Dharamsala, July 6: Appreciating the Indian concept of secular values, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Tuesday said he is committed to non-violence and compassion until his death.
In a video message on his 86th birthday, the spiritual leader, who believes tough times do not last, but happiness does, appealed to his friends to keep non-violence and compassion in rest of their lives.
Saying he is just a human being, the Buddhist monk, who along with many of his supporters fled the Himalayan homeland and took refuge in India when Chinese troops moved in and took control of Lhasa in 1959, said many people showed they love him.
The Dalai Lama is the leading spiritual figure bringing Buddhist teachings to the international community.
In the message, the Nobel Peace laureate, said: “For myself, I can assure you, that for the rest of my life I am committed to serving humanity and working to protect the climate condition.”
Having spent 60 long years in exile here and the longing to see his homeland still fresh in the mind of globe-trotting Buddhist monk, he said: “Since I became refugee and now settled in India, I have taken full advantage of India’s freedom and religious harmony.
“I want to assure you that for the rest of my life, I will be fully committed to this work. And then also, I really appreciate the Indian concept of secular values, not dependent of religion, such as honesty, ‘karuna’ (compassion) and ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence). (IANS)
