DHARAMSHALA: Thousands of Tibetans, foreign devotees and Indian supporters stood cheek by jowl in a completely packed courtyard of the main Tibetan temple (Tsuglakhang) to attend the mega celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.
The celebration was organised by the Central Tibetan Administration led by Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay to mark His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birth anniversary to honour his remarkable achievements and contribution towards world peace in general and the Tibetan cause in particular.
The mega celebration was attended by a host of top Indian leaders including Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Culture, Tourism & MoS for Ministry of Civil Aviation; Hon. Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs; Mrs. Viplove Thakur, MP from Himachal Pradesh; Shri. Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr. Pema Khandu, Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, among others. All the guests were invited by Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration.
In his address, Minister Shri Mahesh Sharma said, “I came here with the best wishes and prayers of 125 Crore Indians. We pray before god today for your long life and to give you more strength, to give you health, to give you courage, to show the path of life and the path of wisdom to the world and to humanity.”
“This world has recognised those who have given back to humanity, and those who have given back to the world. And one of the most powerful leaders, one of the most highly revered spiritual leaders to emerge in the last so many years is His Holiness the Dalai lama in this great democratic country of India. His Holiness has brought us the values of the great Mahatma Gandhi and I think in today’s world, the message of peace and kindness is recognised as his greatest achievement.
“We will remember your contribution to peace and for using Satyagarha as a weapon in your struggle for freedom. You have taught your people and all the mankind that losers are those who refuse to rise up after falling down and not those who continue to rise up even after falling down. We salute you for this strength and wisdom.”
Greeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the occasion, Shri. Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, said: “Being an Indian and a devotee of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I would like to extend my prayers for the long life of His Holiness so that he can continue to bless us with his messages of love and compassion. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a global icon. The messages and the values that he espouses guide humanity to peace and harmony.”
Speaking on the historical bond shared by the Tibetan people with India, he said: “The bond shared by Tibet and India is centuries old. The people living on the two opposite sides of Kailash Mansarover have traveled through time together. This time tested relationship is based on culture, mutual trust and affection. Hence, this historic relationship shared by these two peoples can never be set apart.”
Referring to His Holiness as the representative of the entire humanity, he said, “You don’t represent one religion or one community; you represent the entire humanity. And it is our bonded duty to ensure that we practice your message of love and kindness in words and in spirit.”
Calling His Holiness the Dalai Lama an apostle of peace, ocean of wisdom, Nobel laureate and a champion of liberty and humanism, Mr. Nabam Tuki, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, said, “I am deeply honoured to be a part of the 80th birthday celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama along with the devotees from all over the world. I pray for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is the most revered spiritual leader of our times.
The Chief Minister assured his government’s continued support to the Tibetan cause and affirmed that he will formulate the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014 announced by the central government of India in Arunachal Pradesh. He said, I have visited all the Tibetan settlements in the state. I consider it my solemn duty to provide the necessary facilities and solve the problems faced by the Tibetan people residing in Arunachal Pradesh.”
The chief minister invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh at a date of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s own convenience to bless the state with his teachings and presence. The Chief Minister also presented His Holiness the Dalai Lama a memento and a citation to express his government’s deep devotion. The citation was read out by Mr. Pema Khandu, Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
A representative from Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s office read out the chief minister’s greeting message.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in his address, thanked the gathering for coming to celebrate his birthday. “You all have come here today to greet this old man. Most of you who have come here are also quite old and the fact that you still came here, taking time from your busy schedule, reflects your deep conviction. I am truly thankful to you all,” His Holiness said.
His Holiness went on to add that he is no super human and explained that whatever he has learned and achieved in this life is due to his enthusiasm to learn and practice what he preached. “You all praised me a lot today. But I am just a simple Buddhist monk. I try to do my best all the time. I am 80 years old now and I have lived my entire life practicing the knowledge that I have gained from the Nalanda tradition. And I will continue to practice it till I am physically able,” His Holiness said.
Speaking on his lifelong commitments, His Holiness said that he is just one human being among the seven billion human beings in the world. “Everyone of us desires happiness and doesn’t want suffering. Yet, if we think about it carefully, most of the sufferings that we endure are of our own making. Therefore, if we practice the love and affection that we derived from our mothers to one another, most of the sufferings will surely diminish,” His Holiness explained.
His Holiness also said that just reciting prayers won’t solve the problems of the world. Quoting Lord Buddha himself, His Holiness said that suffering is not something that we can eradicate by our hands, nor can we wash it away with water, the only way we can eradicate suffering is through mental development and by practicing genuine love and compassion to one another.
Lauding India for its diversity, His Holiness said that India is the prime example of interdependency and mutual harmony. “All the major religious traditions exist in India and they have lived peacefully with one another for centuries. This mutli-culturism of India is the true beauty of India,” His Holiness said.
His Holiness also urged Tibetans to study and preserve the Tibetan language. “The wealth of ancient Indian knowledge and Tibetan culture is available only in the Tibetan language at present. No other language in the world contains the essence of Buddha’s teachings. Therefore, it is imperative to study it to understand the essence of Buddhism and preserve our unique cultural heritage,” His Holiness said.
Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, in his birthday greeting, thanked His Holiness for his leadership and for his commitment to human happiness and the promotion of universal responsibility to foster religious harmony and to safeguard Tibet’s culture and environment.
“Nobel laureates call Your Holiness as the super laureate. But lesser known are your other contributions. Your Holiness, you are a true democrat. Deeply loved and respected by your people, you have empowered us with democracy and hope. You are an environmentalist who speaks on global warming, climate change and Tibet as the third pole which is a major source of rivers in Asia. You are an advocate of equality and justice who speaks strongly against the growing gap between rich and the poor,” Sikyong said.
“Your Holiness, you call yourself a simple Buddhist monk. But for people around the world, you are the beacon of hope and light to all the people. For Buddhists, you are the human manifestation of the Boddisattva of compassion. And above all, for Tibetans, you are the life and soul of Tibet,” Sikyong Dr. Sangay added.
Speaking to the dignitaries, Sikyong said,”My heartfelt appreciation to everyone of you for your valuable presence on this historic moment. All of you being here on this joyous occasion send a powerful and positive message to all Tibetans around the world. Your presence will inspire millions of Tibetans, Buddhist followers and admirers to follow and rededicate themselves to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of peace, non-violence and justice.”
Secretary Tashi Phuntsok, a member of the organising committee, gave the thank you address of the celebration.
The mega birthday celebration concluded with cultural performances from the three traditional provinces of Tibet and a lunch hosted by the organisers to the public. As per His Holiness’ desire, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the entire guests ate their lunch along with the public at the celebration venue, much to the merriment of everyone present.
The celebration is also attended by all the heads of four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon Tradition who are in Dharamshala to attend the religious conference which concluded yesterday.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday is being celebrated today on 21 June, as His Holiness was born on this day according to the Tibetan lunar calender.
