Dharmshala Celebrates 80th Birthday of Dalai Lama
The guest of honour at the ceremony was Pushpendra Rajput, Divisional Commissioner, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
Delivering the Kashag’s statement on the occasion, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the democratically elected political leader of the Tibetan people, said that Tibetans have a rare and esteemed leader in His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who single-handedly and fortified by his people’s devotion prevented Tibet from falling into historical oblivion.
Sikyong said in the statement that, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama has exerted tireless efforts to fulfill his three commitments in life: promotion of human values, promotion of religious harmony and increased awareness and preservation of Tibet’s Buddhist culture. Because of his unflagging devotion to these goals, millions of people around the globe admire and love him.
Further added "His Holiness the Dalai Lama has travelled to 67 countries across 6 continents and has received more than 150 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the UN Earth Prize, US Congressional Gold Medal and the John Templeton Prize. Throughout the world, regardless of nationality, race or religion, millions of citizens consider His Holiness to be a beacon of peace and justice.”
With reference to the false allegations leveled on His Holiness by Dolgyal followers, Sikyong stated that His Holiness is the life and soul of Tibet and the Tibetan people. “Regardless of the baseless accusations made by the Dholgyal cult, Tibetan unity and harmony under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has never been greater. It is comparable only to Tibet under the reign of the three great dharma kings, more than a thousand years ago.”
Sikyong also urged all the Tibetans to engage in acts that are consistent with the wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and at the same time endeavor ceaselessly in preserving, promoting and acting upon traditional Tibetan values.
Speaker Penpa Tsering of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, said that the contribution made and noble deeds done by His Holiness for the Tibetan people in particular and the world in general is humongous. His message of developing one’s inner values; peace and compassion, universal responsibility, spread across the world is beneficial to people from all the walks of life.
“Remembering from the depth of our hearts the gratitude we owe to him for his tirelessly uninterrupted, great, and wide ranging efforts for the purposes of ensuring the freedom, peace, and coexistence for Tibet’s religious traditions, culture, governance, and race, and in other areas, we would like to reiterate a hundred times our offer of words of thanks and unlimited gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” he read.
“We take this opportunity to reiterate our position that the leadership of the Government of China should change its hardline policy towards Tibet and the Tibetan people with the hope that a positive transformation, which is beneficial to both Tibet and China based on the actual situation in Tibet and the aspirations of the Tibetan people will occur,” the Speaker said.
Expressing gratitude to the government and the people of India for their unwavering support, the Speaker said, “India has become like a second homeland to us. Both the government and people of India have provided the Tibetan people help, benefits, and friendship on a wide-ranging scale.”
Born on 6 July 1935 to a peasant family in Takster village in the Amdo region of Tibet, His Holiness the great 14 Dalai Lama was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama when he was two years old.
He was enthroned to the status when he turned five, was compelled to take over both the political and spiritual responsibility of Tibet at the tender age of sixteen and unfortunately led to his flight into exile in India at the age of twenty four due to Chinese illegal invasion of Tibet from 1949.
