvana.

On July 6th, the Dalai Lama will turn 80 years old.

He's the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and the de facto ambassador for Buddhism around the world.

But over the years, he's become something even bigger, a global spiritual leader with a universal message.

Be kind and be happy.

How can you not love someone like that?

Plus, he radiates joy.

I remember seeing him once in a crowded stadium. He was this

tiny figure in crimson and gold robes, and when he giggled, the whole place broke up. And all of this

despite what he's endured, life in exile on the loss of his country. So how did this one man

turn an obscure Tibetan religion into a global

philosophy that inspires millions? Steve Paulson turned to journalist and psychologist Daniel

Goldman. He's been a friend of the Dalai Lama's for decades, and he's just come out with a new book

called A Force for Good, the Dalai Lama's vision for our world.

Dan, the Dalai Lama has been in the public eye for so long that it's easy to forget how

unusual a person he is on the global stage, just the fact that he was for decades, both the

spiritual and the political leader of the Tibetan people. Can you put his life in some perspective?

Well, you know, he was reared for a very traditional role

in an arch traditional society, pre-communist Tibet,

which was in some ways very medieval.

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