As His Holiness the Dalai Lama turned 84 years old this year on 6 July, well-wishers across the world sent their good wishes, fervent prayers for the long and healthy life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, ambassador of peace.
Tibetans across the world, in particular, joined in unity to celebrate not just the eventful day of His Holiness birth anniversary but also to celebrate his values of love, compassion, and warmheartedness.
For a figure such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who is also well known as the icon of world peace, an outpour of love and gratitude is self-explanatory. In fact, many have claimed that His Holiness is a blessing to humanity and the longer he lives the more this world becomes a better place to live.
As celebrations were observed across the world, The Office of Tibet, France jointly with French Senate Tibet information group had the early celebration of His Holiness birthday on 3 July at the French Senate.
Raison Michel, President of Tibet information Group said that His Holiness message had brought peace to many people and he was happy to know His Holiness is doing well. Mr. Namgyal Samdup, The Secretary of Bureau du Tibet Paris informed the gathering about the recent reaffirmation of His Holiness to live for over a hundred years. The celebration was attended by more than 75 people including 3 senators, 2 members of parliament, representatives from the USA, Iceland, and Taiwan embassy.
Tibetans in Belgium also celebrated the notable event which was attended by Representative Tashi Phuntsok as the chief guest. A minutes’ silence was also dedicated to the Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the Tibetan cause.
Representative Tashi Phuntsok, in his keynote address, recalled the historic role of the Great XIVth Dalai Lama. His presence amidst us and that we are fortunate to be living our lives under his leadership is a blessing that all of us should proud, he said. We could only repay our gratitude to him by conscientiously following his wise counsels.
Mr. Phuntsok also recalled the deep significance of His Holiness’ praise of the dedication of the former staff of the Gadhen Phodrong and the Central Tibetan Administration during the Long Life offering to him on the eve of his birthday. He urged the public to remember the services of these people who played a crucial role in shouldering the leadership of His Holiness during the most critical period of Tibetan history.
The Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Northern Europe, the Baltic States & Poland, Mr Sonam Tsering Frasi, in his welcome address made reference to the Long Life Prayer offering made by the former staff and officials of Central Tibetan Administration to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and assured everyone that His Holiness was in great health. He mentioned that His Holiness had assured, during the Long Life Prayer Ceremony, to live on for many more years. Consistent with the occasion, Representative Frasi spoke about His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s four commitments in life and requested everyone to play their part in making the world a better place.
A short clip from a video, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks to a group of Emory University students at his residence in Dharamshala about counteracting negative emotions through compassion and His Hopes for Humanity, was played on the big screen. His words of advice resonated inside the gallery space, with the guests feeling His presence amidst them.
Before wrapping the formal event, the Office of Tibet awarded Certificates of Appreciation to three leading Tibet supporters: Ms Zara Fleming, who has been on the Tibet circuit for several decades; Ms Caroline Scattergood, who in March 2019 organised Tibet Flag Raising event in Northampton for the 20th year in a row; and Ms Catherine Mostyn Scott, who likewise organised Tibet Flag Raising event for the sixth straight year in April 2019. The celebrations provided an ideal opportunity for the office staff to meet and strengthen the friendship with the supporters.
On Saturday, 6th July evening, the Tibetan Community in Britain held the community event to celebrate Trungkar at London Irish Centre. Not surprisingly the event was well-attended with more than 300 Tibetans in their best traditional attire to wish their beloved His Holiness the Dalai Lama a ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Long Healthy Life’.
Councillor Ms. Norma Symonds, The Mayor of Bishop Stortford, a historic town located towards the north east of London, was present as the Guest of Honour. She briefly addressed the gathering and wished His Holiness all the good health and success.
Similar celebrations were held in Bristol, located southwest of England, in Stockholm, Sweden & Oslo, Norway.
The House of Tibet, Vilnius, and supporters in Lithuania shared a short video on their social media platform wishing His Holiness on His Birthday. A birthday message from Estonia signed among others by Mart Laar, Former Prime Minister of Estonia; and Yoko Alender, Leader of Estonian Parliamentary Group for Tibet, was sent to the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by Prof Sven Grunberg.
The Tibet Information Office in partnership with the Tibetan community in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) celebrated His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 84th birthday at the Hellenic Club of Canberra.
Representative Lhakpa Tshoko welcomed the 200 people gathered and said, “It is a very happy day for us Tibetans as we get to show our love, respect, and appreciation to His Holiness who has worked selflessly and tirelessly for the Tibetans and the Tibet cause.”
The celebrations were attended by members of the ACT Legislative Assembly -Ms. Caroline Le Couteur; Ms. Elizabeth Kikkert, Shadow ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs; Reverend Bill Crews, Exodus Foundation; Dr. Krishna Nadimpalli, President of the Federation of Indian Associations of ACT; Dr. Zhong Jin Jang; other distinguished guests, old friends and supporters; and the Tibetan community.
Messages were also received from two Ministers of the ACT Legislative Assembly – Mr. Chris Steel, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Mr. Shane Rattenbury, Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.
Representative Tshoko also made special mention of the many Chinese guests who attended the celebrations and said, “His Holiness has always encouraged Tibetan people to connect with the Chinese people and get to know each other and build bridges. Tibetan people want to forge good relations with our Chinese brothers and sisters. Many Chinese support the Tibetans and are empathetic to our cause.”
His Holiness’ birthday celebrations were also held in other cities and towns across Australia. There are about 2500 Tibetans living in Australia.
Meanwhile in Australia, celebration was also held where chief guest Senator Ms. Janet Rice (Green Party Senator) briefly addressed to the audience.
Mr. Tenzin Lobsang Khangsar, President of Tibetan Community Australia (Victoria) Inc delivered an introductory remarks.
A warm welcome was accorded to the newly arrived Tibetans by the President and the chief guest. Around 450 members of Tibetan community took part in the celebration.
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The Office of Tibet, South Africa celebrates the 84th Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at its premise with Luncheon reception attended by a large number of guests including diplomats, members of Buddhist centers, friends, and Tibet supporters and well-wishers.
On the 9th July, in collaboration with Kagyu Buddhist Centre, Johannesburg, the Office of Tibet distributed meals to more than 200 homeless and poor people as a part of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Birthday celebration.
People of Kalmykia along with millions of Buddhists around the world joined in prayers and conveyed their best wishes for His Holiness’s long life and good health on the occasion of His Holiness’s birthday.
The ceremony was attended by hundreds of people including local officials, Minister of culture and tourism of Kalmykia K. Elbikov and Acting Head of Elista town administration G. Vaskina.
In the afternoon everybody was invited to the screening of a film about His Holiness the Dalai Lama which attracted the genuine interest of believers and well-wishers of various ages: children, young and elderly people who gathered in the atmosphere of joy and unity. In the evening there followed a concert where Kalmyk masters of the arts performed for the public. The concert brought together the followers of Buddhist, Orthodox and Muslim religions and various ethnic diasporas. On this auspicious occasion, thousands of people in Kalmykia made a commitment to follow the principles promoted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama also coincided with the annual celebration of ”Maitreya Buddha Day” in Tuva. There were public prayers and rituals in khuree (Temple) and Buddhist centres, across the capital of Tuva Kyzyl. A Colorful photos exhibition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 3 principle commitments was held by river banks which is a famous touristic place for all citizens of Tuva.
Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation, and the Republic of Tuva, Mr Hope Kuular shared his stories with the public on how he had the dream of a lifetime to perform in the presence of H.H. the Dalai Lama in 2007. Then later Ms Opal Agbaan – Shirapovna, sang Tuvan songs, dressed in rich traditional. The event was facilitated by the Office of Tibet, Moscow and Save Tibet Foundation.
The Tibet Culture and Information Centre, Office of Tibet Moscow, Russia jointly with Save Tibet Foundation organised the birthday celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Dom Kino hall.
The Tibetan calligraphy artwork of Tashi Maddox from the U.K whose illustrative work is presented on H.H. autobiography in Russian, My Land and My people.
Honorary representative Telo Tulku Rinpoche gave the opening remarks by thanking all who have come together to celebrate Peace, Harmony and kindness for all. Representative also informed about his recent meeting with His Holiness and conveyed that His Holiness is in good health.
After the opening remarks by Telo Tulku Rinpoche, a book was launched by Save Tibet Foundation who translated the following books into Russian and it was dedicated to H.H. long life and his vision. These books 1) Dalai Lama. The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason published by Save Tibet Foundation, 2) Dalai Lama. Kindness, Clarity, and Insight (new edition) published by Save Tibet Foundation, 3) Universe in a single atom” by Dalai Lama and “Buddhism through the eyes of Physicist” by S. Alexandrov) published by Save Tibet Foundation, and 4) Dalai Lama. My Land, my people (new edition) published by “Ocean of Wisdom”.
All these books were translated into Russian on the recommendation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
At the end of the ceremony, Tibetan artist Tenzin Chogyal from Australia and Local musicians performed hit songs of Tenzin Chogyal’s singles.
The Tibetans in Japan along with Japanese people wished His Holiness the Dalai Lama a long and healthy life on His Holiness’s 84th birthday celebration organized by the Liaison Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tokyo on 6 July. Religion and Culture Kalon Karma Gelek Yuthok attended the grand celebration as the chief guest. Kalon Karma Yuthok expressed his sincere greetings on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration in India and also on behalf of all Tibetans around the world. Kalon also said that though Japan was very far away from Tibet, their common Buddhist traditions brought them very close and a strong sense of mutual respect, friendship and solidarity developed between the people of Japan and Tibet. There were instances of exchange of Buddhist scholars and students between Japan and Tibet on formal as well as on non-formal level by the early 20th century. He thanked the people and Government of Japan in general and the Japanese individuals and organizations in particular for their kind understanding, co-operation and generous support of the Tibetan people and culture during one of the darkest periods in their history. He appealed for Japan’s continued support in the future and assured that the support will not go in vain.
Kalon also notified that the best birthday gift for His Holiness would be to become a good human being endowed with inner values like Compassion, tolerance, loving kindness and calmness.
Similarly, Tibetans in exile also celebrated the His Holiness birthday with festivity. In Bangalore city, led by Bangalore Lhochi, they celebrated the day with gusto and fervor which was attended by the chief guest Shri. Amar Kumar Pandey, IPS, Additional Director General of Police, Head of Karnataka State Human Right Commission.
In Northern India, apart from the grand celebration that was held at the main temple in Dharamshala, Tibetans in Chauntra invited Member of Parliament, Mandi District Mr. Ram Swaroop Sharma as a Chief Guest and Mr. Pankaj Jamwal General Secretary BJP of district Mandi(H.P) as a Guest of Honor to partake in the celebration. Tibetan Settlement officer of Nangchen welcomed the two honorable Guests with Buddhist Thangka paintings. The guests even affirmed that they will put an effort into solving two of the prevalent issues facing the Tibetan settlement- water and waste management.
The Tibetan Settlement Office and settlers in Kullu District celebrated the 84th birthday of His Holiness with the presence of chief guest Khondung Asanga Vajra Sakya Rinpoche and Mrs. Choekyi as the special guests. The occasion was attended by various monasteries, administrators, members of Tibet Support Groups, government and non-governmental organisations. The five different Tibetan communities in Kullu District which includes Manali, 15 Mile, Patlikuhl, Dobhi and Kullu under the jurisdiction of Welfare Office, Kullu-Manali participated in the celebration. Taking theopportunity on this special occasion, the Committee members of His Holiness birthday celebration presented a certificate issued by Tibetan Parliament in Exile-CTA to 7th Local Tibetan Assembly members and gratitude mementos are presented to 2017-19 Tibetan Group leaders.
Likewise, The Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New Delhi hosted a dinner reception at the India Habitat Center to celebrate the 84th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama which was attended by more than 250 guests including Ambassadors, embassy official, former Indian bureaucrats, diplomats, media persons, and Tibet supporters. Representative Kasur Dongchung Ngodup personally greeted and welcomed each of the dignitaries to the reception.
The evening began with an enchanting prayer recitation for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by a group of monks from Samyeling Tibetan Settlement. Secretary Mr. Karma Choeying welcomed and thanked everyone present for gracing the occasion. Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration also spoke on the occasion at length and thanked the invitees for their presence.
Amongst the prominent Tibetan guests were Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Former Speaker of the Tibetan parliament and an incumbent member of the Tibetan parliament, Geshe Kunga Sotop, Member of Tibetan parliament, Kasur Gyari Dolma, Former Minister of Home, CTA and Gyari Pema Gyalpo, Former Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Japan. The event concluded with a traditional Tibetan Circle Dance (gorshey) by the executive members of the Regional Tibetan Women’s Association and staff members of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Bans on Tibetan political and cultural events in Nepal have become a common occurrence now and with that Nepal’s government especially issued an official notice banning the celebration of His Holiness’s birthday. Despite the restriction, Tibetans in Nepal managed to have a small celebration in their respective settlements where representatives from monasteries, schools and various regional organisations took part in it.
As His Holiness demands for creating a compassionate society and religious harmony is his best birthday gift, aligning with his wishes, Palpung monastery, Sherabling celebrated His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s 84th Birthday with planting 84 Trees Equivalent to His Holiness’s Age and has also organised Free Eye Surgical Camp by the surgeons from the Rotary Eye Hospital Maranda, Palampur, HP.
