Dharamshala, July 6: Thousands gathered in the main courtyard of Tsuglagkhang, the Dalai Lama temple, Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama, while greetings poured from across the world for the Tibetan spiritual leader.
Political leaders from India and abroad also shared the stage with the Dalai Lama, throwing their support behind the Buddhist leader, who has been living in exile in India and has been fighting for the rights of the Tibetan people since the region came under Chinese occupation in the 1960s.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is abroad, extended warm wishes to the Dalai Lama, and said he has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline.
Modi said on X, “I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline.”
He added, “His message has inspired respect and admiration across all faiths. We pray for his continued good health and long life.”
Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sikkim minister Sonam Lama, and Hollywood actor Richard Gere addressed the gathering here.
“Many lamas who spoke out during discussion … were openly declaring that his holiness Dalai Lama does not belong to only Tibet anymore, his holiness belongs to the world,” Gere said.
The opulent ceremony was held just days after his announcement that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue and only the Gaden Phodrang Trust will have the authority to recognise his future reincarnation, putting an end to the speculations about the discontinuation of the Dalai Lama institution.
China insists on having a say in the choice of successor to the current Dalai Lama.
On Saturday, to irk China further, the Tibetan spiritual leader said he hopes to live for another 30-40 years.
The birthday was attended by the representatives of various Tibetan Buddhist sects, school children, dancers and singers from different countries, and Buddhists from across the world.
Speaking at the ceremony, seated in front of a nine-tier cake, Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso said that it is the love of the people that motivates him to continue on the path of serving all sentient beings.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the president of the Central Tibetan Administration, released a statement by the Kashag, the cabinet of the Tibetan government-in-exile, and announced a ‘Year of Compassion’ to be observed by Tibetans and “friends of Tibet” globally.
The statement said that the Dalai Lama’s four principal commitments – the promotion of universal human values, religious harmony, preservation of Tibetan culture and environment, and revival of ancient Indian knowledge – offer unparalleled solutions to the issues of the world. (PTI)
