Dalai Lama Time's 'Most Influential'

Spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is the most influential person in the world, according to Time Magazine.

President George W. Bush, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, rocker Bruce Springsteen, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, teen singer Miley Cyrus and actor Robert Downey Jr. are among the newsmakers on Time magazine's 2008 list of the most influential people in the world, dubbed 'The Time 100."

His holiness was the top name in Leaders & Revolutionaries category, released Thursday on Time's Web site. The list is also divided among the categories Heroes & Pioneers, Scientists & Thinkers, Artists & Entertainers and Builders & Titans.

"To me, the most mystical thing about him is also the most ordinary: the Dalai Lama is happy. He's happy in the midst of chaos and turmoil," spiritualist Deepak Chopra wrote in an essay on his holiness. "The most inspiring thing he ever told me was to ignore all organized faiths and keep to the road of higher consciousness."

Winfrey's appearance on the list is her fifth.

The list also includes presidential contenders Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain, who are No. 3, 4 and 5 in the Leaders & Revolutionaries category, respectively. Putin is No. 2 in the category and Bush is No. 7.

Each person on the list is accompanied by an essay written by a public figure. Elizabeth Edwards writes about Lance Armstrong and Cate Blanchett writes about Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Michelle Obama writes about Winfrey, while former president Bill Clinton writes about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

George Clooney writes about star couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who fall into the Heroes & Pioneers category for their work as goodwill ambassadors worldwide.

"It is one thing to talk about the problems of the world and quite another to actually try to change things," Clooney wrote.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Sen. Joe Lieberman write about Obama, Clinton and McCain, respectively.

The Time 100 also lists Iraq Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Other celebrities on the list include actor-filmmaker Tyler Perry, "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels, Oscar-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, and "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" filmmaker Judd Apatow.