Dharamshala: On the propitious occasion of the 85th birth anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, National General Secretary of BJP Honourable Shri Ram Madhav offered his greetings to His Holiness.
In his birthday message, he said “I am deeply honored and pleased to offer my greetings and best wishes on the 85th birthday of His Holiness for his long life and serving not only the Tibetans but for the entire humanity. Yesterday, we the Hindus have celebrated Guru Purnima, a day dedicated to offering our obeisance to our gurus and masters. His Holiness is also a great guru and master for mankind. I offer my obeisance to this great guru of spiritual enlightenment, compassion, and bliss”.
“His Holiness has complete 61 years of living in India. When he came, he came as a refugee but today every Indian regard him as an elder in the family. His Holiness used to jovially say that while his body is Tibetan, his blood is Indian since he has been eating the rice and daal of this country for last so many years.
His Holiness is as much revered spiritual master to us as he has been to many Tibetans and others. His Holiness has regraded Hinduism and Buddhisms as twins following identical paths one with the conception of Atma and the other as Anatma. I also remember him once narrating to me his conversation with Indian PM Morarji Desai. “We are two branches of the same tree Dharma”, Morarji told His Holiness to which His Holiness has promptly responded by saying, “You are the tree and we are a branch. This humility is the hallmark of His Holiness and in fact, the Emory University where he was an honorary professor His Holiness has described the essence of his philosophy in four words- humility, honesty, transparency, and compassion.
His Holiness is the living manifestation of these supreme qualities. The compassion the essence of Buddhism has taken a human form in His Holiness. He is compassion incarnate. Holiness, I have had the great privilege of visiting Taktser, your birthplace. I also had the honor of visiting the famed Potala Palace in Lhasa. Everyone loves you there. As you rightly emphasised several times the Tibetan religion, culture, and language survived in the land of Tibet among the 6 million Tibetans despite heavy odds. It is a spirit that continues to purvey the spaces of the mind of millions in Tibet and all over the world.
May the divine further through you in many years to come. My prayers”.