Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists mark the 90th birthday celebration of the Dalai Lama
In the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, India, thousands of followers gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, a figure who has become one of the world's most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy and opposition of China's control of Tibet.
The Dalai Lama, who has spent more than seven decades in exile, spent his birthday surrounded by red-robed monks and nuns in a temple courtyard. In his birthday message, he reiterated that he is "just a simple Buddhist monk" and that he will "continue to focus on my commitments of promoting human values and religious harmony."
The Dalai Lama has explicitly stated that he plans to reincarnate and that his successor should be found and recognized according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, managed solely by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit he founded in 2015 which oversees matters related to the spiritual leader and the Dalai Lama institution. He emphasized that no external authority, including China, has the right to interfere in this process.
However, China, which swept into his homeland in the 1950s and crushed a failed uprising, forcing him to escape with thousands of his followers to India, rejects the Dalai Lama’s succession plan. The Chinese government insists that the next Dalai Lama's reincarnation must be approved by the Chinese central government. This reflects China's longstanding policy of controlling Tibetan Buddhist reincarnations to assert its political authority over Tibet.
As a consequence of these conflicting claims to authority, many observers expect a situation where there could be rival Dalai Lamas in the future—one appointed by Beijing and one recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community loyal to the current Dalai Lama. This dispute underscores the ongoing tension between Tibetan religious traditions and Chinese state control.
World leaders and celebrities, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Hollywood movie star Richard Gere, sent their wishes to the Dalai Lama. Rubio said the Dalai Lama "continues to inspire people by embodying a message of unity, peace, and compassion."
Celebrations were also held in Kathmandu, Nepal, attended by Tibetan refugees, monks, and foreign diplomats. The head of the democratically elected Tibetan government-in-exile, Penpa Tsering, raised the Tibetan flag during the celebration. The events included Buddhist prayers, chanting, and dances.
The Dalai Lama, who has lived in service of other sentient beings, hopes to live until the age of 130. Despite the ongoing political-religious struggle surrounding Tibetan autonomy and the legacy of the Dalai Lama institution, his message of peace and compassion continues to resonate with people around the world.
The Dalai Lama's plan to reincarnate according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, managed by the Gaden Phodrang Trust, contradicts China's insistence that the next Dalai Lama's reincarnation must be approved by the Chinese central government, leading to potential future disputes between Tibetan religious traditions and Chinese state control. While thousands gathered in Dharamshala, India, and Kathmandu, Nepal, to celebrate the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday, political tensions surrounding Tibetan autonomy persist in the general news.
