Dalai Lama celebrates 90th birthday with followers in north Indian town

Cultural performances people the occasion, portion messages from planetary leaders are work retired during the ceremony.

The Dalai Lama, spiritual person of Tibetan Buddhists, has turned 90 to headdress a week of celebrations by followers during which helium riled China again and spoke astir his anticipation to live beyond 130 and reincarnate aft dying.

Dressed successful his accepted yellowish and burgundy robe, the Dalai Lama arrived astatine a Buddhist temple analyzable to smiles and claps from thousands of monks and followers who had gathered connected a rainy Sunday greeting successful the northbound Indian elevation municipality of Dharamshala, wherever helium lives.

He waved and greeted them arsenic helium walked dilatory to the signifier with enactment from monks.

“As acold arsenic I americium concerned, I person a quality life, and arsenic humans, it is rather earthy for america to emotion and assistance 1 another. I unrecorded my beingness successful the work of different sentient beings,” the Dalai Lama said, flanked connected the signifier by longtime supporters, including Western diplomats, Indian national ministers, Hollywood histrion Richard Gere, and a monk who is expected to pb the hunt for his successor.

Fleeing his autochthonal Tibet successful 1959 successful the aftermath of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the 14th Dalai Lama, on with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, took structure successful India and has since advocated for a peaceful “Middle Way” to question autonomy and spiritual state for the Tibetan people.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama is regarded arsenic 1 of the world’s astir influential spiritual leaders, with a pursuing that extends good beyond Buddhism – but not by Beijing, which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the religion nether its control.

In a motion of solidarity, Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te, leaders of Indian states bordering Tibet, and 3 erstwhile United States presidents – Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton – sent video messages which were played during the event.

In the preceding week of celebrations, the Dalai Lama had said helium would reincarnate arsenic the person of the religion upon his decease and that his nonprofit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, had the sole authorization to recognise his successor.

China has said the succession volition person to beryllium approved by its leaders, and the US has called connected Beijing to cease what it describes arsenic interference successful the succession of the Dalai Lama and different Tibetan Buddhist lamas.

Show of solidarity

Guests gathered astatine the ceremonial took turns to speak, including Indian Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, who had earlier made a uncommon connection contradicting China by backing the Dalai Lama’s presumption connected his successor.

He aboriginal clarified that the connection was made successful his idiosyncratic capableness arsenic China warned New Delhi against interfering successful its home affairs astatine the disbursal of bilateral relations.

On Sunday, Rijiju said the Dalai Lama was India’s “most honoured guest”. “We consciousness blessed for his beingness present successful our country,” helium said.

Cultural performances were held passim the morning, including from Bollywood playback singers, portion messages from planetary leaders were work out.

“I articulation 1.4 cardinal Indians successful extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama connected his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring awesome of love, compassion, patience and motivation discipline,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote connected X.