if/when he 'll be in my area . ... I love what he stands for . His inner peace inspires me to find mine , daily . '' She 's far from alone in her admiration . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday , the same day the Dalai Lama visited the White House , showed that 56 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of him , putting him `` in the same neighborhood as other major religious figures , '' said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland . `` Favorable ratings for the pope , at 59 percent , and Billy Graham , at 57 percent , are virtually identical . '' Not bad for a guy who lives on the opposite side of the globe , is entrenched in a decades-old political and cultural struggle many do n't understand , and lives according to a tradition few Americans follow . Less than 1 percent of Americans identify themselves as Buddhist , with less than 0.3 percent of those being Tibetan Buddhist , according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life . But what he represents resonates with Americans who may need a figure like the
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He 's been decorated with awards and called one of the world 's most influential people . He 's addressed packed auditoriums and waved to crowds who line streets just to catch a passing glimpse of him . He 's shaken the hands of countless global dignitaries and earned a fan base following on Facebook that might rival that of Hollywood stars . He is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama , the 74-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile , based in Dharamsala , India . And though he describes himself , according to his Web site , as `` a simple Buddhist monk , '' the love so many Americans and others have for him has , no doubt , bestowed on him iconic status -- whether he sees it that way or not . `` I 'd love to be in his presence . I 'd love to be in an audience where he speaks , '' said Jerilee Auclair , 55 , of Vancouver , Washington , who has yet to have that pleasure . `` I yearn for it . I watch his schedule to see