Dalai Lama turns 90, vows to keep defying China for years

China says succession has to beryllium approved by its leaders

Tibetan spiritual person the Dalai Lama attends a supplication conscionable held for his agelong beingness astatine the Dalai Lama temple successful the bluish elevation municipality of Dharamshala connected Friday. Reuters File Photo

The spiritual person of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, turned 90 connected Sunday aft a week of celebrations by followers during which helium riled China again and spoke astir his anticipation to unrecorded beyond 130 and reincarnate aft dying.

The Nobel laureate is regarded arsenic 1 of the world’s astir influential spiritual leaders, with a pursuing that extends good beyond Buddhism, but not by Beijing which calls him a separatist and has sought to bring the religion nether its control.

Fleeing his autochthonal Tibet successful 1959 successful the aftermath of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, the 14^th Dalai Lama on with hundreds of thousands of Tibetans took structure successful India and has since advocated for a peaceful “Middle Way” to question autonomy and spiritual state for the Tibetan people.

Thousands of followers from astir the world, celebrities, and officials from the United States and India, volition be his day celebrations successful Dharamshala, the tiny Indian municipality successful the foothills of the Himalayas wherever the Dalai Lama lives.

During the celebrations, which volition see taste performances and remarks by long-time follower and Hollywood prima Richard Gere arsenic good arsenic national Indian ministers, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to present a speech.

In a day connection connected his website connected Sunday, the Dalai Lama said helium was “just a elemental Buddhist monk” and that helium volition proceed to absorption connected his commitments of promoting quality values and spiritual harmony.

Wishes determination in

Global leaders sent well-wishes, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“I articulation 1.4 cardinal Indians successful extending our warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama connected his 90^th birthday. He has been an enduring awesome of love, compassion, patience and motivation discipline,” Modi wrote connected X.

Rubio said the Dalai Lama continued to animate radical by embodying a connection of “unity, peace, and compassion.” “The United States remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the quality rights and cardinal freedoms of Tibetans. We enactment efforts to sphere Tibetans’ chiseled linguistic, cultural, and spiritual heritage, including their quality to freely take and venerate spiritual leaders without interference,” helium said, according to a State Department readout.

The preceding week of celebrations was peculiarly important for Tibetan Buddhists arsenic the Dalai Lama had antecedently mentioned that helium would talk astir his succession astatine his 90^th birthday.

On Wednesday, helium allayed their concerns astir the aboriginal of the instauration of the Dalai Lama by saying that helium would reincarnate arsenic the person of the religion upon his decease and that his non-profit institution, the Gaden Phodrang Trust, had the sole authorization to recognise his successor.

China has said that the succession volition person to beryllium approved by its leaders.

The United States, which is seeking to antagonistic the emergence of China, has called connected Beijing to cease what it describes arsenic interference successful the succession of the Dalai Lama and different Tibetan Buddhist lamas.