The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama was born Llamo Thundup, in the village of Takster in Tibet in 1935. At age two, he was selected as the Dalai Lama, believed to be the fourteenth reincarnation of a bodhisattva, or enlightened one who delays their own final enlightenment to enlighten others. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is seen as a symbol of ecumenicalism, uniting different schools of Buddhist thought. He also is considered to represent the best of Buddhist values, both to followers and the outside world.

Older Dalai Lamas had political power and ruled. The newest one has none. He was forced into exile by the Chinese Communist takeover of Tibet when he was still a young boy. He has lived in exile in India for most of his life, as well as traveling extensively and becoming a symbol of human rights in much of the world.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is an Anglican Christian Church leader in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. He is of both the Xhosa and the Motswana peoples, born poor while the nation was still a British colony. As a bishop, he also led the South African Council of Churches and became a central figure against the system of apartheid, "apartness" or strict racial segregation. Blacks, "Coloreds" (individuals of mixed race), and Asians were not allowed to vote, and their jobs, education, residence, and marriages were all restricted. Those opposing the system were spied on, arrested, persecuted, labeled terrorists, and in some cases, killed.

After Apartheid ended, Tutu headed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Those who had perpetrated human rights violations under apartheid were given lighter sentences or amnesty in exchange for telling the truth and admitting their crimes. Both Tutu and the Dalai Lama argue throughout the book that forgiveness and truthfulness are central to a finding joy and a better life and that hatred only leads to bitterness and self-loathing.