When calling himself as a “simple Buddhist monk” who generally did not celebrate the birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90º on Sunday praying for peace after China insisted that he would have the last word about who happened to the spiritual leader Tibetan.
The song of monks and red tunic nuns sounded from the wooded temples of the Himalayan hill in India, Dalai Lama’s home, since he and thousands of other Tibetans fled from the Chinese troops that crushed a lifting in their capital Lhasa in 1959.
“I am a simple Buddhist monk; I usually do not participate in birthday celebrations,” said Dalai Lama in a message, thanking those who mark it for using the opportunity “to cultivate tranquility and compassion.”
Dressed in traditional robes and a yellow envelope that flows, he walked with the help of two monks while showing his radical smile to thousands of followers.
Beijing condemns the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, who has led a life campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a large plateau of great altitude, as a rebel and separatist.
However, together with the celebrations, there is the concern for Tibetans in the exile that China will appoint its successor to strengthen control over the territory in which it poured troops in 1950 and has governed since then.
That raises the probability of rival challengers to the position; One for the Self -Declared Atae Beijing, the other of the Office of Dalai Lama based in the Indian neighbor, a regional rival of China.
‘Good heart’
Sunday’s celebrations are the culmination of the days of long -standing prayers by Tenzin Gyatso, that followers believe that it is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a man whose moral teachings and idiosyncratic humor have made him one of the most popular religious leaders in the world.
“While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to concentrate on achieving tranquility when cultivating a good heart and being compassionate, not only towards the close and beloved, but towards everyone,” he said in his birthday message.
“Through this, it will contribute to make the world a better place.”
The celebrations also included their key announcement that, after being flooded with messages of support from other Tibetans both inside and exile, the spiritual institution would continue after his death.
He said he had received appeals from followers from the entire Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China.
The apparently esoteric issues of reincarnation have political consequences of the real world, with Tibetans who fear that his death will mark a great setback in his impulse for more autonomy for the Himalayan region.
Dalai Lama said that his office based in India would only “exclusively” identify that successor, which caused a quick and acute response from China that reincarnation “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing.
China said the succession would be carried out “taking lots from a golden urn,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, MAO NO, on Wednesday, journalists.
That urn is sustained by Beijing, and Dalai Lama has warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered effusive birthday greetings on Sunday, calling Dalai Lama a “lasting symbol of love.”
India and China are intense rivals that compete for the influence in southern Asia, but have tried to repair ties after a 2020 border clash.
‘Freedom and dignity’
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, also said in a statement that Washington was “committed to promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans.”
Among the crowds that attended the celebrations was the Hollywood Star Richard Gere, a support of Tibetans in exile, who said Sunday that Dalai Lama “totally embodies the disinterest, complete love and compassion and wisdom.”
The former US presidents also gave messages of support Bill Clinton and George W Bush, as well as Barack Obama, who said that Dalai Lama had demonstrated what “talk for freedom and dignity.”
The ceremony ended with the Dalai Lama eating a portion of cake and thousands singing “happy birthday.”
No details have been published for future succession.
Until now, they have been men or children, often identified as young children and assuming paper only as teenagers.
The current Dalai Lama, himself identified in 1937, has said that if there is a successor, he will come from the “free world” out of China’s control.
In a speech for followers on Sunday, Dalai Lama said his practice of Buddhism meant that he had dedicated his life to seeking compassion.
“Now I am 90 years old and … when I reflect on my life, I see that I have not wasted my life at all,” he said, speaking in Tibetan.
“I would not regret at the time of my death; rather I could die very peacefully.”
