Beijing has spoken loud and clear: the next reincarnation of the Dalai Lama will be in China, and approved by the Chinese Communist Party. Tibet, however, has been silent. "That's just the way it is," the monk told us. "That's the reality."

Hollywood star Richard Gere threw his weight behind the Dalai Lama’s bold succession plan on Thursday, urging China to take heed as he declared the Tibetan struggle a cause for all humanity. “This extraordinary culture of Tibet doesn’t just belong to Tibet anymore.

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism, has often called himself a simple monk, but for more than 60 years armed with little more than charm and conviction, he has managed to keep the cause of his people in the international spotlight.