Grit your teeth, China leaders. The Dalai Lama, possibly the globe's most famous contemporary voice for non-violence and compassion, was named the winner of the 2012 Templeton Prize today.

The announcement comes three days after Tibetan exile Janphel Yeshi set himself on fire Monday to protest China's control of Tibet. Beijing blamed the Dalai Lama for the incident. Chinese President Hu Jintao is visiting New Delhi this week.

Last year, the Dalai Lama, who served as both spiritual and political leader of Tibetan Buddhists in exile since 1959, relinquished his political role. That seems to cut no ice with Beijing, however.

Of course, the decision to award the honor to the Dalai Lama was made weeks before the fatal protest. The annual honor, which comes with a $1.7 million award, goes to leading voices who address spiritual questions by drawing on science and religion. Created by the late Sir John Templeton, international investor and philanthropist, the prize was announced by his son and successor at the Templeton Foundation, John Templeton Jr. The prize gets critiqued, with a swipe at journalist fellows, too, on science sites -- although last year's winner was Martin Rees, the astrophysicist and "unbelieving Anglican."

(Full disclosure: I was a 2005 Templeton fellow in Science and Religion and have met Rees and other recent winners of the prize at Templeton-sponsored seminars.)

In a press release, Templeton cites the Dalai Lama as "an incomparable global voice for universal ethics, non-violence, and harmony among world religions" who ...

... encourages serious scientific investigative reviews of the power of compassion and its broad potential to address the world's fundamental problems ...

And who ...

... promotes cross-cultural understanding with other religions and with disciplines as varied as astrophysics, quantum mechanics, neurobiology and behavioral science.

The Dalai Lama, notified earlier this month about the award, is shown in a video filmed at his headquarters in Dharamsala, India, humbly accepting the recognition of "my little service to humanity."

... Personally, when Nobel Peace Prize announced my name, at that time (1989) I expressed that I am no more, no less, just a simple Buddhist monk. So still, I am a simple Buddhist monk, no less, no more, after receiving this award.

The Templeton website features more on the winner and includes videos of him answering thoughtful questions such as whether compassion can be taught. Quick answer: Yes. But you can still learn from the video where he says things such as ...

Through training, through awareness ... you can develop genuine sense of concern of well-being of others, including your enemy.

Certainly, the Dalai Lama has been a voice for the complementary roles science and religion can take but may never be able to shed his image as the face of Tibet.

DO YOU THINK ... mixing religion and politics can lead to peace -- or more strife?