Dalai Lama says he hopes to live beyond 130 years
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader was speaking during a ceremony organized by his followers to offer prayers for his long life, ahead of his 90th birthday on Sunday.
The Dalai Lama previously told Reuters in December he might live to 110.
Advertisement
3 The Dalai Lama wants to live until he's over 130 years old.
AFP via Getty Images
3 The Dalai Lama's followers attended a ceremony on Saturday and prayed for him to have a long life.
AFP via Getty Images
'I still hope to live for over 130 years,' the Dalai Lama told hundreds followers from around the world who gathered in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he has lived after fleeing Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Advertisement
'We have lost our country and we live in exile in India, but I have been able to benefit beings quite a lot. So, living here in Dharamshala, I intend to serve beings and the dharma as much as I can,' he said, referring to the teachings of the Buddha, according to a translation of his speech.
3 The Dalai Lama has previously said that he would reincarnate in the 'free world.'
AFP via Getty Images
Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a separatist and has insisted that its leaders would have to approve his successor as a legacy from imperial times.
The Dalai Lama has previously said that he would reincarnate in the 'free world' and this week told his followers that the sole authority to recognize his reincarnation rests solely with his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Simple Buddhist monk' Dalai Lama marks landmark 90th birthday
Calling himself a "simple Buddhist monk" who usually didn't celebrate birthdays, the Dalai Lama marked his 90th on Sunday by praying for peace after China insisted it would have final say on who succeeded the Tibetan spiritual leader. Chanting of red-robed monks and nuns rang out from Himalayan hilltop forested temples in India, home to the Dalai Lama since he and thousands of other Tibetans fled Chinese troops who crushed an uprising in their capital Lhasa in 1959. "I am just a simple Buddhist monk; I don't normally engage in birthday celebrations," the Dalai Lama said in a message, thanking those marking it with him for using the opportunity "to cultivate peace of mind and compassion". Dressed in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, walking with the aid of two monks while flashing his trademark beaming smile to thousands of followers, he watched dramatic dance troupes with clanging cymbals before the start of prayers. Beijing condemns the Nobel Peace Prize winner -- who has led a lifelong campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast high-altitude plateau -- as a rebel and separatist. Alongside the celebrations, however, is the worry for Tibetans in exile that China will name its successor to bolster control over the territory it poured troops into in 1950 and has ruled ever since. That raises the likelihood of rival challengers to the post; one by self-declared atheist Beijing, the other by the Dalai Lama's office based in neighbouring India, a regional rival of China. - 'Good heart' - The celebrations on Sunday are the culmination of days of long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, a man whose moral teachings and idiosyncratic humour have made him one of the world's most popular religious leaders. "While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone," he said in his birthday message. "Through this, you will contribute to making the world a better place." The celebrations also included his key announcement that, after being inundated with messages of support from fellow Tibetans both inside and in exile, the spiritual institution will continue after his death. He said he had received appeals from followers from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China. The seemingly esoteric matters of reincarnation have real-world political consequences, with Tibetans fearing his death will mark a major setback in his push for more autonomy for the Himalayan region. The Dalai Lama said his India-based office alone would "exclusively" identify that successor -- prompting a swift and sharp reply from China that the reincarnation "must be approved by the central government" in Beijing. China said the succession would be carried out "by drawing lots from a golden urn", foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Wednesday. That urn is held by Beijing, and the Dalai Lama has warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks "any spiritual quality". str-pjm/sco
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dalai Lama celebrates 90th birthday with followers in north Indian town
The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, has turned 90 to cap a week of celebrations by followers during which he riled China again and spoke about his hope to live beyond 130 and reincarnate after dying. Dressed in his traditional yellow and burgundy robe, the Dalai Lama arrived at a Buddhist temple complex to smiles and claps from thousands of monks and followers who had gathered on a rainy Sunday morning in the north Indian hill town of Dharamshala, where he lives. He waved and greeted them as he walked slowly to the stage with support from monks. 'As far as I am concerned, I have a human life, and as humans, it is quite natural for us to love and help one another. I live my life in the service of other sentient beings,' the Dalai Lama said, flanked on the stage by longtime supporters, including Western diplomats, Indian federal ministers, Hollywood actor Richard Gere, and a monk who is expected to lead the search for his his native Tibet in 1959 in the wake of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the 14th Dalai Lama, along with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans, took shelter in India and has since advocated for a peaceful 'Middle Way' to seek autonomy and religious freedom for the Tibetan people. A Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama is regarded as one of the world's most influential religious leaders, with a following that extends well beyond Buddhism – but not by Beijing, which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the faith under its control. In a sign of solidarity, Taiwan's President William Lai Ching-te, leaders of Indian states bordering Tibet, and three former United States presidents – Barack Obama, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton – sent video messages which were played during the event. In the preceding week of celebrations, the Dalai Lama had said he would reincarnate as the leader of the faith upon his death and that his nonprofit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, had the sole authority to recognise his successor. China has said the succession will have to be approved by its leaders, and the US has called on Beijing to cease what it describes as interference in the succession of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist lamas. Guests gathered at the ceremony took turns to speak, including Indian Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, a practising Buddhist, who had earlier made a rare statement contradicting China by backing the Dalai Lama's position on his successor. He later clarified that the statement was made in his personal capacity as China warned New Delhi against interfering in its domestic affairs at the expense of bilateral relations. On Sunday, Rijiju said the Dalai Lama was India's 'most honoured guest'. 'We feel blessed for his presence here in our country,' he said. Cultural performances were held throughout the morning, including from Bollywood playback singers, while messages from global leaders were read out. 'I join 1.4 billion Indians in extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his 90th birthday. He has been an enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline,' Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X.
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Dalai Lama celebrates 90th birthday amid China tensions
July 6 (UPI) -- The 14th Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, marked his 90th birthday Sunday with a celebration attended by thousands in the city of Dharamshala in India. The event included politically charged remarks subtly referencing China from U.S. and foreign officials. The website for the Dalai Lama said in a statement that the celebration was organized by the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile, formed after the Dalai Lama fled the 1959 failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama did not lead the uprising, but rumors of Chinese plans to kidnap him fueled the resistance, and he was forced to flee to India for his safety -- where he established the CTA. Tibet remains tightly controlled by Beijing despite its classification as an "autonomous region," as does the majority of the population following Tibetan Buddhism. Since his exile in 1959, the Dalai Lama's relationship with China has been marked by decades of tension as Beijing condemned him as a separatist while he advocates for Tibetan autonomy through nonviolence and dialogue. Last week, the aging Dalai Lama signaled that China should refrain from interfering in the process for his succession, while China has increasingly begun to warn off what it views as interference by India and reinforce its position that the succession of the spiritual leader should be held in accordance with Chinese law. Bethany Nelson, Deputy Secretary of State for India and Bhutan, read a statement on behalf of Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the birthday festivities. "The United States remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people," Nelson said. "We respect efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate their religious leaders without interference." Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama also delivered video messages that were shown during the celebrations, praising the Nobel Laureate as a voice for peace. The CTA particularly noted that Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, which China views as a wayward province, had extended birthday wishes to the Dalai Lama. The birthday celebration also comes days after the administration of President Donald Trump decided to walk back cuts to aid for Tibetans in exile. Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong or, political leader, of the CTA, addressed the cancellation of those cuts in a statement from the celebrations. He mentioned that a "substantial delegation" from the U.S. State Department and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Delhi worked diligently with the CTA to restore some of the funds.
