Dalai Lama, more than spiritual leader, says Union Minister Kiren Rijiju

Dharamsala, July 6 (IANS) Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Sunday attended the 90th birthday celebrations of the 14th Dalai Lama at Tsuglagkhang, the main Tibetan temple here where the spiritual leader has been residing since 1960.

Speaking at the celebrations amidst the presence of his Cabinet colleague Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, Union Minister Rijiju said, “Your holiness, you are more than a spiritual leader. You are a living bridge between ancient wisdom and the modern world.”

He noted, “For over seven decades, you have carried the light of the Buddha’s teachings with humility and clarity, guiding not only followers of Tibetan Buddhism but also people of all faiths and backgrounds.”

“In a world at strife with conflict, your message embodied in how you continue to lead your life assumes even greater and more urgent significance. It is a matter of pride and honour for India and Indians to have you in our midst,” he noted.

Rijiju reached McLeodganj on Saturday to attend the long-life prayer offering on the birthday eve. He travelled by overnight train from Delhi to Pathankot in Punjab and further travelled by road.

Ahead of reaching McLeodganj, Union Minister Rijiju clarified that the position of the Dalai Lama is of utmost importance, not just for Tibetans but for all his followers across the world.

“The right to decide on his successor rests solely with the Dalai Lama himself,” he had said.

Offering greetings to the spiritual leader, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu in his speech said His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has devoted his life to compassion, peace, and the wellbeing of all sentient beings, his journey “is an inspiration to humanity”.

“Through every trial, His Holiness has remained a steady voice of wisdom, teaching us that true strength lies in forgiveness, and real change begins with the human heart. His message transcends borders and beliefs, calling us all to live with more kindness and courage,” he wrote on X.

“On this most auspicious occasion, we offer our collective prayers for your long life and continued guidance. May your words keep lighting the path for generations yet to come, and may your presence remain a refuge for all sentient beings,” the CM further said.

Saying the Dalai Lama belongs to the universe, Hollywood actor Richard Gere said, “Your Holiness, on behalf of all of us as Westerners, there was something very sweet I saw at the religious conference, the confirmation that His Holiness agreed to continue the institution of the Dalai Lama. But, many of the Lamas who spoke out -- they were openly declaring -- the Dalai Lama doesn't belong to Tibet anymore; he belongs to the world... He belongs to the universe.”

A day earlier, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Khandu participated in special prayers seeking a long life for the Buddhist monk. In September last year, Chief Minister Khandu had an audience with the Tibetan spiritual leader and invited him to visit the northeastern state. He had also announced the gifting of a ‘Phodrang’ (meaning palace in the Dzongkha language) that was used as the Dalai Lama’s temporary residence in Tawang, a revered seat of Buddhism in Arunachal Pradesh, after he fled from Tibet following the Chinese invasion in 1959, to the Dalai Lama Trust.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is expected to visit Arunachal Pradesh in the near future, marking a significant moment for the people of the state who share a deep reverence for his spiritual leadership.

Followers of the spiritual leader believe the Dalai Lama shares a deep emotional bond with Arunachal Pradesh, as it was the place through which he entered India after he escaped from Tibet on March 31, 1959, and was received by Indian officials who escorted his entourage to Bomdila.

Tawang, a picturesque town located at an altitude of more than 11,000 feet, is home to one of the most sacred Buddhist monasteries. The place is spiritually important for Tibetan people as the sixth Dalai Lama was born in the 17th century at the Urgelling Monastery near Tawang.

If the Dalai Lama travels to Arunachal Pradesh, it would be his eighth visit to the northeastern state after his visits in 1983, 1996, 1997, twice in 2003, 2009, and 2017.

Braving heavy monsoon rain and thick fog, crowds of Tibetan exiles, monks and well-wishers on Sunday attended celebrations to mark the 90th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in McLeodganj, a small and quaint hill station in the suburbs of the northern hill town of Dharamsala, that has lured Westerners since he settled here in 1960 after his exile from Tibet.

Huge crowds began to assemble in the morning at the Tsuglagkhang temple to join the birthday celebrations.

“Special prayer sessions were held for the wellbeing and long life of the Dalai Lama,” a spokesperson for the government-in-exile told IANS.

The hilltop Tsuglagkhang temple is close to the official palace of the Dalai Lama here.

Born July 6, 1935, to a farming family in a small hamlet in Taktser in Amdo province in northeastern Tibet, the two-year-old child was recognised as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, in 1937.

--IANS

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