Dharamshala — Thousands gathered in and around the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamshala morning morning to celebrate His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama's 80th birthday.
Penpa Tsering – Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile praised His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his efforts of turning Tibetan leadership into a democracy, for the benefit of all TIbetans, while addressing the crowds on the lower concourse of the Temple.
"Out of a feeling of closeness arising from a sense of affection towards all sentient beings in general and, especially, towards the downtrodden devotees of the Land of Snows, His Holiness the Dalai Lama took a deliberate decision to enter the realm of our cyclic existence. Accordingly he was born on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Wood-Hog Year in the Tibetan calendar's 16th Royal Sexantry, corresponding to the 6th day of July 1935, in Tagtser Village of Kumbum area in Domey Province as a son of father Choekyong Tsering and mother Tsering Dekyi."
The speech touched on His Holiness's biography and the significant work he has done for Tibetans and humans worldwide. During the time of crisis when the Chinese occupied Tibet, although His Holiness was only 16 years old, he took leadership of Tibetans at that pivotal time. After coming into exile in India, he immediately began the process of turning Tibetan leadership into a democracy, for the benefit of all TIbetans. And finally, he has single handedly been responsible for the flourishing and spread of the Buddhist religion.
"He has at all times, relying solely on the ideology and strategy of practicing a non-violent approach, and in keeping with the peculiarities of places and times, as well as in accordance with the genius and inclinations of the different audiences, assumed multitude of hardship to spread the message of universal responsibility. By this means of showing the way forward, he has, as he continues to, assumed enormous responsibility to bring peace upon the entire humanity. Besides, irrespective of the question whether one believed in any religion or not, he has, through the approach of the idea of secular ethnics, made efforts designed to benefit humanity in general and also the environmental conditions across the world. Likewise, working towards bringing inter-religious friendship, he has adopted a most liberal approach in going out to meet with leaders of different religious faiths and to hold discussions with them in attempts to dispel doubts and suspicions, and to do away with the causes of contradictions among the followers of the different religious traditions."
"And he has been highly praised for his outstanding efforts and achievements in all these noble areas and has been recognized with a series of hundreds of certificates, honors and awards across the world, including especially the world's most prestigious and famed award, the Nobel Peace Prize; The US Congressional Gold Medal; and the John Templeton Award in Great Britain. His fame as a great champion of peace has thus reached the whole wide world, spreading like a wind across the geographical barriers."
"Finally, we pray that His Holiness the Dalai Lama live for a hundred aeons, that all his wishes be seen fulfilled with spontaneity, and that the just cause of Tibet be seen prevail with speediness."
