Tibet's spiritual leader, the exiled Dalai Lama, spoke in Central Park on August 15 to a crowd of over 40,000 spectators and devout followers. The 14th Dalai Lama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, gave a talk about love and compassion, and concluded with a blessing. This was the second time the Dalai Lama has spoken in Central Park. In 1991, he performed a ceremony and meditation that thousands of people
participated in. The Dalai Lama was the leader of Tibet until he fled into exile after Chinese troops arrived in 1951 and launched a bloody crackdown on an uprising against the Chinese. He set up a government in exile in northern India, and has repeatedly called for talks with Beijing over the future of Tibet, stressing he is not seeking independence for his people but autonomy.